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SpotBugs vs SonarQube: catalog facts
SpotBugs	SonarQube
Best for: Java developers who want automated bug detection in builds	Best for: Development teams adding automated code quality and security checks to their pipeline
Free Free software under the GNU Lesser General Public License.	Free + paid options Free starting option, with paid plans for larger teams and more features.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Web, Self-hosted
Checks more than 400 bug patterns Integrations for Maven, Gradle, Ant and Eclipse All 4 strengths for SpotBugs Checks more than 400 bug patterns Integrations for Maven, Gradle, Ant and Eclipse Extensible with plugins such as find-sec-bugs Analyses code compiled for any Java version	Self-hosted server or managed cloud option Tracks technical debt and reliability as well as security All 4 strengths for SonarQube Self-hosted server or managed cloud option Tracks technical debt and reliability as well as security CI/CD integration and IDE plugin Suggested fixes for detected issues
Requires Java 11 or later to run Java bytecode only, not other languages	Running the server yourself needs infrastructure and maintenance Advanced features are in paid plans
Downloadable app	Self-hosted, Hosted service
Open source	Not open source
License: LGPL-2.1-only	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Offline features available	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for SpotBugs spotbugs.github.io Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for SonarQube sonarsource.com/products/sonarqube Catalog checked September 24, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.