CodeMatch vs Hound
CodeMatch
safe-corp.comHound
github.comSide by side
| Figure | CodeMatch | Hound |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 0 |
| Spec score · Code Clone Detection Tools | 7.7 (#9) | 7.5 (#13) |
| Purpose | CodeMatch compares source code files across directories and subdirectories, ranking the most highly correlated file pairs to help locate possible plagiarism. | Hound is an extremely fast source code search engine with a React frontend and Go backend that maintains an index for each repository. |
| Support | The maker invites users to contact it if a needed programming language is not listed and says it will usually add support within days. | The README describes platform support and setup guidance but does not specify a support service. |
In their own words
CodeMatch
CodeMatch is a Windows program from SAFE Corporation for comparing source-code files across two directories, including their subdirectories. It ranks file pairs by correlation scores from 0 to 100, helping an examiner reduce many combinations to a smaller review list. Its hybrid methods compare statements, comments and strings, instruction sequences, and identifiers. Reports can show the material behind high correlations in detailed HTML, while a database export can produce an HTML summary. SAFE lists languages including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Python, SQL, Swift, Verilog, and VHDL, and says requested languages can usually be added within days. The maker also describes uses such as finding open-source code in proprietary software, assessing common authorship, and identifying shared algorithms. A press release allows no-charge comparison of up to 1 megabyte of source code. CodeMatch assists expert review rather than precisely identifying plagiarism. It is paid, with a free plan and trial, but no CodeMatch price is listed.
Hound
Hound is a free source code search engine that indexes repositories and offers a web interface and a minimal API. Its Go backend maintains a current index for each repository, while its static React frontend provides the web UI. Search uses regular-expression matching with a trigram index. Hound supports Git, Mercurial, SVN, Bazaar, and local repositories; private repositories can be indexed from local directories or reached through file or SSH-style URLs. By default, it checks configured repository URLs for updates every 30 seconds, with an interval that can be changed per repository. It can be built from source or run from the project's Docker image, and the web UI defaults to localhost:6080. Plugins are available for Sublime Text, Vim, Emacs, and Visual Studio Code. Hound is tested on macOS and CentOS and is expected to work on Unix-like systems, but Windows is not supported. It does not support TLS itself; the README suggests running it behind Apache or nginx. Hound uses the MIT license, and the latest listed release is v0.7.1, published May 3, 2023.