kitio.aiSonarQube vs Codacy
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Codacy has the lower starting price: about $21 a month, against $34 for SonarQube.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Quality gates
- AI CodeFix
- AI Code Assurance
- SonarQube for IDE
- 30+ languages
- Codacy Guardrails
- AI PR review
- SAST and SCA
- Coverage tracking
- MCP server
| Feature | SonarQube | Codacy |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Code quality and security checks for AI and human code | Code quality, security and AI guardrails in one platform |
| Category | Coding | Coding |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $34/mo | $21/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Sonar | Codacy |
| Based in | Switzerland | Portugal |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
|
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Pricing compared
Codacy has the lower starting price: about $21 a month, against $34 for SonarQube.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
3 plans
Free
Free
- Private projects up to 50k LOC
- No card, no expiry
Team
$34/mo
- Up to 100k LOC (more tiers available)
- Includes Advanced Security
- Billed monthly by card
Enterprise
Contact sales
- For 50+ developers
- 45+ languages, SSO and SCIM
- Portfolios and OWASP/MISRA reports
3 plans
Developer
Free
- IDE plugin
- Scan-as-you-type
- Auto-fix AI code locally
Team
$21/mo
- Per developer
- Up to 30 contributors, 100 private repos
- GitHub, Bitbucket and GitLab
- Cloud quality and security scans
Business
Custom
- Everything in Team
- Enterprise security and reporting
- Available via AWS Marketplace
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
SonarQube
- Industry-standard code quality tool
- Free tier and IDE plugin
- Clear quality gates
- AI features need higher plans
- Can feel noisy on legacy code
Codacy
- Checks AI code as it is written
- Broad language coverage
- Free plan for individuals
- Analyzer results can overlap
- Business plan needs sales contact
Which one should you choose?
Choose SonarQube if you want:
- Industry-standard code quality tool
- Free tier and IDE plugin
- Clear quality gates
Watch out: ai features need higher plans.
Choose Codacy if you want:
- Checks AI code as it is written
- Broad language coverage
- Free plan for individuals
Watch out: analyzer results can overlap.
SonarQube vs Codacy FAQ
What is the difference between SonarQube and Codacy?
SonarQube: Code quality and security checks for AI and human code. Codacy: Code quality, security and AI guardrails in one platform. Both are coding tools.
Is SonarQube or Codacy cheaper?
Codacy has the lower starting price: about $21 a month, against $34 for SonarQube.
Do SonarQube and Codacy have free plans?
SonarQube: Yes. Codacy: Yes.
Who makes SonarQube?
SonarQube is made by Sonar, based in Switzerland.
Who makes Codacy?
Codacy is made by Codacy, based in Portugal.
Which should I choose, SonarQube or Codacy?
Choose SonarQube if you value industry-standard code quality tool and free tier and ide plugin. Choose Codacy if you value checks ai code as it is written and broad language coverage.