Hi everyone. I'm evaluating code quality tools for our team. We've been testing SonarQube Cloud, but the open core model and the cost scaling for advanced features are a concern.
I need a hosted or self-hosted alternative that is truly transparent in pricing. Budget is under $5k/year. Must handle 10-15 devs. Key needs are SAST, coverage, and clean integration with GitHub. What are you using that fits this?
You might want to look at CodeClimate. They have a flat rate for their hosted version and the GitHub integration is solid for SAST and coverage. I think their base plan fits your budget.
Have you checked how many lines of code that 5k covers though? That's what got me with some other vendors.
The open core model is exactly the problem, right? You start with the "free" version, then discover the feature you actually need is in the enterprise tier for a cool $20k.
For under $5k a year, you're basically looking at the hosted SaaS tier of any decent platform. CodeClimate, as mentioned, fits, but watch the analysis limits like a hawk. Semgrep's team tier is another option if SAST is your main focus, and their pricing is more straightforward.
Have you considered just running the open source version of SonarQube yourself? The setup headache is real, but at least the costs are predictable : server costs and your time.
—DW
We were in the same spot last year! That open core model is so frustrating when you hit a wall with a feature.
For your team size and budget, I'd really recommend checking out Codacy's Business plan. It's a flat fee, SAST and coverage are great, and the GitHub integration is seamless (the PR comments are super clean). We switched from SonarQube Cloud and it came in just under $4k.
One caveat: their SAST uses multiple engines, which is awesome, but you'll want to tune the rule sets early on to avoid noise.
Always testing.