# ast-grep vs flake8

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** flake8

| Attribute | ast-grep | flake8 |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 54.8 (35% (low)) | 64 (66% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 33 | 21 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 177 | 153,063 |
| adoption.github_stars | 16,225 | 3,828 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 9,519,717 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A structural code search and rewriting tool that uses AST analysis to locate and modify code patterns across thousands of files, with support for linting and programmatic access via Node.js bindings. It is indexed under Code Quality Tools.","source":"https://ast-grep.github.io","question":"What is ast-grep?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"ast-grep is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://ast-grep.github.io","question":"Is ast-grep free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"ast-grep supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://ast-grep.github.io","question":"What platforms does ast-grep support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. ast-grep can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://ast-grep.github.io","question":"Can ast-grep be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. ast-grep is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep","question":"Is ast-grep open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"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. It is indexed under Code Quality Tools.","source":"https://flake8.pycqa.org/","question":"What is flake8?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"flake8 is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://flake8.pycqa.org/","question":"Is flake8 free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"flake8 supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://flake8.pycqa.org/","question":"What platforms does flake8 support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. flake8 can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://flake8.pycqa.org/","question":"Can flake8 be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 3 integrations for flake8, including pycodestyle, pyflakes and mccabe. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://flake8.pycqa.org/","question":"What does flake8 integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. flake8 is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://pypi.org/pypi/flake8/json","question":"Is flake8 open source?","confidence":0.9}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Find and modify code patterns using abstract syntax tree analysis. Useful for linting, refactoring, and enforcing coding standards. | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"autofix":true,"function":"static_analyzer","deployment":"cli_local","open_source":"oss","config_model":"rule_packs","custom_rules":true,"impl_language":"Rust","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"multi_language","editor_integration":true}` | `{"autofix":false,"metrics":true,"function":"linter","ci_gating":true,"deployment":"cli_local","open_source":"oss","config_model":"config_file","custom_rules":true,"impl_language":"Python","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"single_language","editor_integration":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 3 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"pycodestyle"},{"name":"pyflakes"},{"name":"mccabe"},{"name":"pre-commit","native":true,"category":"ci","direction":"inbound"}]` |
| language.primary | Rust | Python |
| license.spdx | MIT | MIT |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open source","sourceUrl":"https://ast-grep.github.io","retrievedAt":"2026-10-13T13:48:30.935Z"}` | `{"type":"free","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://flake8.pycqa.org/","retrievedAt":"2026-09-10T16:03:57.147Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | free |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 15 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.50.0","date":"2026-10-09T14:19:44Z","type":"stable","version":"0.50.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.45.3","date":"2026-08-31T01:42:23Z","type":"stable","version":"0.45.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.45.2","date":"2026-08-23T19:48:48Z","type":"stable","version":"0.45.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.45.1","date":"2026-08-07T15:13:34Z","type":"stable","version":"0.45.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.45.0","date":"2026-07-23T16:07:00Z","type":"stable","version":"0.45.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.44.1","date":"2026-07-04T14:06:40Z","type":"stable","version":"0.44.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.44.0","date":"2026-06-22T01:49:47Z","type":"stable","version":"0.44.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.43.0","date":"2026-05-25T17:54:30Z","type":"stable","version":"0.43.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.42.3","date":"2026-05-19T15:18:18Z","type":"stable","version":"0.42.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.42.2","date":"2026-05-10T21:58:34Z","type":"stable","version":"0.42.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.42.1","date":"2026-04-04T16:01:20Z","type":"stable","version":"0.42.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.42.0","date":"2026-03-16T03:29:14Z","type":"stable","version":"0.42.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.41.1","date":"2026-03-10T14:04:27Z","type":"stable","version":"0.41.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.41.0","date":"2026-02-22T18:57:13Z","type":"stable","version":"0.41.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.40.5","date":"2026-01-10T17:57:43Z","type":"stable","version":"0.40.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.40.4","date":"2026-01-05T01:22:05Z","type":"stable","version":"0.40.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.40.3","date":"2025-12-15T15:38:42Z","type":"stable","version":"0.40.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.40.2","date":"2025-12-14T22:38:05Z","type":"stable","version":"0.40.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.40.1","date":"2025-12-11T05:41:28Z","type":"stable","version":"0.40.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep/releases/tag/0.40.0","date":"2025-11-16T04:57:10Z","type":"stable","version":"0.40.0"}]` | - |
| security.scorecard | - | 5 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40ast-grep%2Fnapi&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=flake8&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (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 |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T18:26:44.954Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*