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CodeQL vs Semgrep: catalog facts
CodeQL	Semgrep
Freemium Free for research and open source code; other use falls under GitHub's CodeQL terms.	Freemium The community scanning engine is free. Commercial platform features are separate.
Command line	macOS, Linux, Command line
Queries follow data flow from source to sink across a codebase Finds every variant of a known bug pattern	Runs custom or shared rules in development workflows.
Free use is limited to research and open source code Writing custom queries means learning the QL language	Rule quality and language support affect what it can detect.
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License: GitHub CodeQL Terms and Conditions	License: LGPL-2.1
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.