What is PMD?
PMD is an extensible static code analyzer that finds common programming flaws like unused variables, empty catch blocks, and unnecessary object creation across 18 languages. It comes with 400+ built-in rules and includes CPD for detecting duplicated code.
PMD pricing
We don't have PMD's full plan breakdown yet (its pricing page resisted automated reading). Here's what we could confirm. Always check live pricing for exact numbers.
What PMD does
The capabilities that matter for code quality tools, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- Function
- Static analyzer
- Language scope
- Multi-language
- Implementation language
- Java
- Autofix
- ✗
- Config model
- Rule packs
- Custom rules
- ✓
- Deployment
- CLI-local
- Editor integration
- ✗
- CI / VCS gating
- ✗
- Code metrics
- ✗
- Incremental / monorepo aware
- ✗
- Open-source
- OSS
- Pricing model
- Free
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- CLI
- Self-hosted
PMD alternatives
Other code quality tools we track, ranked by the same independent score.
The Vioscale score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for PMD, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Github Activity | 54 | 18.00 | 962.8 | ✓ |
| Release Cadence | 84 | 10.00 | 844.4 | ✓ |
| Pricing Transparency | 80 | 8.00 | 640.0 | ✓ |
| Price Level | 100 | 6.00 | 600.0 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 29 | 16.00 | 462.5 | ✓ |
| Github Stars | 71 | 5.00 | 352.5 | ✓ |
| Reliability | 0 | 8.00 | 0.0 | - |
| Integrations | 0 | 8.00 | 0.0 | - |
| Security Posture | 0 | 13.00 | 0.0 | - |
| Package Downloads | 0 | 26.00 | 0.0 | - |
| Stackoverflow Activity | 0 | 12.00 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 49 | mediumsource · 2026-08-03 · 65% |
Adoption
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Github stars | 5,460 | highsource · 2026-08-03 · 90% |
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | {"autofix":false,"metrics":false,"function":"static_analyzer","ci_gating":false,"deployment":"cli_local","incremental":false,"open_source":"oss","config_model":"rule_packs","custom_rules":true,"impl_language":"Java","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"multi_language","editor_integration":false} | mediumsource · 2026-08-03 · 60% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Java | highsource · 2026-08-03 · 90% |
Pricing
Release
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence days | 28 | mediumsource · 2026-08-03 · 70% |