Comparison

ast-grep vs Black

On the evidence we track, Black leads this comparison with a composite score of 74/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

ast-grep full profile →Black full profile →

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.

ast-grep55

★Black74

Attribute comparison across 2 tools
Attribute	ast-grep	BlackLeader
vioscaleAI score	55 / 100low · 35%	74 / 100high · 77%
Pricing
Free tierpricing.free_tier	✓	✓
Modelpricing.model	open_source	free
Price levelpricing.price_level	free	free
Transparentpricing.transparent	-	✓
Integrations
Countintegrations.count	-	5
Security
Disclosure policysecurity.disclosure_policy	-	✓
Scorecardsecurity.scorecard	-	7.5
Vulnerabilitiessecurity.vulnerabilities	Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40ast-grep%2Fnapi&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0	Count: 2 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=black&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 1 · Max severity: HIGH
Adoption
Dependent reposadoption.dependent_repos	177	105,588
Github starsadoption.github_stars	16,225	41,918
Package downloads weeklyadoption.package_downloads_weekly	-	27,633,532
Activity
Commits last 30dactivity.commits_last_30d	33	75
Release
Cadence daysrelease.cadence_days	15	31
Historyrelease.history	20 items	20 items
License
Spdxlicense.spdx	MIT	MIT
Language
Primarylanguage.primary	Rust	Python
Content
Faqcontent.faq	5 items	6 items

Score

vioscaleAI score

ast-grep55 / 100low · 35%

Black74 / 100high · 77%

Pricing

Free tier

ast-grep✓

Black✓

Model

ast-grepopen_source

Blackfree

Price level

ast-grepfree

Blackfree

Transparent

ast-grep–

Black✓

Integrations

Count

ast-grep–

Black5

Security

Disclosure policy

ast-grep–

Black✓

Scorecard

ast-grep–

Black7.5

Vulnerabilities

ast-grepCount: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40ast-grep%2Fnapi&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0

BlackCount: 2 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=black&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 1 · Max severity: HIGH

Adoption

Dependent repos

ast-grep177

Black105,588

Github stars

ast-grep16,225

Black41,918

Package downloads weekly

ast-grep–

Black27,633,532

Activity

Commits last 30d

ast-grep33

Black75

Release

Cadence days

ast-grep15

Black31

History

ast-grep20 items

Black20 items

License

Spdx

ast-grepMIT

BlackMIT

Language

Primary

ast-grepRust

BlackPython

Content

Faq

ast-grep5 items

Black6 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for code quality tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capability comparison for Code Quality Tools
Capability	ast-grep	Black
Core
Function	Static analyzer	Formatter
Language scope	Multi-language	Single-language
Implementation language	Rust	Python
Capability
Autofix	✓	✓
Config
Config model	Rule packs	Zero-config
Extensibility
Custom rules	✓	✗
Deployment
Deployment	CLI-local	Both
Delivery
Editor integration	✓	✓
CI / VCS gating	-	✓
Insight
Code metrics	-	✗
Performance
Incremental / monorepo aware	-	✗
Licensing
Open-source	OSS	OSS
Commercial
Pricing model	Free	Free

Core

Function

ast-grepStatic analyzer

BlackFormatter

Language scope

ast-grepMulti-language

BlackSingle-language

Implementation language

ast-grepRust

BlackPython

Capability

Autofix

ast-grep✓

Black✓

Config

Config model

ast-grepRule packs

BlackZero-config

Extensibility

Custom rules

ast-grep✓

Black✗

Deployment

ast-grepCLI-local

BlackBoth

Delivery

Editor integration

ast-grep✓

Black✓

CI / VCS gating

ast-grep-

Black✓

Insight

Code metrics

ast-grep-

Black✗

Performance

Incremental / monorepo aware

ast-grep-

Black✗

Licensing

Open-source

ast-grepOSS

BlackOSS

Commercial

Pricing model

ast-grepFree

BlackFree

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

ast-grep

Find and modify code patterns using abstract syntax tree analysis. Useful for linting, refactoring, and enforcing coding standards.

Independently observed

Black

Leader

A Python code formatter that automatically reformats entire files to enforce consistent styling. It produces minimal diffs to accelerate code review and ensures uniform appearance across projects.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

ast-grep

Open source

Free and open source

as of 2026-10-13verify ↗

Black

Leader

FreeFree tier

Free and open source

as of 2026-09-14verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platform and deployment support comparison
Supports	ast-grep	Black
WindowsPlatforms	✗	✓
LinuxPlatforms	✗	✓
CLIPlatforms	✓	✓
Self-hostedDeployment	✓	✓

Platforms

Windows

ast-grep✗

Black✓

Linux

ast-grep✗

Black✓

CLI

ast-grep✓

Black✓

Deployment

Self-hosted

ast-grep✓

Black✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

ast-grep

Not documented yet.

Black

Leader

11 total

Neovim
conform.nvim
ALE
SublimeText
Pre-commit
Jupyter Notebooks
blacken-docs
blackdoc
Vim
Visual Studio Code
GitHub Actions

Independently observed

Still deciding?

ast-grep or Black: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.