Semgrep vs PMD: Static Analysis for Java Compared (2026)

Quick Verdict Semgrep and PMD both analyze Java code statically, but they solve fundamentally different problems and operate at different depths. PMD is a free, open-source static analysis tool built into the Java build ecosystem - you add the maven-pmd-plugin to your pom.xml, configure a ruleset, and PMD checks your Java source code for code quality violations: naming convention breaches, cyclomatic complexity, unused variables, empty catch blocks, and structural anti-patterns. PMD is primarily a code quality tool with limited security coverage. Semgrep is a programmable, multi-language security SAST platform with cross-file taint tracking, custom YAML rule authoring, AI-powered triage, and a registry of 20,000+ Pro rules spanning 30+ languages. For Java, Semgrep traces user input from Spring controller methods through service layers to JDBC calls, detects framework-specific vulnerabilities in Spring Boot, Spring MVC, and Jakarta EE applications, and lets teams encode custom organizat