Comparison

ast-grep vs flake8

On the evidence we track, flake8 leads this comparison with a composite score of 64/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

ast-grep full profile →flake8 full profile →

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

ast-grep55

★flake864

Attribute comparison across 2 tools
Attribute	ast-grep	flake8Leader
vioscaleAI score	55 / 100low · 35%	64 / 100medium · 66%
Pricing
Free tierpricing.free_tier	✓	✓
Modelpricing.model	open_source	free
Price levelpricing.price_level	free	free
Transparentpricing.transparent	-	✓
Integrations
Countintegrations.count	-	3
Security
Scorecardsecurity.scorecard	-	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: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=flake8&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0
Adoption
Dependent reposadoption.dependent_repos	177	153,063
Github starsadoption.github_stars	16,225	3,828
Package downloads weeklyadoption.package_downloads_weekly	-	9,519,717
Activity
Commits last 30dactivity.commits_last_30d	33	21
Release
Cadence daysrelease.cadence_days	15	-
Historyrelease.history	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%

flake864 / 100medium · 66%

Pricing

Free tier

ast-grep✓

flake8✓

Model

ast-grepopen_source

flake8free

Price level

ast-grepfree

flake8free

Transparent

ast-grep–

flake8✓

Integrations

Count

ast-grep–

flake83

Security

Scorecard

ast-grep–

flake85

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

flake8Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=flake8&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0

Adoption

Dependent repos

ast-grep177

flake8153,063

Github stars

ast-grep16,225

flake83,828

Package downloads weekly

ast-grep–

flake89,519,717

Activity

Commits last 30d

ast-grep33

flake821

Release

Cadence days

ast-grep15

flake8–

History

ast-grep20 items

flake8–

License

Spdx

ast-grepMIT

flake8MIT

Language

Primary

ast-grepRust

flake8Python

Content

Faq

ast-grep5 items

flake86 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	flake8
Core
Function	Static analyzer	Linter
Language scope	Multi-language	Single-language
Implementation language	Rust	Python
Capability
Autofix	✓	✗
Config
Config model	Rule packs	Config file
Extensibility
Custom rules	✓	✓
Deployment
Deployment	CLI-local	CLI-local
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

flake8Linter

Language scope

ast-grepMulti-language

flake8Single-language

Implementation language

ast-grepRust

flake8Python

Capability

Autofix

ast-grep✓

flake8✗

Config

Config model

ast-grepRule packs

flake8Config file

Extensibility

Custom rules

ast-grep✓

flake8✓

Deployment

ast-grepCLI-local

flake8CLI-local

Delivery

Editor integration

ast-grep✓

flake8✓

CI / VCS gating

ast-grep-

flake8✓

Insight

Code metrics

ast-grep-

flake8✓

Performance

Incremental / monorepo aware

ast-grep-

flake8-

Licensing

Open-source

ast-grepOSS

flake8OSS

Commercial

Pricing model

ast-grepFree

flake8Free

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

flake8

Leader

flake8 is an open-source Python linter that combines multiple style-checking tools to verify code compliance with PEP 8 and detect errors. It uses a plugin architecture for extensibility and is commonly integrated into development workflows and CI/CD pipelines.

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 ↗

flake8

Leader

FreeFree tier

as of 2026-09-10verify ↗

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	flake8
CLIPlatforms	✓	✓
Self-hostedDeployment	✓	✓

Platforms

CLI

ast-grep✓

flake8✓

Deployment

Self-hosted

ast-grep✓

flake8✓

Integrations

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

ast-grep

Not documented yet.

flake8

Leader

4 total

pycodestyle
pyflakes
mccabe
pre-commit

Independently observed

Still deciding?

ast-grep or flake8: 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.