No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Black Duck SCA vs Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 22, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Black Duck SCA
Ranking in Software Composition Analysis (SCA)
1st
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Checkmarx Software Composit...
Ranking in Software Composition Analysis (SCA)
10th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Software Composition Analysis (SCA) category, the mindshare of Black Duck SCA is 9.9%, down from 18.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis is 3.0%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Software Composition Analysis (SCA) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Black Duck SCA9.9%
Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis3.0%
Other87.1%
Software Composition Analysis (SCA)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2587080 - PeerSpot reviewer
IP Head at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Delivers robust accuracy for identifying and mitigating risks but setup and security can improve
My deployment of Black Duck will take a few hours minimum. In the earlier on-premise scenario, which I've seen in other organizations, it takes a few days because you have to get the server installed, then actually keep installing various patch upgrades as it happens. The cloud version is a lot faster, probably taking only a few hours to complete. Regarding Black Duck leveraging AI to enhance security scanning of open-source components, I would not be able to address that because I have not yet explored that area significantly. Based on my experience, I would recommend Black Duck to other people if they can digest the higher cost. It helps in many aspects. I would rate this solution overall at 7 to 8. Disclaimer: The review is provided in personal capacity as an individual and not the opinion of the organization or corporate to which I belong to.
Tharindu Malwenna - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Application Security Engineer at a newspaper with 5,001-10,000 employees
Efficient library identification and upgrade suggestions improve application security
We have many third-party libraries in our organization. I used Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis to identify all the libraries we use and determine whether they are used or unused within the application Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis provides identification of libraries and…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Black Duck is the seamless integration to scan our Docker binary files, it provides us all open vulnerabilities, and it ensures a reference point from where it finds the vulnerability is up to date."
"It highlights what the developers have done, and it shows the impact from an intellectual property point of view."
"The tool is giving a range for a given open-source component in a version and provides a list of vulnerabilities based on the sources with a lot of information."
"Black Duck is pretty extensive in terms of the scan reserves and the vulnerability exposures, and from that perspective, I'm happy with it."
"The solution is very good at scanning and evaluating open source software."
"Black Duck's ability to identify dependencies very accurately has been most valuable in identifying and mitigating risks."
"The technical support has been fine, they help us a lot and we actually find them to be quite helpful."
"The product enables other applications to be secure."
"The customer service and support were good."
"The product is stable and scalable."
"It has improved identification capabilities, scalability, and integration with AI, such as the AI-powered suggestions."
"What's most valuable in Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis is its ability to identify vulnerabilities in open-source components, especially if some critical issues exist."
"What's most valuable in Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis is that it provides security from the start, helping you make sure that every open-source application that you use is secure and that there's no vulnerability inside that open-source application."
"The integration part is easy...It's a stable solution right now."
"I appreciate the user-friendly interface. The GUI is excellent, providing detailed information on outdated versions, including version numbers and the flow of library calls. This allows me to plan and prioritize library changes based on potential vulnerabilities, even if the affected library is indirectly used in my project. The tool offers specific guidance on addressing these issues."
"One of the strong points of this solution is that it allows you to incorporate it into a CICB pipeline, and it has the ability to do incremental scans, so if you scan a very large application it might take two hours to do the initial scan, but the subsequent scans, as people are making changes to the app, scan the Delta and are very fast."
 

Cons

"Right now, as it is, it's not okay."
"The tool needs to improve its pricing. Its configuration is complex and can be improved."
"We're not too sure about the extension of the firewall. It never shows up in the Hub."
"The initial setup could be simplified. It was somewhat complex."
"The SBOMs that are being generated from Black Duck SCA are not sometimes fully complete, and the vulnerabilities that are being verified after generating this SBOM seem to be incorrect or missing."
"The tool's documentation and support are areas of concern where improvements are required."
"Black Duck can improve the time it takes for a scan. Most of the time it's not ideal when integrated with the live DevSecOps pipeline."
"We have been having some issues with the latest releases where we are not able to scan our applications with the help of Black Duck."
"An area for improvement in Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis is for the updates to be fast."
"In terms of areas for improvement, what could be improved in Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis is pricing because customers always compare the pricing among secure DevOps solutions in the market. Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis has a lot of competitors yet its features aren't much different. Pricing is the first thing customers consider, and from a partner perspective, if you can offer affordable pricing to your customers, it's more likely you'll have a winning deal. The performance of Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis also needs improvement because sometimes, it's slow, and in particular, scanning could take several hours."
"In terms of time and quality of support, Checkmarx SCA needs improvement."
"Instant updates for end users to identify vulnerabilities as soon as possible will make Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis better. The UI of the solution could also be improved."
"It can have better licensing models."
"The quality of technical support has decreased over time, and it is not as good as it used to be."
"I would rate the scalability a seven out of ten."
"API security is an area with shortcomings that needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is quite high because the behavior of the software during the scan is similar to competing products."
"Depending on the use case, the cost could range from $10,000 USD to $70,000 USD."
"The price charged by Black Duck is exorbitant."
"The pricing is a little high."
"The price is low. It's not an expensive solution."
"Black Duck is more suitable if you require a lot of licensing compliance. For smaller organizations, WhiteSource is better because its pricing policies are not really suitable for huge organizations."
"It is expensive."
"I rate the product's price one on a scale of one to ten, where one is a high price, and ten is a low price."
"The license model is somewhat perplexing as it comprises multiple aspects that can be confusing for customers. The model is determined by the number of registered users and the number of projects being scanned, along with a third component that adds to the complexity."
"Pricing for Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis needs to be competitive."
"My customers need to pay for the licensing part, and they need to opt for an annual subscription."
"It is a little bit high priced. It would be better if it was a little less expensive."
"We don't have a license. The usage is limited to one, two, three, five, or ten people. It is currently used for all projects, and there are plans to increase its usage."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Software Composition Analysis (SCA) solutions are best for your needs.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
12%
Healthcare Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
23%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Insurance Company
6%
Construction Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Large Enterprise17
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Large Enterprise8
 

Questions from the Community

How does WhiteSource compare with Black Duck?
We researched Black Duck but ultimately chose WhiteSource when looking for an application security tool. WhiteSource is a software solution that enables agile open source security and license compl...
What do you like most about Black Duck?
The cloud option of the product is always available and a positive aspect of the solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Black Duck?
The price charged by Black Duck is exorbitant. For the features provided by the product, I would not want to pay a high price. There are many other products in the market that offer better features...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis?
Pricing is complex and high for small organizations but offers great benefits for larger organizations. It is notably different compared to competitors like GitHub Advanced Security.
What needs improvement with Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis?
The solution could improve by determining the success factor of an upgrade, which is currently lacking.
What is your primary use case for Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis?
We have many third-party libraries in our organization. I used Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis to identify all the libraries we use and determine whether they are used or unused within the ...
 

Also Known As

Blackduck Hub, Black Duck Protex, Black Duck Security Checker
CxSCA
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Samsung, Siemens, ScienceLogic, BryterCX, Dynatrace
AXA, Liveperson, Aaron's, Playtech, Morningstar
Find out what your peers are saying about Black Duck SCA vs. Checkmarx Software Composition Analysis and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.