Comparison

Black vs PMD

On the evidence we track, Black leads this comparison with a composite score of 73/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Black73
PMD60
Score
Vioscale score
Black73 / 100high · 78%
PMD60 / 100medium · 53%
Pricing
Free tier
Black
PMD
Price level
Blackfree
PMDfree
Transparent
Black
PMD
Integrations
Count
Black8
PMD1
Adoption
Dependent repos
Black105,588
PMD356
Github stars
Black41,816
Package downloads weekly
PMD
Activity
Commits last 30d
Black29
PMD62
Release
Cadence days
Black31
PMD28
History
License
Spdx
BlackMIT
PMD
Language
Primary
BlackPython
PMDJava
Market
Availability

Capabilities

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

Core
Function
BlackFormatter
PMDStatic analyzer
Language scope
BlackSingle-language
PMDMulti-language
Implementation language
BlackPython
PMDJava
Capability
Autofix
Black
PMD-
Config
Config model
BlackZero-config
PMDRule packs
Extensibility
Custom rules
Black
PMD
Deployment
Deployment
BlackBoth
PMDCLI-local
Delivery
Editor integration
Black
PMD
CI / VCS gating
Black
PMD
Insight
Code metrics
Black
PMD-
Performance
Incremental / monorepo aware
Black
PMD-
Licensing
Open-source
BlackOSS
PMDOSS
Commercial
Pricing model
BlackFree
PMDFree

What each one is

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

Black

Leader

An opinionated Python code formatter that automatically reformats code according to a standardized style. It produces minimal diffs for cleaner code review and reduces developer cognitive load by removing formatting decisions, allowing focus on code logic.

Independently observed

PMD

PMD is a multilingual static code analyzer that detects common programming issues like unused variables and inefficient patterns. It includes over 400 built-in rules, supports 16+ languages with primary focus on Java, and supports custom rules via Java or XPath.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

Black

Leader
Open sourceFree tier

Free and open source (MIT licensed)

as of verify ↗

PMD

FreeFree tier

Free, open source

as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platforms
macOS
Black
PMD
Windows
Black
PMD
Linux
Black
PMD
CLI
Black
PMD
Deployment
Self-hosted
Black
PMD

Integrations

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

Black

Leader
8 total
  • Neovim
  • conform.nvim
  • ALE
  • SublimeText
  • Pre-commit
  • Jupyter Notebooks
  • blacken-docs
  • blackdoc
Independently observed

PMD

1 total
  • Eclipse
Independently observed

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