--- title: "ShipSafe vs Semgrep: Pattern Rules vs Logic Analysis (2026) | ShipSafe" description: "Semgrep is a great rule engine for AppSec teams. But it matches patterns you write, not the auth logic an AI tool broke in your repo. Honest comparison + free scan." doc_version: 2026-09-14 last_updated: 2026-09-14T06:34:26.715Z canonical: https://ship-safe.co/vs/semgrep --- # ShipSafe vs Semgrep: Pattern Rules vs Logic Analysis (2026) | ShipSafe 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. [Scan My App Free](https://ship-safe.co/scan)[See pricing](https://ship-safe.co/pricing) Free scan2 minutesNo card needed The trade-off ## 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 ShipSafe Semgrep 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–$49/mo, self-serve SemgrepFree OSS CLI; platform \~$30/contributor/mo after 10 seats Tests the running app (DAST) ShipSafeLive URL: security headers, CSP, clickjacking, CORS, cookies, info disclosure (IDOR/BOLA across two accounts via our CLI/MCP on your own machine) SemgrepSource-only static analysis, never hits the running app Proves a leaked secret is live ShipSafeScans deployed JS bundles and git history for keys a source scan misses; run the CLI on your own machine and one read-only call to OpenAI/Stripe/GitHub proves the key still works SemgrepFlags secret-shaped strings in source, can't tell live from revoked Verifies BaaS exposure (Supabase + Firebase) ShipSafeFlags missing RLS and open Firestore rules in your repo; run the CLI on your own machine and a real read-only request proves whether the table, bucket or database is readable by anyone SemgrepNo runtime check; would need a rule and the policy in source Custom org-wide rule enforcement ShipSafeOpinionated checks, no custom rule authoring SemgrepWrite/version YAML rules, enforce across many repos in CI ### 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. ### 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. - Source-only analysis never touches your running app, so it can't see a secret shipped in your deployed JS bundle, a Supabase table left readable to the public internet, or an IDOR proven across two real accounts. - Semgrep tells you a rule matched; ShipSafe opens a fix PR and re-scans the patched file to prove the finding is gone, with a 're-verified resolved' receipt. ## Frequently Asked Questions ![](https://ship-safe.co/_next/image?url=%2Fmascot%2Fbosun-charts.jpg&w=384&q=75&dpl=dpl_mZg928obB8jMgQedvvnYgx76i8hy) 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. [Scan My App Free](https://ship-safe.co/scan) No credit card required. [See all plans](https://ship-safe.co/pricing) This is an independent comparison provided for informational purposes. All product names, logos, and brands are the property of their respective owners; ShipSafe is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by them. Statements about other products reflect publicly available information at the time of writing and may change, so please verify current details on each provider’s own website. ## Sitemap Every page of this site, in markdown: [https://ship-safe.co/sitemap.md](https://ship-safe.co/sitemap.md)