# flake8 vs PMD

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** flake8

| Attribute | flake8 | PMD |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 64 (66% (medium)) | 55.6 (49% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 21 | 64 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 153,063 | 356 |
| adoption.github_stars | 3,828 | 5,508 |
| 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":"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. It is indexed under Code Quality Tools.","source":"https://pmd.github.io/","question":"What is PMD?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"PMD offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://pmd.github.io/","question":"Is PMD free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"PMD supports Windows, macOS, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://pmd.github.io/","question":"What platforms does PMD support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. PMD can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://pmd.github.io/","question":"Can PMD be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6}]` |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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}` | `{"metrics":true,"function":"static_analyzer","ci_gating":true,"deployment":"cli_local","open_source":"oss","config_model":"rule_packs","custom_rules":true,"impl_language":"Java","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"multi_language","editor_integration":true}` |
| integrations.count | 3 | 4 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"pycodestyle"},{"name":"pyflakes"},{"name":"mccabe"},{"name":"pre-commit","native":true,"category":"ci","direction":"inbound"}]` | `[{"name":"Eclipse"},{"name":"Gradle PMD Plugin","native":true},{"name":"eclipse-pmd","native":true},{"name":"pmd-eclipse-plugin","native":true},{"name":"PMD X","native":true},{"name":"PMD","native":true},{"name":"Apex PMD","native":true},{"name":"PMD for Java","native":true},{"name":"Gradle","native":true,"category":"build_system"},{"name":"IntelliJ","native":false,"category":"editor"},{"name":"VS Code","native":false,"category":"editor"}]` |
| language.primary | Python | Java |
| license.spdx | MIT | - |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| 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://pmd.github.io/","retrievedAt":"2026-09-14T13:23:26.960Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | free | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 28 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.29.0-SNAPSHOT","date":"2026-09-25T09:32:04Z","type":"prerelease","version":"pmd_releases/7.29.0-SNAPSHOT"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.28.0","date":"2026-09-25T09:00:39Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.28.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.27.0","date":"2026-08-28T12:41:56Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.27.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.26.0","date":"2026-06-29T09:27:48Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.26.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.25.0","date":"2026-05-29T07:31:55Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.25.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.24.0","date":"2026-04-24T10:32:31Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.24.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.23.0","date":"2026-03-27T11:16:41Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.23.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.22.0","date":"2026-02-27T12:03:19Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.22.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.21.0","date":"2026-01-30T09:52:21Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.21.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.20.0","date":"2025-12-30T15:44:30Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.20.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.19.0","date":"2025-11-28T11:36:32Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.19.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.18.0","date":"2025-10-31T08:59:05Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.18.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.17.0","date":"2025-09-12T08:10:30Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.17.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.16.0","date":"2025-07-25T07:00:32Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.16.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.15.0","date":"2025-06-27T12:45:08Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.15.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.14.0","date":"2025-05-30T18:45:09Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.14.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.13.0","date":"2025-04-25T08:32:19Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.13.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.12.0","date":"2025-03-28T08:27:08Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.12.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.11.0","date":"2025-02-28T11:24:10Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.11.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.10.0","date":"2025-01-31T10:26:11Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.10.0"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 5 | 6.2 |
| 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=maven&package_name=net.sourceforge.pmd%3Apmd-java&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Code Quality Tools)

| Capability | flake8 | PMD |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Function | Linter | Static analyzer |
| Language scope | Single-language | Multi-language |
| Implementation language | Python | 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 |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:58:05.031Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*