Code Search vs Understand

Code Search is a self-hosted platform for searching and changing code across repositories, with CLI support for batch work. Zoekt provides sub-second repository search; SCIP features support go-to-definition, find-references and symbol search. Teams can make replacements across multiple repositories and have the platform create branches and merge requests. A built-in MCP server connects assistants such as Claude and Cursor for code search, browsing and navigation. Supported code hosts include GitHub, GitHub Enterprise Server, GitLab, self-hosted GitLab, Gitea, and Bitbucket Cloud and Server. Deployment choices include Docker, source builds, Kubernetes and Helm. The maker says code and data stay on customer servers and the application sends no telemetry or usage data back. Community is free and includes unlimited users. Enterprise adds OIDC single sign-on, role-based repository permissions, audit logging and priority support; pricing is on request. Community support is available through GitHub Issues, and the project is licensed under Apache License 2.0.

Understand is a static analysis and code-comprehension tool from SciTools. It builds a cross-referenced model of source code without executing it, then helps users explore relationships through its Information Browser, call trees, dependency analysis, and visual graphs, including butterfly and control-flow views. It also provides metrics, CodeCheck, version comparison, APIs, a command-line interface, and AI chat. Supported languages include C/C++, C#, Fortran, Java, Python, Rust, VHDL, Visual Basic, and web languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, and XML. It runs on Windows 11, specified Linux distributions, and macOS Monterey or later; command-line automation, CI, and an official Docker image are also available. The VS Code extension is separately licensed. Local AI keeps code and prompts on the user's hardware, while cloud AI sends requests with code context to the selected provider. Offline use is supported with offline licensing. Pricing includes a free plan and paid subscriptions from $100/user/mo (annual).