# PMD vs Pylint

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Pylint

| Attribute | PMD | Pylint |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 59.9 (53% (medium)) | 72.2 (54% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 62 | 96 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 356 | 117,361 |
| adoption.github_stars | 5,473 | 5,715 |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"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}` | `{"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}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | 10 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Eclipse"}]` | `[{"name":"Vim"},{"name":"Emacs"},{"name":"Eclipse"},{"name":"TextMate"},{"name":"PyDev"},{"name":"Spyder"},{"name":"Editra"},{"name":"Jenkins"},{"name":"Hudson"},{"name":"Apycot"}]` |
| language.primary | Java | Python |
| license.spdx | - | GPL-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"free","summary":"Free, open source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://pmd.github.io/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T08:38:36.255Z"}` | `{"type":"free","summary":"Free and open source. Commercial support services available.","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.pylint.org/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T11:08:27.719Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 28 | 24 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.27.0-SNAPSHOT","date":"2026-06-29T09:47:25Z","type":"prerelease","version":"pmd_releases/7.27.0-SNAPSHOT"},{"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"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.9.0","date":"2024-12-27T13:22:05Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.9.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pmd/pmd/releases/tag/pmd_releases/7.8.0","date":"2024-11-29T10:55:15Z","type":"stable","version":"pmd_releases/7.8.0"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v4.0.7","date":"2026-08-09T19:12:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v4.0.6","date":"2026-06-14T14:42:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v4.0.5","date":"2026-02-20T09:06:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v4.0.4","date":"2025-11-30T13:28:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v4.0.3","date":"2025-11-13T15:53:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v4.0.2","date":"2025-10-20T13:01:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v4.0.1","date":"2025-10-15T05:40:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v4.0.0","date":"2025-10-12T15:16:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v3.3.9","date":"2025-10-05T18:37:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v3.3.8","date":"2025-08-09T09:12:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v3.3.7","date":"2025-05-04T17:07:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v3.3.6","date":"2025-03-20T11:24:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v3.3.5","date":"2025-03-09T06:47:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v3.3.5a0","date":"2025-03-08T22:20:59Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v3.3.5a0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v3.3.4","date":"2025-01-28T13:27:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v3.3.3","date":"2024-12-24T02:30:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v3.3.2","date":"2024-12-01T18:45:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v3.3.1","date":"2024-09-24T11:10:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v3.3.0","date":"2024-09-20T13:03:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pylint-dev/pylint/releases/tag/v3.2.7","date":"2024-08-31T14:25:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.2.7"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 6.1 | 8.1 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"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}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=pylint&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Code Quality Tools)

| Capability | PMD | Pylint |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Function | Static analyzer | Linter |
| Language scope | Multi-language | Single-language |
| Implementation language | Java | Python |
| **Capability** |  |  |
| Autofix | - | ✗ |
| **Config** |  |  |
| Config model | Rule packs | 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 2026-09-01T15:20:11.901Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*