The Top 11 Software Composition Analysis Tools

Cycode offers a complete Application Security Posture Management (APSM) platform with proprietary code-scanning capabilities from code-to-cloud, including modern Software Composition Analysis (SCA), and connects to 100+ pre-built integrations with third-party security tools for real-time visibility across the SDLC.

Why We Picked Cycode: We picked Cycode for its next-generation SCA solution that traces vulnerabilities from code to production, enhancing risk detection. We also value its ability to prioritize exploitable risks in runtime environments, making it a practical choice for comprehensive security management.
Best Features: Cycode delivers a powerful SCA component that goes beyond traditional code scanning with full pipeline composition analysis, identifying dependencies across SDLC tooling and tracing vulnerability paths to production. It provides detailed prioritization advice based on exploitability, helping detect risks that could lead to software supply chain attacks. You can integrate Cycode with other scanning solutions like Snyk, Wiz, and Checkmarx, consolidating DevOps processes, and leverage its APSM capabilities for visibility, correlation, deduplication, and remediation of security vulnerabilities.

Strengths:

• Enhances visibility with code-to-cloud vulnerability tracing

• Prioritizes exploitable risks for effective remediation

• Streamlines DevOps with 100+ third-party integrations

• Reduces complexity with consolidated ASPM features

• Strengthens security against supply chain attacks

Pricing: Contact the Cycode team for pricing details.

Who It’s For: Cycode is ideal for organizations needing a robust SCA and APSM platform to manage and remediate vulnerabilities across their SDLC effectively.

Wiz Code delivers advanced Software Composition Analysis (SCA) capabilities, enhancing application security posture within cloud environments with agentless scanning and comprehensive visibility.

Why We Picked Wiz Code: We picked Wiz Code for its agentless scanning that provides comprehensive visibility without installation, simplifying security integration. We also value its ability to connect code repositories, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud environments via the Wiz Security Graph, making it a practical choice for unified risk management.

Best Features: Wiz Code offers automated generation of Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) in CycloneDX and SPDX formats, providing detailed component tracking. It delivers real-time vulnerability detection with actionable insights and supports license compliance, ensuring regulatory adherence. You can integrate Wiz Code seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines for continuous monitoring and early issue detection, extending Wiz’s cloud security into the application lifecycle from code to runtime. The platform leverages the Wiz Security Graph to trace vulnerabilities to their source, reducing exploitation windows and accelerating remediation across cloud and runtime environments.

Strengths:

• Enhances visibility with agentless cloud scanning

• Streamlines security with automated SBOM generation

• Unifies risk management across code and cloud

• Accelerates remediation with source-level tracing

• Supports scalable, cost-effective security policies

Pricing: Contact the Wiz team for pricing details.

Who It’s For: Wiz Code is ideal for organizations seeking end-to-end cloud-native security, particularly those with complex DevSecOps needs, prioritizing agile, scalable measures integrated with existing ecosystems.

Mend SCA offers a comprehensive software composition analysis solution that combines both security and license compliance risk analysis. The solution includes comprehensive discovery in real tim, reachability-based vulnerability prioritization, automated license compliance, and integrated dependency updating (via ‘Mend Renovate’). It is part of the broader Mend.io platform but functions as a standalone SCA solution, widely used by enterprise development and AppSec teams.

Why We Picked Mend SCA: We rate Mend SCA as a reliable option for development and security teams, valued for its advanced reachability analysis that enhances risk assessment. We really liked its clear dashboard for tracking vulnerabilities, and we recognize its role as part of the wider Mend platform, offering a comprehensive approach to application security.

Best Features: Mend SCA prioritizes vulnerabilities not just by severity but by whether they’re actually reachable by the application at runtime. This significantly reduces false positives and enables teams to focus remediation on what matters most. Its built-in integration with Mend Renovate automates pull requests to safely upgrade outdated dependencies—streamlining patching across repositories. Mend SCA also includes strong license compliance features, allowing organizations to define and enforce policies at scale with full auditability.

Strengths:

• Supports both security and legal risk reduction in complex environments
• Pinpoints reachable vulnerabilities with reachability analysis
• Prioritizes risks with CVSS 4.0 and EPSS data
• Ensures compliance with real-time license alerts
• Generates SBOMs for regulatory adherence
• Integrates natively into developer workflows and CI/CD pipelines
• Enhances security across the SDLC as part of with Mend’s AppSec platform

Who It’s For: Mend SCA is best suited for engineering and security teams seeking high-precision SCA with the operational maturity to automate compliance and remediation at scale. Its focus on reducing alert fatigue, along with support for containerized environments and AI-generated codebases, makes it a strong fit for modern DevSecOps pipelines.

Aikido Security is an integrated web application security platform designed for software development teams, combining a host of application scanning tools into a singular platform, including Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), open-source dependency scanning, secrets detection, static code analysis, infrastructure as code scanning, and container scanning.

Why We Picked Aikido Security: We picked Aikido Security for its seamless integration into existing technology stacks, enabling easy monitoring and issue management. We also value its robust continuous surface monitoring and efficient vulnerability alerting.

Best Features: Aikido provides a range of robust scanning tools, including continuous surface monitoring, open-source license scanning, malware detection in dependencies, and end-of-life runtime scanning, ensuring comprehensive coverage. It prioritizes efficient and accurate vulnerability alerting by reducing false positives through deduplication, automatic triaging, and custom rules, leveraging Common Vulnerabilities & Exposures (CVE) data for plain-language threat explanations. You can support data privacy with scans conducted in temporary environments, deleted post-analysis, using read-only access that prevents source code changes, and adhering to AICPA’s SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022 standards across AWS, Azure, GCP, and DigitalOcean.

Strengths:

• Unifies diverse scanning tools into one platform

• Enhances alert accuracy with custom triaging rules

• Ensures data privacy with temporary, read-only scans

• Supports multi-cloud environments for broad applicability

• Simplifies threat response with CVE-based insights

Pricing: Contact the Aikido Security team for pricing details.

Who It’s For: Aikido Security is ideal for software development teams needing a comprehensive, dependable security toolkit that integrates seamlessly, prioritizes efficient threat alerting, and maintains robust data privacy standards.

Black Duck Software Composition Analysis is designed to manage security, quality, and license compliance risks associated with using open-source and third-party code in applications and containers, offering comprehensive visibility through multifactor detection.

Why We Picked Black Duck Software Composition Analysis: We picked Black Duck for its extensive KnowledgeBase of over 6.3 million components, providing deep insight into application composition. We also value its automated governance across the SDLC, making it a practical choice for teams managing diverse codebases.

Best Features: Black Duck conducts dependency analysis for languages like Java and C#, utilizing codeprint analysis for C and C++ to identify open-source and third-party components. It performs binary analysis to detect open-source content in compiled libraries and executables, while snippet analysis uncovers copied open-source code within proprietary code. You can compile a complete Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) in NTIA-compliant SPDX and CycloneDX formats, tracking security, license, and operational risks. The solution automates open-source governance and policy enforcement, integrating with tools used by developers, development teams, and security operations across the SDLC.

Strengths:

• Enhances visibility with a vast component KnowledgeBase

• Streamlines risk tracking with automated SBOM generation

• Supports diverse languages with advanced analysis techniques

• Ensures compliance with integrated governance tools

• Reduces manual effort with seamless tool integration

Pricing: Contact the Black Duck team for pricing details.

Who It’s For: Black Duck is ideal for teams needing robust management of security, quality, and compliance risks in open-source and third-party code across applications and containers.

CAST Highlight is an automated portfolio governance solution designed to provide comprehensive insights across a wide range of applications, serving as a centralized control tower for custom application portfolios.

Why We Picked CAST Highlight: We picked CAST Highlight for its ability to offer a single, integrated view that lowers maintenance costs and optimizes resource allocation. We also value its support for rapid portfolio analysis and cloud migration optimization, making it a practical choice for managing complex software ecosystems.

Best Features: CAST Highlight delivers a unified platform that assists developers in reducing technical debt, rationalizing redundancies, and avoiding production outages, while enabling cloud leaders to segment and prioritize applications for migration (rehost, refactor, rebuild, replace, retire) based on technical and business impacts. It strengthens controls over open-source legal and security risks with automatic recommendations to address critical vulnerabilities and IP licensing exposures. You can identify green deficiencies in code and implement suggestions to reduce CO2 emissions, improving costs, performance, and resiliency. The platform supports over 50 technologies, offering customizable dashboards, instant drilldowns, REST APIs, and CI/CD plug-ins for enhanced flexibility.

Strengths:

• Optimizes resource use with centralized portfolio insights

• Enhances migration efficiency with 5Rs prioritization

• Mitigates open-source risks with actionable recommendations

• Promotes sustainability by reducing green deficiencies

• Supports scalability with multi-technology compatibility

Pricing: Contact the CAST team for pricing details.

Who It’s For: CAST Highlight is ideal for development and cloud leadership teams needing a robust solution for portfolio governance, cloud migration, open-source risk control, and green software development.

Fossa is a leading open-source management platform that offers advanced risk detection capabilities without hindering development cycles, utilizing sophisticated algorithms to map dependencies across various programming languages.

Why We Picked Fossa: We picked Fossa for its accurate identification and mapping of direct and indirect dependencies, ensuring comprehensive open-source risk detection. We also value its trusted adoption by over 7,000 projects and companies like Uber and Ford, making it a practical choice for scalable security management.

Best Features: Fossa delivers a curated knowledge base of open-source components and vulnerabilities, enabling precise license and security issue detection. You can create and enforce policies at scale with its robust policy engine, including customizable rules, vulnerability filtering, and role-based access control to automate risk management. You can receive timely, actionable intelligence to address issues quickly, supported by out-of-the-box integrations with CI/CD pipelines and collaboration tools like email, Jira, and Slack, enhancing developer efficiency.

Strengths:

• Ensures comprehensive risk detection with dependency mapping

• Simplifies compliance with a robust policy engine

• Accelerates issue resolution with actionable insights

• Enhances collaboration with seamless tool integrations

• Supports scalability with broad industry trust

Pricing: Contact the Fossa team for pricing details.

Who It’s For: Fossa is ideal for teams and companies, from startups to enterprises like Zendesk and Motorola, needing advanced open-source management and risk mitigation.

GitLab is a software development platform that helps companies manage the complexity of developing, securing, and deploying software by reducing toolchain sprawl, boosting developer productivity, accelerating cycles, and cutting costs, with a comprehensive security framework protecting multiple attack surfaces.

Why We Picked GitLab: We picked GitLab for its ability to secure source code with version control and automated scans, enhancing development efficiency. We also like its multi-cloud DevSecOps approach, avoiding vendor lock-in, making it a practical choice for managing software supply chains.

Best Features: GitLab delivers source code security through version control, code history, access control, and review/approval rules, with automated code quality tests and security scans to detect vulnerabilities and exclude sensitive data, preventing developer impersonation via signatures. It verifies open-source dependencies for vulnerabilities and trusted sources, generating Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs), enabling automated Software Composition Analysis (SCA), and performing license compliance scans. You can protect build environments and release artifacts with secure cluster connections, while platform-wide governance ensures security at scale, adhering to best practices across organizations.

Strengths:

• Secures code with automated vulnerability detection

• Enhances supply chain safety with dependency verification

• Reduces costs through multi-cloud flexibility

• Ensures governance with scalable security policies

• Boosts productivity by minimizing toolchain complexity

Pricing: Contact the GitLab team for pricing details.

Who It’s For: GitLab is ideal for businesses needing a comprehensive DevSecOps platform to manage software development, security, and deployment efficiently across multiple clouds.

Snyk Open Source is a developer-focused Software Composition Analysis (SCA) solution that helps find, prioritize, and fix security vulnerabilities and license issues in open-source dependencies, integrating security throughout the development lifecycle.

Why We Picked Snyk Open Source: We picked Snyk Open Source for its ability to identify vulnerable dependencies directly in IDEs or CLIs, enhancing developer productivity. We also value its continuous monitoring of production environments for new vulnerabilities, making it a practical choice for proactive security management.

Best Features: Snyk Open Source delivers real-time detection of vulnerable dependencies during coding in IDEs or CLIs, with scans of pull requests before merging and automated Snyk tests in CI/CD pipelines. It prioritizes top open-source risks and automates fixes through one-click pull requests, while continuously monitoring projects and deployed code for vulnerabilities. You can generate real-time and historical reports for compliance with regulatory and internal security policies, integrating seamlessly with workflow tools across coding, code management, CI/CD, containers, deployment, and reporting, powered by a robust database of open-source vulnerability intelligence.

Strengths:

• Enhances coding security with real-time dependency checks

• Streamlines fixes with automated pull request integration

• Ensures compliance with detailed reporting capabilities

• Supports continuous monitoring across production environments

• Boosts efficiency with broad workflow tool integration

Pricing: Contact the Snyk team for pricing details.

Who It’s For: Snyk Open Source is ideal for developers and teams needing a comprehensive SCA solution to secure open-source dependencies throughout the SDLC.

Veracode Software Composition Analysis is designed to secure software supply chains by reducing open-source and license risks, enabling businesses to automate the discovery and remediation of vulnerabilities within their software’s open-source libraries.

Why We Picked Veracode Software Composition Analysis: We picked Veracode SCA for its ability to detect unreported vulnerabilities with its premium database, enhancing supply chain security. We also value its easy-to-use interface that speeds up code testing in development environments, making it a practical choice for efficient risk mitigation.

Best Features: Veracode SCA delivers vulnerability detection beyond the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) with a premium database, identifying potentially harmful unreported code to ensure compliance and avoid fines. It offers Fix Advisor, dependency graphs, auto-pull requests, and generates a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) in CycloneDX format for comprehensive tracking. You can implement custom policy management and utilize robust reporting and analytics tools, supported by continuous monitoring and extensive analytics, enabling developers to manage open-source risks effectively within their development environment.

Strengths:

• Enhances security with unreported vulnerability detection

• Accelerates remediation with an intuitive interface

• Ensures compliance with automated SBOM generation

• Supports custom policies for tailored risk management

• Provides actionable insights through continuous monitoring

Pricing: Contact the Veracode team for pricing details.

Who It’s For: Veracode SCA is ideal for organizations needing to secure software supply chains and ensure regulatory compliance through efficient open-source vulnerability management.

Xygeni’s Software Composition Analysis (SCA) platform secures your open-source dependencies with real-time vulnerability detection, zero-day malware blocking, and automated remediation, tailored for modern DevSecOps teams.

Why We Picked Xygeni: We picked Xygeni for its real-time vulnerability detection and zero-day malware blocking, ensuring proactive security. We also value its intelligent prioritization engine that cuts false positives, making it a practical choice for efficient DevSecOps workflows.

Best Features: Xygeni delivers comprehensive scanning across codebases, pipelines, and registries, detecting vulnerabilities, malware, license issues, and risks like typosquatting or dependency confusion before production. It automates dependency mapping with Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) in SPDX and CycloneDX formats for transparency and compliance. You can leverage its intelligent prioritization engine, scoring risks based on reachability, exploitability, and business impact using NVD, OSV, and GitHub Advisories, with auto-generated pull requests for developers and a contextual dashboard with OWASP-compliant reports for security teams. The platform integrates via API in seconds, monitors public registries continuously, and never downloads code.

Strengths:

• Protects against zero-day threats with real-time detection

• Streamlines remediation with automated pull requests

• Enhances visibility with comprehensive SBOM generation

• Reduces noise with smart risk prioritization

• Ensures scalability with API-based integration

Pricing: Contact the Xygeni team for pricing details.

Who It’s For: Xygeni is ideal for high-velocity startups and large enterprises needing enterprise-grade security with speed, precision, and control.