# Checkstyle vs Psalm

| Attribute | Checkstyle | Psalm |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 61.4 (54% (medium)) | 72.8 (33% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 1,425 | 15,920 |
| adoption.github_stars | 9,001 | 5,884 |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A development tool that automatically scans Java code to verify adherence to coding standards, detecting style violations, design problems, and formatting issues. Supports customizable rule sets and integrates with build tools and IDEs. | Psalm is a free, open-source static analyzer for PHP that identifies type-related errors and bugs in codebases at their strictest settings. It can automatically fix many common issues and supports safe coding patterns used in other languages. |
| features.capabilities | `{"autofix":false,"metrics":true,"function":"static_analyzer","ci_gating":true,"deployment":"cli_local","open_source":"oss","config_model":"config_file","custom_rules":true,"impl_language":"Java","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"single_language"}` | `{"autofix":true,"metrics":true,"function":"static_analyzer","deployment":"cli_local","open_source":"oss","config_model":"config_file","custom_rules":true,"impl_language":"PHP","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"single_language"}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Maven"},{"name":"Ant"}]` | - |
| language.primary | Java | PHP |
| license.spdx | LGPL-2.1 | MIT |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"free","sourceUrl":"https://checkstyle.org/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T08:38:14.583Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Open Source","description":"Free and open-source static analysis tool for PHP","contactSales":false}],"summary":"Free and open-source. Optional paid support contracts available.","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://psalm.dev/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T22:32:46.041Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | - | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 14 | 1 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-14.0.0","date":"2026-08-18T13:09:20Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-14.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.11.0","date":"2026-08-16T21:52:20Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.11.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.10.0","date":"2026-08-09T17:48:41Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.10.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.9.0","date":"2026-07-27T01:04:59Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.9.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.8.0","date":"2026-07-12T02:55:15Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.8.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.7.0","date":"2026-06-28T15:13:54Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.6.0","date":"2026-06-15T03:24:52Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.5.0","date":"2026-05-30T20:22:13Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.4.2","date":"2026-05-02T04:07:51Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.4.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.4.1","date":"2026-04-27T12:43:10Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.4.0","date":"2026-03-29T17:41:44Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.3.0","date":"2026-02-28T17:36:40Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.2.0","date":"2026-02-05T20:28:40Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.1.0","date":"2026-01-31T17:26:20Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-13.0.0","date":"2026-01-04T23:48:39Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-13.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-12.3.1","date":"2025-12-31T15:42:54Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-12.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-12.3.0","date":"2025-12-13T15:50:49Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-12.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-12.2.0","date":"2025-11-30T13:55:29Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-12.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-12.1.2","date":"2025-11-11T16:40:51Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-12.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/checkstyle/checkstyle/releases/tag/checkstyle-12.1.1","date":"2025-10-26T14:12:24Z","type":"stable","version":"checkstyle-12.1.1"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/7.0.0-beta19","date":"2026-04-15T20:51:53Z","type":"prerelease","version":"7.0.0-beta19"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/7.0.0-beta18","date":"2026-04-15T18:57:09Z","type":"prerelease","version":"7.0.0-beta18"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/6.16.1","date":"2026-03-19T11:07:58Z","type":"stable","version":"6.16.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/7.0.0-beta17","date":"2026-03-17T11:28:08Z","type":"prerelease","version":"7.0.0-beta17"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/6.16.0","date":"2026-03-17T11:22:35Z","type":"stable","version":"6.16.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/7.0.0-beta16","date":"2026-02-20T19:46:21Z","type":"prerelease","version":"7.0.0-beta16"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/7.0.0-beta15","date":"2026-02-19T21:57:27Z","type":"prerelease","version":"7.0.0-beta15"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/6.15.1","date":"2026-02-08T08:26:17Z","type":"stable","version":"6.15.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/6.15.0","date":"2026-01-30T14:13:20Z","type":"stable","version":"6.15.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/7.0.0-beta14","date":"2025-12-23T17:07:55Z","type":"prerelease","version":"7.0.0-beta14"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/6.14.3","date":"2025-12-23T15:49:03Z","type":"stable","version":"6.14.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/6.14.2","date":"2025-12-11T08:59:09Z","type":"stable","version":"6.14.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/7.0.0-beta13","date":"2025-12-10T09:35:46Z","type":"prerelease","version":"7.0.0-beta13"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/6.14.1","date":"2025-12-10T09:35:44Z","type":"stable","version":"6.14.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/7.0.0-beta12","date":"2025-12-10T09:11:02Z","type":"prerelease","version":"7.0.0-beta12"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/6.14.0","date":"2025-12-10T08:48:11Z","type":"stable","version":"6.14.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/6.13.1","date":"2025-08-07T12:33:39Z","type":"stable","version":"6.13.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/7.0.0-beta11","date":"2025-07-14T10:01:40Z","type":"prerelease","version":"7.0.0-beta11"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/6.13.0","date":"2025-07-14T10:00:47Z","type":"stable","version":"6.13.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/vimeo/psalm/releases/tag/7.0.0-beta10","date":"2025-07-04T10:10:02Z","type":"prerelease","version":"7.0.0-beta10"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 6.7 | 4.5 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":2,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=maven&package_name=com.puppycrawl.tools%3Acheckstyle&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"MODERATE"}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=packagist&package_name=vimeo%2Fpsalm&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Code Quality Tools)

| Capability | Checkstyle | Psalm |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Function | Static analyzer | Static analyzer |
| Language scope | Single-language | Single-language |
| Implementation language | Java | PHP |
| **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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:15:37.120Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*