Comparison

ESLint vs PMD

On the evidence we track, ESLint leads this comparison with a composite score of 76/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

ESLint full profile →PMD full profile →

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

★ESLint76

PMD56

Attribute comparison across 2 tools
Attribute	ESLintLeader	PMD
vioscaleAI score	76 / 100high · 78%	56 / 100low · 49%
Pricing
Free tierpricing.free_tier	✓	✓
Modelpricing.model	open_source	open_source
Price levelpricing.price_level	free	free
Transparentpricing.transparent	-	✓
Integrations
Countintegrations.count	2	4
Security
Scorecardsecurity.scorecard	6.6	6.2
Vulnerabilitiessecurity.vulnerabilities	Count: 2 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=eslint&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 1 · Max severity: MODERATE	Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=maven&package_name=net.sourceforge.pmd%3Apmd-java&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0
Adoption
Dependent reposadoption.dependent_repos	1,569,244	356
Github starsadoption.github_stars	27,559	5,508
Package downloads weeklyadoption.package_downloads_weekly	158,743,826	-
Activity
Commits last 30dactivity.commits_last_30d	44	64
Release
Cadence daysrelease.cadence_days	13	28
Historyrelease.history	20 items	20 items
License
Spdxlicense.spdx	MIT	-
Language
Primarylanguage.primary	JavaScript	Java
Market
Availabilitymarket.availability	-	Available worldwide
Content
Faqcontent.faq	5 items	4 items

Score

vioscaleAI score

ESLint76 / 100high · 78%

PMD56 / 100low · 49%

Pricing

Free tier

ESLint✓

PMD✓

Model

ESLintopen_source

PMDopen_source

Price level

ESLintfree

PMDfree

Transparent

ESLint–

PMD✓

Integrations

Count

ESLint2

PMD4

Security

Scorecard

ESLint6.6

PMD6.2

Vulnerabilities

ESLintCount: 2 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=eslint&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 1 · Max severity: MODERATE

PMDCount: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=maven&package_name=net.sourceforge.pmd%3Apmd-java&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0

Adoption

Dependent repos

ESLint1,569,244

PMD356

Github stars

ESLint27,559

PMD5,508

Package downloads weekly

ESLint158,743,826

PMD–

Activity

Commits last 30d

ESLint44

PMD64

Release

Cadence days

ESLint13

PMD28

History

ESLint20 items

PMD20 items

License

Spdx

ESLintMIT

PMD–

Language

Primary

ESLintJavaScript

PMDJava

Market

Availability

ESLint–

PMDAvailable worldwide

Content

Faq

ESLint5 items

PMD4 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	ESLint	PMD
Core
Function	Linter + formatter	Static analyzer
Language scope	Single-language	Multi-language
Implementation language	JavaScript	Java
Capability
Autofix	✓	-
Config
Config model	Config file	Rule packs
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

ESLintLinter + formatter

PMDStatic analyzer

Language scope

ESLintSingle-language

PMDMulti-language

Implementation language

ESLintJavaScript

PMDJava

Capability

Autofix

ESLint✓

PMD-

Config

Config model

ESLintConfig file

PMDRule packs

Extensibility

Custom rules

ESLint✓

PMD✓

Deployment

ESLintCLI-local

PMDCLI-local

Delivery

Editor integration

ESLint✓

PMD✓

CI / VCS gating

ESLint✓

PMD✓

Insight

Code metrics

ESLint-

PMD✓

Performance

Incremental / monorepo aware

ESLint-

PMD-

Licensing

Open-source

ESLintOSS

PMDOSS

Commercial

Pricing model

ESLintFree

PMDFree

What each one is

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

ESLint

Leader

Open-source linter that uses abstract syntax tree analysis to detect JavaScript code issues and apply syntax-aware fixes, with extensive customization through custom rules and parsers.

Independently observed

PMD

PMD is a static analysis tool that scans source code to detect bugs, code smells, and quality issues across many programming languages. It includes copy-paste detection capabilities and supports custom rule creation.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

ESLint

Leader

Open sourceFree tier

Free open source

Open SourceFree
- Find issues in JavaScript code
- Automatically fix problems
- Custom parsers
- Custom rules
- Text editor integration
- +1 more

as of 2026-08-05verify ↗

PMD

Open sourceFree tier

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	ESLint	PMD
CLIPlatforms	✓	✓
Self-hostedDeployment	✓	✓

Platforms

CLI

ESLint✓

PMD✓

Deployment

Self-hosted

ESLint✓

PMD✓

Integrations

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

ESLint

Leader

2 total

eslint-plugin-react
eslint-plugin-unicorn

Independently observed

PMD

11 total

Eclipse
Gradle PMD Plugin
eclipse-pmd
pmd-eclipse-plugin
PMD X
PMD
Apex PMD
PMD for Java
Gradle
IntelliJ
VS Code

Independently observed

Still deciding?

ESLint or PMD: 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.