CPAchecker vs PVS
CPAchecker
cpachecker.sosy-lab.orgPVS
pvs.csl.sri.comSide by side
| Figure | CPAchecker | PVS |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Formal Verification Tools | 8.0 (#10) | 8.3 (#4) |
| Documentation | The documentation page links to installation instructions, getting-started guidance, tutorials, and a counterexample report for a program with a bug found by CPAchecker. | The site provides system, language, and prover guides, tutorials, examples, and release notes, while noting that manuals may not cover newer features. |
| Headquarters | Munich, Germany | Menlo Park, California, USA |
| Purpose | CPAchecker is a tool for configurable software verification based on configurable program analysis concepts. | PVS is a verification system combining a specification language, support tools, and a theorem prover. |
| Support | The project directs installation questions, bug reports, and suggestions to its CPAchecker users mailing list, and also provides an issue tracker. | Support is offered through developer and bug-report email addresses, GitHub issues, Google Groups, and moderated mailing lists. |
Plans
In their own words
CPAchecker
CPAchecker is a configurable software verification tool based on configurable program analysis concepts. It accepts C and SV-LIB inputs, lists predicate analysis for SV-LIB programs, and supports invariants, counterexamples, and proof artifacts. It can also validate termination witnesses in YAML formats 2.1 and 1.0. The project lists a hybrid verification method and provides a self-hosted deployment. CPAchecker is free software under the Apache 2.0 License. Version 4.2.2, released in December 2025, is available as Unix and Windows ZIP archives; Debian and Ubuntu users can install it from the SoSy-Lab APT repository, and a Docker image is available. Java 21 or later is required as of version 4.2. An older version, 1.6.1, can be accessed through a web interface, where some functions are unavailable in the restricted environment. Documentation includes installation instructions, tutorials, and getting-started guidance. Installation questions, bug reports, and suggestions can go to the users mailing list or issue tracker. The project is based in Munich, Germany.
PVS
PVS is a mechanized environment for formal specification and verification, intended for work such as mathematical formalization and hardware or algorithm verification. Its language is based on typed higher-order logic and supports predicate subtypes, dependent types, and parameterized theories. The system combines predefined theories, a type checker, interactive theorem prover, symbolic model checker, utilities, libraries, documentation, and examples. Proof support includes induction, rewriting, simplification with decision procedures, abstraction, and symbolic model checking; command-line tools can re-prove theories and libraries in batch mode. PVS also integrates the Yices SMT solver, supports random testing during proofs, and includes PVSio for evaluation and animation. GNU or X Emacs provides the integrated interface, with Tcl/Tk displays for proof trees and theory hierarchies. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows and is self-hosted. Noncommercial use is listed at free. Sources are under GPL, but the Allegro runtime has a separate click-through license, and commercial users need a current PVS license or must contact SRI about licensing.