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Pattern matching vs. logic analysis

ShipSafe vsSemgrep

Semgrep is a brilliant rule engine for AppSec teams. But it matches patterns you write — not the auth logic an AI tool quietly broke in your repo. Here's the honest comparison.

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Straight talk

The honest version

Semgrep is one of the best static-analysis engines on the planet. The open-source CLI is free, runs in seconds, ships 2,800+ community rules, and lets you write your own in YAML. Security teams love it — and so do we.

Two things matter for a solo founder shipping AI-generated code. First, Semgrep matches patterns: you (or its rules) have to know the shape of the bug in advance. The free CLI catches roughly 44–48% of vulnerabilities in independent tests; cross-file analysis and the AI Assistant live in the paid AppSec Platform (about $30 per contributor per month after a free 10-seat tier). Second, the output is built for engineers — rule IDs, CWE references, SARIF — not “any logged-out visitor can read invoice #43.”

ShipSafe is the opposite trade. No rules to write, no SARIF to triage. Paste a GitHub URL and get the logic-level bugs AI tools actually ship — IDOR, inverted auth, frontend-only admin checks — explained in plain English with a copy-paste fix.

Side by side

ShipSafe vs Semgrep, side by side

Finds logic-level auth bugs
ShipSafeIDOR, inverted auth, missing ownership checks
SemgrepPattern matches — logic bugs only if a rule exists
Who it's built for
ShipSafeSolo founders, no security background
SemgrepAppSec engineers who write and curate rules
Setup
ShipSafePaste a GitHub URL · ~2 min
SemgrepInstall CLI, pick/write YAML rules, wire CI
Output
ShipSafePlain English + copy-paste AI Fix Prompt
SemgrepRule IDs, CWE refs, SARIF, terminal/dashboard
Coverage depth
ShipSafeAI reasons across files about your auth
SemgrepFree CLI is single-file (~44–48%); cross-file is paid
Tuned for AI-generated code
ShipSafeBuilt for Cursor/Lovable/Bolt/v0/Replit output
SemgrepGeneral-purpose rules, not AI-code-specific
Pricing model
ShipSafeFlat $0–$39/mo, self-serve
SemgrepFree OSS CLI; platform ~$30/contributor/mo after 10 seats

Credit where due

Where Semgrep is the right call

  • You have a security engineer who wants to write and version custom rules.
  • You need to enforce specific patterns org-wide in CI across many repos.
  • You want a free, open-source CLI you can run locally with zero account.
  • You're standardizing AppSec tooling across a whole engineering org.

The catch

Where it leaves a solo founder exposed

  • Pattern rules miss an inverted auth check or an IDOR unless someone wrote a rule for that exact shape.
  • The free CLI is single-file and catches under half of vulns in independent tests.
  • Findings arrive as rule IDs and SARIF — you still translate them into 'what can an attacker actually do.'
  • No copy-paste fix tuned for the AI tool that wrote the bug.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Semgrep free?
The open-source Semgrep CLI is free and excellent for running locally. The AppSec Platform — cross-file analysis, the AI Assistant, dashboards — is free up to 10 contributors, then around $30 per contributor per month. ShipSafe's free scan needs no install and no rules: paste a GitHub URL.
Can Semgrep find IDOR or broken auth?
Only if a rule describes that pattern. Logic bugs like an inverted auth condition or a missing ownership check are context-specific, so generic pattern rules tend to miss them. ShipSafe's AI reasons about your auth flow across files instead of matching a fixed pattern.
Do I need to write rules to use Semgrep?
To get the most out of it, usually yes — or curate the community rules. That's great if you have an AppSec engineer. If you just shipped a Cursor app and want to know whether it's safe, ShipSafe needs zero rules.
Should I use both?
Sure. Run Semgrep in CI for pattern enforcement, and run ShipSafe when you want a plain-English, logic-aware read on what your AI tool actually shipped.

See what pattern matching missed

Paste your GitHub URL. 2 minutes. The logic-level bugs Semgrep's rules can't see — in plain English, with a copy-paste fix.

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