SimplyScan vs Semgrep | Rules-Based SAST and URL Scanning

Quick answer: Semgrep offers source-code, dependency, and secret-scanning workflows. SimplyScan’s URL scan reports supported public site-health observations, while its separate code workflows accept other inputs. Compare supported checks with your application’s requirements and investigate findings; neither approach establishes complete security or equivalent coverage.

By Gabriel CA · Kraftwire Software

Why Are Developers Looking For A Semgrep Alternative?

Semgrep offers static code analysis, dependency analysis, and secret scanning. Its code workflow supports supplied and custom rules; review the selected product’s language and rule coverage.

Choose rules and configuration for the code you need to assess. A source result does not automatically establish the deployed state of headers, credentials, or database permissions; inspect those inputs separately.

These live figures describe all scanned sites. They do not establish prevalence for an AI-built subgroup, compare development methods, or attribute findings to AI generation.

30% of the 119 live sites SimplyScan has scanned (36 sites) have at least one high or critical security issue.

Broken authentication and exposed frontend API keys can require deployment checks in addition to static analysis; the aggregate figure does not measure static-analysis coverage.

Is SimplyScan Better Than Semgrep For AI-Built Apps?

Compare the inputs and tests you need. Semgrep analyzes supported source and dependency inputs; SimplyScan’s URL workflow reports supported public observations from a deployed site.

When to Evaluate Semgrep

• You need supported source-code, dependency, or secret analysis.
• You want supplied or custom rules for relevant code patterns.
• You need a workflow for reviewing findings in the codebase.

When to Evaluate SimplyScan

• You want supported public findings from a deployed AI-built app.
• You want supported SEO, performance, and compliance signals.
• You want anonymous backend observations alongside owner review of Supabase or Firebase permissions.

How Should You Compare Static-Analysis Options?

Compare language coverage, rules, licensing, and integration requirements.

OpenGrep

OpenGrep is an open-source fork of Semgrep Community Edition. Review current compatibility and licensing for the rules and integrations you use.

Other Code-Analysis Products

Evaluate products such as Snyk Code, DeepSource, or SonarQube using their current documentation and representative code from your project.

Use code-review guidance to organize investigation of findings and proposed repairs.

Source-analysis results complement application-specific tests; no product list establishes complete coverage.

A reference such as process.env.API_KEY does not alone establish whether the value stays private. Inspect the build, server responses, and client artifacts as well as the source path that reads it.

What Does SimplyScan Check in a Deployed App?

Review generated code, hardcoded credentials, and deployed configuration independently of whether visible features work. The development method alone does not establish a unique attack surface.

13% of the 119 live sites SimplyScan has scanned (15 sites) have at least one high-severity web-security issue, such as a missing Content-Security-Policy or HSTS header.

Use the application security checklist alongside supported findings:

• Exposed Credentials: SimplyScan checks recognizable OpenAI and Anthropic secret patterns in supported public content.
• Authentication: Test login and authorization behavior separately with suitable accounts; anonymous URL scans do not verify every login bypass.
• Public Files: Supported probes include reachable .env content.

The SimplyScan MCP server provides supported URL and selected-file tools. Review their input requirements and coverage before using them.

Can You Use SimplyScan And Semgrep Together?

Choose complementary checks for the application’s requirements. One possible workflow is:

Editor Level

Configure appropriate review or linting tools in Cursor or Windsurf, and investigate their findings.

Code Review

Run supported source analysis or a GitHub repository scan, then inspect findings and coverage.

Deployed Review

Use SimplyScan for supported public observations from the deployed site, alongside application-specific tests.

Investigate supported performance signals separately from security findings.

79% of the 119 live sites SimplyScan has scanned (94 sites) have at least one medium-severity speed issue, such as render-blocking scripts or no route-based code splitting.

29% of the 119 live sites SimplyScan has scanned (35 sites) have at least one medium-severity web-security issue, such as a missing Content-Security-Policy or HSTS header.

A verified security badge links to a dated scan’s score and eligibility state, subject to the badge criteria. It does not prove the absence of vulnerabilities.

Which Issues Found In AI Apps Should You Check?

SimplyScan's live statistics cover 119 distinct live sites, counting each site's latest completed scan.

The average security score across the 119 live sites SimplyScan has scanned is 86 out of 100.

Inspect individual findings and coverage even when the average score looks high.

• Speed and Performance: Measure affected requests and assets.
• Architecture: Inspect individual findings and relevant trust boundaries.

11% of the 119 live sites SimplyScan has scanned (13 sites) have at least one medium-severity architecture issue, such as a library with a known vulnerability or no rate limiting.

• Email and Domain Health: Inspect email-authentication records and delivery results separately; a configuration check does not guarantee delivery or prevent all phishing. See SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

Use our free tools, including the JWT debugger and CSP generator, alongside investigation and testing of the affected behavior.

Is SimplyScan The Right Choice For Your Project?

For projects built with Lovable, Bolt, or v0, choose tests from the application’s requirements. A scan grade is not a release pass/fail verdict.

SimplyScan’s free URL scan reports supported findings across security, speed, SEO, AEO, accessibility, compliance signals, domain health, and email security. It requires no signup and includes two rescans. Pro Monitoring offers uptime observations and supported Slack/GitHub integrations; these do not provide continuous protection against every attack.

Use supported source and deployed checks where their coverage fits your project. A free SimplyScan scan provides another set of public observations to investigate.

Compare Inputs and Coverage

• Source inputs: Compare supported languages, rules, dependencies, and secret patterns.
• Deployed inputs: Compare public response checks and authenticated tests.
• Workflow: Review setup, licensing, remediation handling, and remaining coverage gaps.

Review environment-variable exposure and injection defenses using the actual data paths and deployment. Recheck security-sensitive changes and investigate findings.

Pro Monitoring costs $24/month.