CodeSonar vs Fortify Application Defender comparison

CodeSecure and OpenText are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. CodeSecure is ranked #28, while OpenText is ranked #24 with an average rating of 8.0. CodeSecure holds a 1.2% mindshare in AS, compared to OpenText’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of CodeSecure users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 81% of OpenText users who would recommend it.

CodeSonar

Read 7 CodeSonar reviews

2,674 Views
1,845 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Fortify Application Defender

Read 11 Fortify Application Defender reviews

1,527 Views
1,267 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

CodeSonar

Fortify Application Defender

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

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Fortify Application Defender and CodeSonar compete in software security assessment. CodeSonar is favored for its robust features despite higher costs, making it the preferred choice for users seeking comprehensive security options.

Features: Fortify Application Defender is recognized for ease of integration, real-time monitoring, and comprehensive support. CodeSonar is noted for advanced static analysis, in-depth error detection, and insights into code vulnerabilities, providing a more extensive feature set.

Room for Improvement: Fortify Application Defender users identify report customization, speed, and sharper reporting tools as areas for enhancement. CodeSonar users seek improved scalability, a more intuitive setup process, and streamlined deployment.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortify Application Defender receives praise for its seamless deployment and responsive customer support. CodeSonar users favor more intuitive deployment while appreciating its helpful support services.

Pricing and ROI: Fortify Application Defender offers competitive setup costs and good long-term ROI. CodeSonar requires higher initial investment but offers significant returns due to its comprehensive features, which many users find justify the cost.

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To learn more, read our detailed CodeSonar vs. Fortify Application Defender Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

CodeSonar vs. Fortify Application Defender

February 2026

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Helped 881,707 peers since 2012

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

CodeSonar

Ranking in Application Security Tools

28th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Static Code Analysis (10th)

Fortify Application Defender

Ranking in Application Security Tools

24th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Application Security Tools category, the mindshare of CodeSonar is 1.2%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortify Application Defender is 1.2%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Security Tools Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortify Application Defender	1.2%
CodeSonar	1.2%
Other	97.6%

Application Security Tools

Featured Reviews

Mathieu ALBRESPY

Intigration Developer at ez-Wheel

Nice interface, quick to deploy, and easy to expand

This is the first time I've used this kind of software. It was the only one we could apply to analyze with MISRA rules. At my new company, I tried to use Klocwork. I tried to use it, just once so I cannot compare it exactly with CodeSonar. I also have a plugin for my Visual Studio and I try to make it work. It's not easy, however, I don't think that we have this kind of functionality with CodeSonar. It can do some incremental analysis. However, since this feature is also available on CodeSonar, it would be a good idea to have a plugin on Visual Studio just to have a quick analysis.

Read full review

VinothSivam

CTO at Abcl

Useful for fast code review in devOps pipelines

I rate the tool's scalability a seven out of ten. However, I'm concerned about how it handles an increasing number of lines of code. As the complexity grows, so does the time it takes for the tool to review everything. I want more clarity on how Fortify Application Defender handles multiple threats. We have numerous endpoints, but the tool runs in our pipeline, meaning it operates in the cloud. All our code is configured there, and the tool runs integration testing, unit testing, user testing, and final production code tests. It's a day-to-day experience. It's utilized almost every day as part of our pipeline runs. Each team responsible for integration testing, human testing, user access testing, and preproduction testing runs it whenever they take a build.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool is very good for detecting memory leaks."

"What I like best about CodeSonar is that it has fantastic speed, analysis and configuration times. Its detection of all runtime errors is also very good, though there were times it missed a few. The configuration of logs by CodeSonar is also very fantastic which I've not seen anywhere else. I also like the GUI interface of CodeSonar because it's very user friendly and the tool also shows very precise logs and results."

"There is nice functionality for code surfing and browsing."

"The most valuable features of CodeSonar were all the categorized classes provided, and reports of future bugs which might occur in the production code. Additionally, I found the buffer overflow and underflow useful."

"The most valuable feature of CodeSonar is the catching of dead code. It is helpful."

"CodeSonar’s most valuable feature is finding security threats."

"It has been able to scale."

"The solution helped us to improve the code quality of our organization."

"The information from Fortify Application Defender on how to fix and solve issues is very good compared to other solutions."

"The most valuable features of Fortify Application Defender are the code packages that are default."

"We are able to provide out customers with a secure application after development. They are no longer left wondering if they are vulnerable to different threats within the market following deployment."

"The product saves us cost and time."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to automatically feed it rules what it's coupled with the WebInspect dynamic application scanning technology."

"I find the configuration of rules in Fortify Application Defender useful. Its integration is also easy."

"Fortify Application Defender's most valuable features are machine learning algorithms, real-time remediation, and automatic vulnerability notifications."

More Fortify Application Defender pros

Cons

"There could be a shared licensing model for the users."

"In a future release, the solution should upgrade itself to the current trends and differentiate between the languages. If there are any classifications that can be set for these programming languages that would be helpful rather than having everything in the generic category."

"It was expensive."

"CodeSonar could improve by having better coding rules so we did not have to use another solution, such as MISRA C."

"In terms of areas for improvement, the use case for CodeSonar was good, but compared to other tools, it seems CodeSonar isn't a sound static analysis tool, and this is a major con I've seen from it. Right now, in the market, people prefer sound static analysis tools, so I would have preferred if CodeSonar was developed into a sound static analysis tool formally, in terms of its algorithms, so then you can see it extensively used in the market because at the moment, here in India, only fifty to sixty customers use CodeSonar. If the product is developed into a sound static analysis tool, it could compete with Polyspace, and from its current fifty customers, that number could go up to a hundred."

"It would be beneficial for the solution to include code standards and additional functionality for security."

"The scanning tool for core architecture could be improved."

"Support for older compilers/IDEs is lacking."

"Fortify Application Defender gives a lot of false positives."

"The solution could improve the time it takes to scan. When comparing it to SonarQube it does it in minutes while in Fortify Application Defender it can take hours."

"The biggest complaint that I have heard concerns additional platform support because right now, it only supports applications that are written in .NET and Java."

"Fortify Application Defender could improve by supporting more code languages, such as GRAAS and Groovy."

"The false positive rate should be lower."

"I encountered many false positives for Python applications."

"The licensing can be a little complex."

More Fortify Application Defender cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing is a bit costly."

"The application’s pricing is high compared to other tools."

"Our organization purchased a license to use the solution."

"The solution's price depends on the number of licenses needed and the source code for the project."

"The price of this solution could be less expensive."

"The licensing is very complex, it's project based and can range from $10,000 to $200,000+ depending on the project type and size."

"The base licensing costs for the SaaS platform is about $900 USD per application, per year."

"The product’s price is much higher than other tools."

"I rate the solution's pricing a five out of ten. It comes as an annual cloud subscription. The tool's pricing is around 50 lakhs."

"Fortify Application Defender is very expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

25%

University

11%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	2

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	8

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

What do you like most about Fortify Application Defender?

I find the configuration of rules in Fortify Application Defender useful. Its integration is also easy.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortify Application Defender?

The product should integrate industry-standard code review tools internally with its system. This would streamline the coding process, as developers wouldn't need multiple tools for code review and...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Fortify Application Defender?

We use the solution for fast code review. It is integrated into our DevOps pipeline.

See all answers

Comparisons

SonarQube vs CodeSonar

Compared 29% of the time

Coverity Static vs CodeSonar

Compared 20% of the time

Polyspace Code Prover vs CodeSonar

Compared 7% of the time

Helix QAC vs CodeSonar

Compared 5% of the time

Semgrep vs CodeSonar

Compared 3% of the time

More CodeSonar Competitors

Checkmarx One vs Fortify Application Defender

Compared 14% of the time

SonarQube vs Fortify Application Defender

Compared 9% of the time

Coverity Static vs Fortify Application Defender

Compared 5% of the time

Klocwork vs Fortify Application Defender

Compared 5% of the time

Qualys Web Application Scanning vs Fortify Application Defender

Compared 5% of the time

More Fortify Application Defender Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Security Tools

February 2026

Download CodeSonar product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Security Tools

February 2026

Download Fortify Application Defender product report

Also Known As

No data available

HPE Fortify Application Defender, Micro Focus Fortify Application Defender

Overview

GrammaTech enables organizations to develop software applications more efficiently, on-budget, and on-schedule by helping to eliminate harmful defects that can cause system failures, enable data breaches, and ultimately increase corporate liabilities in today’s connected world. GrammaTech is the developer of CodeSonar, the most powerful source and binary code analysis solution available today. Extraordinarily precise, CodeSonar finds, on average, 2 times more serious defects in software than other static analysis solutions. Designed for organizations with zero tolerance for defects and vulnerabilities in their applications, CodeSonar provides static analysis for applications where reliability and security are paramount - widely used by software developers in avionics, medical, automotive, industrial control, and other mission-critical applications. Some of GrammaTech's customers include Toyota, GE, Hyundai, Kawasaki, LG, Lockheed Martin, NASA, Northrop Grumman, Panasonic, and Samsung.

CodeSecure

Micro Focus Security Fortify Application Defender is a runtime application self-protection (RASP) solution that helps you manage and mitigate risk from homegrown or third-party applications. It provides centralized visibility into application use and abuse while protecting from software vulnerability exploits and other violations in real time.

OpenText

Sample Customers

Viveris, Micrel Medical Devices, Olympus, SOFTEQ, SONY

ServiceMaster, Saltworks, SAP

Buyer's Guide

CodeSonar vs. Fortify Application Defender

February 2026

Free Report: CodeSonar vs. Fortify Application Defender

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