clang-tidy vs Cppcheck
clang-tidy
clang.llvm.org
Cppcheck
cppcheck.comSide by side
| Figure | clang-tidy | Cppcheck |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 8 |
| Spec score · Linters | 8.5 (#4) | 8.8 (#1) |
| IDE integrations | The documentation lists integrations including clangd, CLion, KDevelop, Qt Creator, Visual Studio tools, Vim plugins, and Emacs Flycheck. | Officially listed integrations include Visual Studio, VS Code, Keil, Eclipse, CLion, Qt Creator and C++ Builder. |
| Purpose | clang-tidy is a Clang-based C++ linter for diagnosing and fixing typical programming errors, including style violations, interface misuse, and bugs detectable by static analysis. | Cppcheck is a static analysis tool for C and C++ code that detects bugs, undefined behavior, and dangerous coding constructs. |
| Security checks | The documented check groups include CERT secure coding checks and Clang Static Analyzer checks, among other categories. | Premium lists CWE Top 25 plus CERT C 2016 and CERT C++ 2016 checks. |
Plans
Cppcheck
- Cppcheck Premium trialFree
- Open-sourceFree
- Open-source CppcheckFree
- EnterprisePriced on request
- Enterprise LicensePriced on request
- IndividualPriced on request
- ProjectPriced on request
- Project LicensePriced on request
In their own words
clang-tidy
clang-tidy has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Cppcheck
Cppcheck is a static analysis tool for C and C++ code that detects bugs, undefined behavior, and dangerous coding constructs. It can analyze non-standard syntax commonly found in embedded projects. The tool fully supports C++11, C++14, and C++17, with partial support for C++20, and lists integrations with Visual Studio, VSCode, Keil, Eclipse, CLion, Qt Creator, and C++ Builder. Its Soundy mode is intended to help find hard-to-find bugs discovered during testing. The free Open-source plan provides core static analysis. Premium adds checks for safety and security standards, with compliance reports for supported standards; the maker describes Premium as TÜV SÜD certified for safety-critical development. A three-week free trial is offered without a credit card or commitment. Individual licensing excludes CI environments, virtual machines, and containers, while Enterprise supports those environments and air-gapped use. Project requires at least five users and one Git repository. Paid plan prices are available by tailored quotation.