# flake8 vs golangci-lint

| Attribute | flake8 | golangci-lint |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 64 (66% (medium)) | 60.5 (49% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 21 | 53 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 153,063 | 10,411 |
| adoption.github_stars | 3,828 | 19,442 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 9,519,717 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"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}]` | `[{"answer":"An open-source linting tool that combines multiple Go linters into a single, efficient analysis pass. It streamlines code quality checks by running linters concurrently and providing unified configuration. It is indexed under Code Quality Tools.","source":"https://golangci-lint.run/","question":"What is golangci-lint?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"golangci-lint is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the GPL-3.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://golangci-lint.run/","question":"Is golangci-lint free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"golangci-lint supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://golangci-lint.run/","question":"What platforms does golangci-lint support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. golangci-lint can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://golangci-lint.run/","question":"Can golangci-lint be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 6 integrations for golangci-lint, including VS Code, Sublime Text, GoLand, GNU Emacs, Vim and GitHub Actions. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://golangci-lint.run/","question":"What does golangci-lint integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. golangci-lint is published under the GPL-3.0 licence, a copyleft licence, so check its terms before embedding it in a closed-source product. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint","question":"Is golangci-lint open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | Aggregates and runs multiple Go linters concurrently with built-in caching, configuration file support, and IDE integration. |
| features.capabilities | `{"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}` | `{"autofix":true,"metrics":false,"function":"linter","ci_gating":true,"deployment":"cli_local","incremental":true,"open_source":"oss","config_model":"config_file","custom_rules":false,"impl_language":"Go","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"single_language","editor_integration":true}` |
| integrations.count | 3 | 6 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"pycodestyle"},{"name":"pyflakes"},{"name":"mccabe"},{"name":"pre-commit","native":true,"category":"ci","direction":"inbound"}]` | `[{"name":"VS Code"},{"name":"Sublime Text"},{"name":"GoLand"},{"name":"GNU Emacs"},{"name":"Vim"},{"name":"GitHub Actions"}]` |
| language.primary | Python | Go |
| license.spdx | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"free","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://flake8.pycqa.org/","retrievedAt":"2026-09-10T16:03:57.147Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://golangci-lint.run/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T08:37:13.368Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | free | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | - | 6 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.14.0","date":"2026-09-24T11:27:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.14.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.13.2","date":"2026-08-27T23:23:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.13.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.13.1","date":"2026-08-20T14:59:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.13.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.13.0","date":"2026-08-19T23:29:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.13.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.12.2","date":"2026-05-06T11:36:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.12.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.12.1","date":"2026-05-02T10:35:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.12.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.12.0","date":"2026-05-01T13:09:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.12.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.11.4","date":"2026-03-22T18:01:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.11.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.11.3","date":"2026-03-10T10:52:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.11.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.11.2","date":"2026-03-07T21:54:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.11.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.11.1","date":"2026-03-06T14:30:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.11.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.11.0","date":"2026-03-06T13:43:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.11.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.10.1","date":"2026-02-17T15:54:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.10.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.10.0","date":"2026-02-17T13:34:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.10.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.9.0","date":"2026-02-10T23:40:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.9.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.8.0","date":"2026-01-07T21:56:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.8.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.7.2","date":"2025-12-07T17:23:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.7.1","date":"2025-12-04T14:54:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.7.0","date":"2025-12-03T20:17:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/tag/v2.6.2","date":"2025-11-14T13:26:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.6.2"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 5 | 6.6 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=flake8&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fgolangci%2Fgolangci-lint&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Code Quality Tools)

| Capability | flake8 | golangci-lint |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Function | Linter | Linter |
| Language scope | Single-language | Single-language |
| Implementation language | Python | Go |
| **Capability** |  |  |
| Autofix | ✗ | ✓ |
| **Config** |  |  |
| Config model | Config file | 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 2026-10-16T20:02:47.321Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*