Comparison

flake8 vs Pylint

On the evidence we track, Pylint leads this comparison with a composite score of 72/100. 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
flake858
Pylint72
Score
Vioscale score
flake858 / 100medium · 66%
Pylint72 / 100medium · 54%
Pricing
Free tier
flake8
Pylint
Model
Price level
flake8free
Pylintfree
Transparent
flake8
Pylint
Integrations
Count
flake83
Pylint10
Adoption
Dependent repos
flake8
Pylint117,361
Github stars
flake83,819
Pylint5,715
Package downloads weekly
Pylint
Activity
Commits last 30d
flake84
Pylint96
Release
Cadence days
flake8
Pylint24
History
flake8
Pylint20 items
License
Spdx
flake8MIT
PylintGPL-2.0
Language
Primary
flake8Python
PylintPython

Capabilities

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

Core
Function
flake8Linter
PylintLinter
Language scope
flake8Single-language
PylintSingle-language
Implementation language
flake8Python
PylintPython
Capability
Autofix
flake8
Pylint
Config
Config model
flake8Config file
PylintConfig file
Extensibility
Custom rules
flake8
Pylint
Deployment
Deployment
flake8CLI-local
PylintCLI-local
Delivery
Editor integration
flake8
Pylint
CI / VCS gating
flake8
Pylint
Insight
Code metrics
flake8
Pylint
Performance
Incremental / monorepo aware
flake8-
Pylint-
Licensing
Open-source
flake8OSS
PylintOSS
Commercial
Pricing model
flake8Free
PylintFree

What each one is

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

flake8

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.

Independently observed

Pylint

Leader

Pylint automatically scans Python source code to identify problems with coding standards compliance, detect runtime errors, and suggest refactoring improvements. It supports extensive customization through configuration files and plugins.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

flake8

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Pylint

Leader
FreeFree tier

Free and open source. Commercial support services available.

as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platforms
macOS
flake8
Pylint
Windows
flake8
Pylint
Linux
flake8
Pylint
CLI
flake8
Pylint
Deployment
Self-hosted
flake8
Pylint

Integrations

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

flake8

3 total
  • pycodestyle
  • pyflakes
  • mccabe
Independently observed

Pylint

Leader
10 total
  • Vim
  • Emacs
  • Eclipse
  • TextMate
  • PyDev
  • Spyder
  • Editra
  • Jenkins
  • Hudson
  • Apycot
Independently observed

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