Semgrep vs Palo Alto Cortex

Comprehensive side-by-side comparison — features, pricing, performance, and more.

Data last refreshed October 2026
Semgrep logo

Semgrep

Semgrep, Inc.

AI-assisted SAST, SCA and Secrets Detection

Freemium
74% verification coverage
VS
Palo Alto Cortex logo

Palo Alto Cortex

Palo Alto Networks

The single, autonomous platform for the modern SOC

Enterprise
76% verification coverage

Trust & Reliability

Semgrep

Uptime:99.98%Status page
Customers (per vendor):Lyft, Slack, Dropbox +7
GDPR
SOC 2

Palo Alto Cortex

Uptime:100.00%Status page
Users:10K-100K
Customers (per vendor):Toyota, Accenture, Infosys +7
GDPR
HIPAA

Overall Winner: Semgrep

7.2/10 vs Palo Alto Cortex at 5.7/10

Leads in:
Customization
Ease of Use
Support

Scores are AI-estimated from publicly available data — not an independent test or a verified user rating. How we rank →

AI Comparison Summary

Semgrep

7.2

avg score

Palo Alto Cortex

5.7

avg score

Semgrep leads overall — particularly in Ease of Use and Customization and 2 more.

Palo Alto Cortex has an edge in Performance.

Based on 6 dimensions

Scores are AI-estimated from publicly available data — not an independent test or a verified user rating. How we rank →

Overall Winner

Semgrep

7.2 / 10

Semgrep

Best For
Developers building and shipping code securely
AppSec teams seeking high-signal results and reduced false positives
CISOs needing measurable security outcomes and unified visibility
Mid-market product teams needing SAST, SCA, and secrets scanning

Palo Alto Cortex

Best For
Enterprise security operations teams transforming their SOC
Organizations needing autonomous remediation for incidents
Companies seeking to reduce data volume and costs in observability
Enterprises requiring unified security across hybrid environments

* Verdict is based on our algorithmic scoring of publicly available data. Learn about our methodology

Semgrep is best for

🤖Automation & Agents9.0🎧Customer Support9.0✍️Writing & Content8.0

Palo Alto Cortex is best for

🤖Automation & Agents8.7📊Data & Analytics8.0

Filter by your use case:

Limitations

SemgrepSemgrep

Cons

  • Secrets detection is not available on the Free plan
  • Historical scanning for secrets detection is in Beta
  • Custom AI Model Provider is only available on the Enterprise plan
  • Self-managed/on-prem repositories are only supported on the Enterprise plan
  • Custom CI/CD integration is only available on the Enterprise plan
Palo Alto CortexPalo Alto Cortex

Cons

  • Pricing details are not publicly available and require contacting sales.
  • Specific data retention policies are not detailed on the provided pages.
  • The product security assurance policy is subject to change without notice.
  • Vulnerabilities with low severity (CVSS base score less than 4.0) may not result in a security advisory.
  • Some exceptional issues may not be sufficiently fixed or mitigated in a reasonable timeline.
Weighted Score — Adjust What Matters to You

Pick a profile or drag sliders — scores and radar update instantly on the right.

Quick profiles:

Ease of Use5
Customization5
Support5
Integration5
Compliance & Data Protection5
Performance5
Planning Quality5

Dimension Comparison

Ease of UseCustomizationSupportIntegrationCompliancePerformancePlanning

Semgrep

7.2

/ 10

Clear winner

Palo Alto Cortex

5.7

/ 10

Dimension Breakdown

Ease of Use

AI

How intuitive is onboarding, UI navigation, and day-to-day usage for the target audience?

Semgrep
8.0▲ +5.0
Palo Alto Cortex
3.0

Customization

Calculated

How much can users tailor workflows, settings, prompts, or outputs to their needs?

Semgrep
9.0▲ +2.0
Palo Alto Cortex
7.0

Support

AI

How strong is the documentation, customer support, community, and learning resources?

Semgrep
8.0▲ +2.0
Palo Alto Cortex
6.0

Integration

Calculated

How well does it connect with other tools, APIs, and workflows?

Semgrep
7.0▲ +3.0
Palo Alto Cortex
4.0

Compliance & Data Protection

Calculated

Compliance certifications and data-protection posture, counted from ten verified signals: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR compliance, HIPAA, WCAG AA/AAA, PII redaction, licensed-only training, a published sub-processor list, a downloadable DPA, not training on user data, and a documented deletion path

Semgrep
6.0
Palo Alto Cortex
6.0

Performance

Calculated

Latency + throughput speed

Semgrep
5.0
Palo Alto Cortex
8.0▲ +3.0

Planning Quality

Calculated

Multi-step planning depth + replanning capability

Semgrep
—
Palo Alto Cortex
—

Calculated = derived from structured signals (integration count, API/open-source config, compliance certs, response-time). AI = LLM-assessed from public website content. Methodology

Task Performance

Semgrep

Task

Palo Alto Cortex

7.0
Threat Detection
9.0
9.0
Vulnerability Scanning
7.0
3.0
Incident Response
9.0
5.0
Compliance Auditing
7.0
2.0
Access Management
6.0
2.0
Log Analysis
9.0
1.0
Phishing Prevention
7.0
2.0
Encryption Management
3.0
7.0
Security Reporting
7.0
7.0
Risk Scoring
7.0

* Task scores (1–10) are algorithmically generated from publicly available data.

Data is sourced from public information and vendor websites. It may not always be up-to-date — verify pricing and features directly with the vendor before purchasing.Report inaccuracy

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main differences between Semgrep and Palo Alto Cortex?
Semgrep — "AI-assisted SAST, SCA and Secrets Detection". Palo Alto Cortex — "The single, autonomous platform for the modern SOC". The Features section on this page compares them side by side.
Who is Semgrep best for compared with Palo Alto Cortex?
Semgrep is best for Developers building and shipping code securely; and for AppSec teams seeking high-signal results and reduced false positives. Palo Alto Cortex is best for Enterprise security operations teams transforming their SOC; and for Organizations needing autonomous remediation for incidents.
How does the pricing of Semgrep compare with Palo Alto Cortex?
Semgrep is freemium, includes a free plan, paid plans start at $30/month. Palo Alto Cortex is enterprise-priced (custom quote). Always verify current pricing with the vendor.
Does Semgrep or Palo Alto Cortex have a free plan?
Semgrep has a free plan. Palo Alto Cortex does not list a free plan in our data. Always verify current pricing with the vendor.
Do Semgrep and Palo Alto Cortex offer an API?
Semgrep offers a public API. Palo Alto Cortex offers a public API.

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