Comparison

PMD vs RuboCop

On the evidence we track, RuboCop leads this comparison with a composite score of 70/100. 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
PMD60
RuboCop70
Score
Vioscale score
PMD60 / 100medium · 53%updating
RuboCop70 / 100medium · 53%updating
Pricing
Free tier
PMD
RuboCop
Model
Price level
PMDfree
RuboCopfree
Transparent
PMD
RuboCop
Integrations
Count
PMD1
RuboCop14
Adoption
Dependent repos
PMD356
RuboCop115,529
Github stars
RuboCop12,899
Activity
Commits last 30d
PMD62
RuboCop100
Release
Cadence days
PMD28
RuboCop16
History
License
Spdx
PMD
RuboCopMIT
Language
Primary
PMDJava
RuboCopRuby
Market
Availability
RuboCop

Capabilities

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

Core
Function
PMDStatic analyzer
RuboCopLinter + formatter
Language scope
PMDMulti-language
RuboCopSingle-language
Implementation language
PMDJava
RuboCopRuby
Capability
Autofix
PMD-
RuboCop
Config
Config model
PMDRule packs
RuboCopConfig file
Extensibility
Custom rules
PMD
RuboCop
Deployment
Deployment
PMDCLI-local
RuboCopCLI-local
Delivery
Editor integration
PMD
RuboCop
CI / VCS gating
PMD
RuboCop-
Insight
Code metrics
PMD-
RuboCop-
Performance
Incremental / monorepo aware
PMD-
RuboCop-
Licensing
Open-source
PMDOSS
RuboCopOSS
Commercial
Pricing model
PMDFree
RuboCopFree

What each one is

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

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

RuboCop

Leader

RuboCop is an open-source Ruby linter and formatter that enforces code style based on the Ruby community style guide. It detects code quality issues and can automatically fix many of them, with extensive configuration options and extensibility through community 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.

PMD

FreeFree tier

Free, open source

as of verify ↗

RuboCop

Leader
Open sourceFree tier

Free and 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
PMD
RuboCop
Windows
PMD
RuboCop
Linux
PMD
RuboCop
CLI
PMD
RuboCop
Deployment
Self-hosted
PMD
RuboCop

Integrations

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

PMD

1 total
  • Eclipse
Independently observed

RuboCop

Leader
14 total
  • rubocop-performance
  • rubocop-rails
  • rubocop-rspec
  • rubocop-minitest
  • rubocop-rake
  • rubocop-sequel
  • rubocop-thread_safety
  • rubocop-capybara
  • rubocop-factory_bot
  • rubocop-rspec_rails
  • rubocop-i18n
  • Eglot
  • Helix
  • Flycheck
Independently observed

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