GitHub Code Scanning vs HCL AppScan comparison

GitHub and HCLSoftware are both solutions in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category. GitHub is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.5, while HCLSoftware is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.3. GitHub holds a 1.3% mindshare in SAST, compared to HCLSoftware ’s 2.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of GitHub users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of HCLSoftware users who would recommend it.

GitHub Code Scanning

Read 6 GitHub Code Scanning reviews

1,016 Views
965 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Read 43 HCL AppScan reviews

4,632 Views
3,706 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

GitHub Code Scanning

HCL AppScan

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 12, 2024

HCL AppScan and GitHub Code Scanning compete in security scanning software. GitHub Code Scanning is preferred for integration features, while HCL AppScan wins on pricing and support.

Features: HCL AppScan offers robust scanning capabilities, comprehensive policy configuration, and great pricing. GitHub Code Scanning is known for deep integration with GitHub workflows, actionable insights, and adaptability within development pipelines.

Room for Improvement: HCL AppScan could enhance integration flexibility, user experience, and database reach. GitHub Code Scanning could benefit from comprehensive vulnerability databases, better reporting features, and improved support response.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HCL AppScan is praised for reliable customer support but has an intricate deployment process. GitHub Code Scanning simplifies setup with smooth GitHub integration and offers ease of deployment, but with mixed reviews on support responsiveness.

Pricing and ROI: HCL AppScan is valued for affordability and strong ROI from scanning capabilities relative to cost. GitHub Code Scanning involves higher setup costs but demonstrates good ROI through enhanced integration and streamlined development processes.

To learn more, read our detailed GitHub Code Scanning vs. HCL AppScan Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

GitHub Code Scanning vs. HCL AppScan

July 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 865,295 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

GitHub Code Scanning

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

17th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

HCL AppScan

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

15th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (15th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category, the mindshare of GitHub Code Scanning is 1.3%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HCL AppScan is 2.6%, up from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Featured Reviews

VishalSingh

Consulting & Solutions, BA/BD in Enterprise IT on Open Source, Red Hat & EDB at KEEN AND ABLE COMPUTERS PVT LTD

Traverses the entire network, scanning every system to determine which ports are open

You can use the tool locally on your system or in the cloud. I rate it a nine out of ten. It's a very good tool for people who want to start using GitHubCode Scanning, especially for software development or team collaboration. GitHubCode Scanning allows teams to collaborate by uploading files to repositories. For example, if someone is developing an application, they can host the code on GitHub Code Scanning. Other developers can then download the code for testing purposes. If bugs are found, fixes can be applied using the GitHub Code Scanningrepository, and everyone on the team can see the changes. Software developers often use GitHub Code Scanning for version control, and it's essential for CI/CD pipelines to work.

Read full review

Sthembiso Zondi

Head of Software Engineering at ronaldmariah@gmail.com

Has a straightforward setup process and valuable security features

We use AppScan primarily for security testing and performance monitoring across our systems The product's features for comprehensive code analysis (static) and live environment testing (dynamic) have significantly enhanced our ability to identify and address vulnerabilities, improving overall…

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

"GitHub Code Scanning has positively impacted my organization as it helps us recognize errors and avoid many later issues which may arise."

"GitHub Code Spaces brings significant value with its simplicity and ease of use."

"It's very scalable, very easy to handle, and very intuitive."

"The static code analysis capability in GitHub Code Scanning is a very powerful feature, providing the ability to identify vulnerabilities and ensure code quality."

"We use GitHub Code Scanning mostly for source code management."

"The solution helps identify vulnerabilities by understanding how ports communicate with applications running on a system. Ports are like house numbers; to visit someone's house, you must know their number. Similarly, ports are used to communicate with applications. For example, if you want to use an HTTP web server, you must use port 80. It is the port on which the web application or your server listens for incoming requests."

"There's extensive functionality with custom rules and a custom knowledge base."

"It has certainly helped us find vulnerabilities in our software, so this is priceless in the end."

"It identifies all the URLs and domains on its own and then performs tests and provides the results."

"The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is scanning QR codes."

"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution...The initial setup or installation of HCL AppScan is easy."

"The product has valuable features for static and dynamic testing."

"The solution is easy to install. I would rate the product's setup between six to seven out of ten. The deployment time depends on the applications that need to be scanned. We have a development and operations team to take care of the product's maintenance."

"The solution is easy to use."

More HCL AppScan pros

Cons

"GitHub Code Scanning should add more templates."

"At times it becomes very annoying as it highlights certain things which are intuitive. They require code coverage for those aspects as an extra overhead."

"One area for improvement could be the ability to have an AI system digest the reports generated from code scanning and provide a summary. Currently, the reports can be extensive, and users may overlook details, such as outdated libraries, which could be highlighted for attention."

"When running code scans, GitHub Code Scanning provides recommendations for probable fixes. However, integrating a feature where developers receive real-time highlights of vulnerabilities when checking in or merging a PR would be beneficial."

"HCL AppScan needs to improve security."

"Visibility is an issue for us. Our partners do not know we have integrations with some of IBM products."

"I would love to see more containers. Many of the tools are great, they require an amount of configuration, setup and infrastructure. If most the applications were in a container, I think everything would be a little bit faster, because all our clients are now using containers."

"If HCL AppScan is able to alert the clients over email once the scan is complete, it would be great. Right now, HCL AppScan doesn't let me know if the scanning part is finished or not, because of which I have to come back and check mostly."

"The penetration testing feature should be included."

"There is room for improvement in the pricing model."

"Improvement can be done as per customer requirements."

"AppScan needs to improve its handling of false positives."

More HCL AppScan cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"GitHub Code Scanning is a moderately priced solution."

"The minimum pricing for the tool is five dollars a month."

"The product is moderately priced, though it's an investment due to extensive code analysis needs."

"The price of HCL AppScan is okay, in my opinion. You just buy HCL AppScan and don't pay anything anymore, meaning it is just a one-time purchase."

"The product has premium pricing and could be more competitive."

"The solution is cheap."

"Our clients are willing to pay the extra money. It is expensive."

"The tool was expensive."

"Pricing was the main reason that we went ahead with this solution as they were the lowest in the market."

"The price is very expensive."

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Static Application Security Testing (SAST) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about GitHub Code Scanning?

We use GitHub Code Scanning mostly for source code management.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for GitHub Code Scanning?

The organization pays for the license of GitHub Code Scanning, but specific price details are unknown.

See all answers

What needs improvement with GitHub Code Scanning?

In my opinion, areas of GitHub Code Scanning that could be improved include that a few things are not visible to us, such as where it stores data and which path. There is a separate team for that w...

See all answers

What do you like most about HCL AppScan?

The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is its integration with the SDLC, particularly during the coding phase.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HCL AppScan?

AppScan needs to improve its handling of false positives. It also requires enhancements in customer support, similar to what Veracode provides. Regularly scheduling calls with clients to discuss fe...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HCL AppScan?

The primary use case for AppScan is for security purposes. I compare AppScan with other tools such as Veracode. We use AppScan for vulnerability detection and auto-remediation of vulnerabilities wi...

See all answers

Comparisons

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs GitHub Code Scanning

Compared 32% of the time

Coverity vs GitHub Code Scanning

Compared 24% of the time

SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) vs GitHub Code Scanning

Compared 11% of the time

Aikido Security vs GitHub Code Scanning

Compared 9% of the time

OWASP Zap vs GitHub Code Scanning

Compared 5% of the time

More GitHub Code Scanning Competitors

Acunetix vs HCL AppScan

Compared 13% of the time

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs HCL AppScan

Compared 12% of the time

Veracode vs HCL AppScan

Compared 11% of the time

OWASP Zap vs HCL AppScan

Compared 8% of the time

Tenable.io Web Application Scanning vs HCL AppScan

Compared 3% of the time

More HCL AppScan Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GitHub Code Scanning

August 2025

Download GitHub Code Scanning product report

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

August 2025

Download HCL AppScan product report

Also Known As

No data available

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

Overview

Code scanning is a feature that you use to analyze the code in a GitHub repository to find security vulnerabilities and coding errors. Any problems identified by the analysis are shown in GitHub.

GitHub

IBM Security AppScan enhances web application security and mobile application security, improves application security program management and strengthens regulatory compliance. By scanning your web and mobile applications prior to deployment, AppScan enables you to identify security vulnerabilities and generate reports and fix recommendations.

HCLSoftware

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Essex Technology Group Inc., Cisco, West Virginia University, APIS IT

Buyer's Guide

GitHub Code Scanning vs. HCL AppScan

July 2025

Free Report: GitHub Code Scanning vs. HCL AppScan

Find out what your peers are saying about GitHub Code Scanning vs. HCL AppScan and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our GitHub Code Scanning vs. HCL AppScan report.

See our list of best Static Application Security Testing (SAST) vendors.

We monitor all Static Application Security Testing (SAST) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.