GitHub CodeQL vs SonarQube:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, SonarQube had more branded searches than GitHub CodeQL among static analysis tools worldwide. SonarQube had about 110,000 branded searches, while GitHub CodeQL had 1,300. SonarQube made up 45.3% of all static analysis tool searches we track, and GitHub CodeQL accounted for 0.54%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about static analysis tools, SonarQube appeared in all five answers and GitHub CodeQL in none.
Who do people search for more?
SonarQube, about 85 searches for every 1 for GitHub CodeQL
Who does AI mention more?
SonarQube, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
SonarQube, the only one of the two named
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Top static analysis tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, SonarQube appeared in all five answers. GitHub CodeQL did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- SonarQube5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Semgrep5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
CodeQL5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- ESLint4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Snyk Code3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- Coverity2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Ruff2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- SpotBugs2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Checkmarx1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- GitHub CodeQL0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about static analysis tools
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which static analysis tool should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best static analysis tools?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best static analysis tool for source code quality?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“static analysis tools”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“code scanning tool”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is GitHub CodeQL or SonarQube more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for GitHub CodeQL and SonarQube by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 14 static analysis tools we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for SonarQube, GitHub CodeQL. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | SonarQube | Semgrep | ESLint | Checkmarx | CodeQL | Veracode | Coverity | Ruff | Codacy | SpotBugs | Snyk Code | GitHub CodeQL | Code Climate | Black Duck Coverity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 49.5% | 8.1% | 14.8% | 6.7% | 4.4% | 5.4% | 3% | 3.1% | 2% | 0.87% | 0.74% | 0.39% | 0.87% | 0.12% |
| Nov 2025 | 48.4% | 8% | 14.5% | 6.5% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 3.6% | 3% | 2.4% | 0.86% | 0.7% | 0.47% | 0.86% | 0.09% |
| Dec 2025 | 50.1% | 8.2% | 15% | 6.7% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 0.89% | 0.72% | 0.48% | 0.71% | 0.1% |
| Jan 2026 | 47.5% | 9.5% | 14.3% | 6.4% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 1.9% | 0.85% | 0.68% | 0.46% | 0.85% | 0.11% |
| Feb 2026 | 46.6% | 9.4% | 17.1% | 6.2% | 5.1% | 5.1% | 2.8% | 2.9% | 1.9% | 0.66% | 0.84% | 0.45% | 0.83% | 0.11% |
| Mar 2026 | 49.8% | 10% | 12.2% | 8.2% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 3% | 3% | 1.6% | 0.73% | 1.1% | 0.48% | 0.73% | 0.12% |
| Apr 2026 | 45.8% | 11.2% | 11.2% | 11.2% | 5% | 5% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1.8% | 0.82% | 1% | 0.44% | 0.65% | 0.11% |
| May 2026 | 48.4% | 11.9% | 11.9% | 8% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 1.6% | 0.68% | 0.69% | 0.47% | 0.57% | 0.09% |
| Jun 2026 | 49.9% | 12.2% | 10% | 6.7% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 3% | 3% | 1.6% | 0.7% | 0.71% | 0.48% | 0.59% | 0.12% |
| Jul 2026 | 44.8% | 13.5% | 11% | 7.4% | 6% | 6% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 1.8% | 0.77% | 0.79% | 0.53% | 0.53% | 0.16% |
| Aug 2026 | 47.7% | 11.7% | 11.7% | 7.8% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 2.9% | 3.6% | 1.6% | 0.69% | 0.71% | 0.56% | 0.43% | 0.11% |
| Sep 2026 | 45.3% | 13.6% | 11.2% | 7.5% | 6.1% | 5% | 4.1% | 3.3% | 1.5% | 0.78% | 0.67% | 0.54% | 0.41% | 0.13% |
How has the GitHub CodeQL and SonarQube comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- SonarQube was ahead of GitHub CodeQL in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitHub CodeQL’s share of searches among static analysis tools worldwide moved from 0.39% to 0.54%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.3K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SonarQube’s share of searches among static analysis tools worldwide moved from 49.5% to 45.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 165K to 110K.
How did search popularity change for static analysis tools worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, SonarQube lost share of searches among static analysis tools worldwide, from 47.7% to 45.3%.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using GitHub CodeQL’s and SonarQube’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
GitHub CodeQL
1 branded search term
- github codeql
SonarQube
1 branded search term
- sonarqube
Other head-to-heads among static analysis tools
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