# PMD vs RuboCop

**Leader by Vioscale score:** RuboCop

| Attribute | PMD | RuboCop |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 59.9 (53% (medium)) | 69.7 (53% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 62 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 356 | 115,529 |
| adoption.github_stars | 5,473 | 12,899 |
| deployment.options | `{"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. | 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. |
| 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":true,"function":"linter_formatter","deployment":"cli_local","open_source":"oss","config_model":"config_file","custom_rules":true,"impl_language":"Ruby","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"single_language","editor_integration":true}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | 14 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Eclipse"}]` | `[{"name":"rubocop-performance"},{"name":"rubocop-rails"},{"name":"rubocop-rspec"},{"name":"rubocop-minitest"},{"name":"rubocop-rake"},{"name":"rubocop-sequel"},{"name":"rubocop-thread_safety"},{"name":"rubocop-capybara"},{"name":"rubocop-factory_bot"},{"name":"rubocop-rspec_rails"},{"name":"rubocop-i18n"},{"name":"Eglot"},{"name":"Helix"},{"name":"Flycheck"}]` |
| language.primary | Java | Ruby |
| license.spdx | - | MIT |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"free","summary":"Free, open source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://pmd.github.io/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T08:38:36.255Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://rubocop.org/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T08:31:22.550Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 28 | 16 |
| 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/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.90.0","date":"2026-08-24T11:40:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.90.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.89.0","date":"2026-08-04T09:00:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.89.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.88.2","date":"2026-07-08T06:22:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.88.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.88.1","date":"2026-07-01T09:52:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.88.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.88.0","date":"2026-06-16T05:10:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.88.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.87.0","date":"2026-05-30T08:52:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.87.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.86.2","date":"2026-05-14T05:26:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.86.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.86.1","date":"2026-04-09T06:12:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.86.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.86.0","date":"2026-03-23T10:39:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.86.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.85.1","date":"2026-03-05T10:22:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.85.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.85.0","date":"2026-02-26T09:50:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.85.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.84.2","date":"2026-02-12T07:25:18Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.84.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.84.1","date":"2026-02-03T01:55:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.84.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.84.0","date":"2026-01-27T09:57:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.84.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.82.1","date":"2025-12-24T08:47:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.82.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.82.0","date":"2025-12-17T10:25:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.82.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.81.7","date":"2025-10-31T09:01:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.81.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.81.6","date":"2025-10-21T07:34:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.81.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.81.1","date":"2025-09-26T13:35:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.81.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop/releases/tag/v1.81.0","date":"2025-09-25T12:50:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.81.0"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 6.1 | 5.6 |
| 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":1,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=rubygems&package_name=rubocop&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"LOW"}` |

## Capabilities (Code Quality Tools)

| Capability | PMD | RuboCop |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Function | Static analyzer | Linter + formatter |
| Language scope | Multi-language | Single-language |
| Implementation language | Java | Ruby |
| **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 2026-09-01T14:31:20.258Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*