mycop vs Semgrep vs Snyk: Which Security Scanner for AI Code?

With 45% of AI-generated code introducing security flaws (Veracode 2025) and AI now generating 46% of all new code, choosing the right security scanner has never mattered more. Three tools dominate the conversation: mycop, Semgrep, and Snyk.

This is an honest comparison. I built mycop, so I am biased — but I will be upfront about where Semgrep and Snyk are stronger. The goal is to help you pick the right tool for your specific situation.

Quick Comparison Table

In-Depth Analysis

mycop

mycop is an open-source, MIT-licensed security scanner written in Rust. It is purpose-built for the vulnerabilities that AI coding assistants introduce. It ships 200 built-in rules covering OWASP Top 10 and CWE Top 25, supports Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, and Java, and requires zero configuration.

Best for: Developers and teams using AI coding assistants (Copilot, ChatGPT, Cursor) who want fast, zero-config security scanning with AI-powered auto-fix. Ideal for Python, JavaScript, Go, and Java projects that need to be production-ready quickly.

# Install (10 seconds)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AbdumajidRashidov/mycop/main/install.sh | sh

# Scan
mycop scan .

# Auto-fix
mycop fix . --dry-run

# MCP server for agentic tools
mycop mcp

Semgrep

Semgrep is a well-established open-source static analysis tool originally created by Return.co (formerly r2c). It uses a custom pattern-matching DSL that operates on ASTs, supporting 30+ programming languages. Semgrep has a large community contributing rules and a commercial product (Semgrep Cloud) with advanced features.

Best for: Teams with polyglot codebases (C#, Ruby, PHP, Kotlin, etc.) who need broad language coverage and are willing to invest in custom rule development. Enterprise teams that want taint tracking and supply chain security.

# Install
pip install semgrep
# or
brew install semgrep

# Scan with community rules
semgrep scan --config auto .

# Scan with specific rulesets
semgrep scan --config p/python --config p/javascript .

Snyk

Snyk is a commercial security platform focused on developer-first security. It started as a dependency vulnerability scanner (SCA) and has expanded to include SAST (Snyk Code), container scanning, and infrastructure-as-code scanning. Snyk Code uses AI (acquired DeepCode in 2020) for code analysis.

Best for: Enterprise teams that need comprehensive security coverage across code, dependencies, containers, and infrastructure. Organizations already using Snyk for dependency scanning who want to add SAST.

# Install
npm install -g snyk

# Authenticate (required)
snyk auth

# SAST scan
snyk code test .

# Dependency scan
snyk test .

Head-to-Head: Key Differentiators

AI-Generated Code Detection

This is where mycop has a clear advantage. Its 200 rules are specifically designed for the vulnerability patterns that AI assistants produce: SQL injection via f-strings, eval() on user input, hardcoded secrets, os.system() with string concatenation, dangerouslySetInnerHTML without sanitization, MD5 for password hashing, and similar patterns.

Semgrep and Snyk have broader rule sets, but their rules are designed for general-purpose code security. They will catch many of the same issues, but they are not optimized for the specific patterns AI generates and may have higher false positive rates on AI-written code.

Auto-Fix Capabilities

mycop offers AI-powered auto-fix in the open-source version, supporting 5 AI providers (Claude CLI, Anthropic API, OpenAI API, Ollama, and rule-based fallback). The mycop fix command rewrites vulnerable code, generates a diff for review, and re-scans to verify the fix. You can use the free Ollama option for completely local, private auto-fix.

Semgrep offers Semgrep Assistant for AI-powered triage and fix suggestions, but it requires the paid Cloud tier. The open-source version supports autofix patterns in custom rules, but these are pattern-based rewrites, not AI-generated fixes.

Snyk offers DeepCode AI Fix, which generates fix suggestions using their AI model. It is available in paid tiers and through IDE integrations. For dependency vulnerabilities, Snyk excels with automated PR creation for version bumps.

MCP Integration for Agentic Tools

mycop is the only scanner of the three with a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. Running mycop mcp starts a server that exposes 5 tools (scan, list_rules, explain_finding, review, check_deps) that agentic coding tools can call directly.

This means Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex CLI, and any MCP-compatible client can scan code for vulnerabilities, get explanations, and perform security reviews without leaving the conversation. Neither Semgrep nor Snyk offers this capability as of February 2026.

For teams using agentic AI coding workflows, this is a significant differentiator.

Language Support

This is where mycop is more limited. It supports Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, and Java — five languages. If your codebase includes C#, Ruby, PHP, or other languages, mycop cannot scan them.

Semgrep wins here with 30+ languages, making it the best choice for polyglot codebases. Snyk supports 20+ languages with its SAST engine. Both are significantly more versatile than mycop for multi-language organizations.

That said, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, and Java account for the vast majority of AI-assisted code generation. If those are your primary languages, mycop's coverage is sufficient.

Dependency Scanning

Snyk wins this category decisively. It started as a dependency scanner and has the largest vulnerability database, the best fix advice, and automated PR creation for vulnerable package upgrades. If dependency security is your primary concern, Snyk is the best tool.

Semgrep offers Supply Chain scanning in its paid tier with reachability analysis (determining if a vulnerable function is actually called in your code).

mycop's deps check command provides basic dependency scanning, but it does not compete with Snyk's depth or Semgrep Supply Chain's reachability analysis.

Taint Analysis

Semgrep Pro offers the best taint tracking in this comparison, tracing data flow from sources (user input) to sinks (dangerous functions) across function calls. Snyk Code also performs taint analysis with its semantic engine.

mycop does not currently perform taint tracking. It uses pattern matching (regex + tree-sitter AST queries) on a per-file basis. This means it catches the direct cases (f-string in SQL query) but misses multi-step flows (user input passed through three functions before reaching a query). Taint analysis is on mycop's roadmap.

Pricing

mycop is completely free with no usage limits, no feature gates, and no account required. For small teams and individual developers, this is a significant advantage. For enterprises, the lack of commercial support, SLAs, and compliance certifications may be a concern — but the MIT license means you can use and modify it without restriction.

When to Use Each Tool

The Layered Approach

These tools are not mutually exclusive. Many teams use a combination:

• mycop + Snyk: mycop for AI-generated code vulnerabilities and SAST, Snyk for dependency scanning and container security. This covers the most ground for Python/JS/Go/Java teams at minimal cost (mycop is free, Snyk has a free tier for SCA).
• mycop + Semgrep: mycop for AI-focused scanning with auto-fix and MCP, Semgrep for broad language coverage and custom rules. The two tools use different analysis approaches and complement each other well.
• All three: For enterprise teams with comprehensive security requirements, running all three tools in CI provides defense in depth. Each catches things the others miss.

Honest Assessment: Where mycop Falls Short

I want to be transparent about the areas where mycop does not compete with Semgrep and Snyk.

Language coverage. If your codebase includes C#, Ruby, PHP, or other languages beyond Python/JS/TS/Go/Java, mycop cannot help you. Semgrep is the clear winner for multi-language codebases.

Taint analysis. mycop's pattern matching catches direct vulnerabilities but misses complex data flows. Semgrep Pro's taint tracking and Snyk Code's semantic analysis are genuinely more capable at finding indirect vulnerabilities.

Dependency scanning. mycop's deps check is basic compared to Snyk's industry-leading SCA platform. If dependency security is critical, Snyk is the better tool.

Enterprise features. mycop has no commercial support, no SLAs, no compliance certifications, no RBAC, and no centralized management dashboard. Enterprise teams with regulatory requirements may need the commercial offerings from Semgrep or Snyk.

Community and ecosystem. Semgrep has thousands of community-contributed rules and extensive documentation. Snyk has IDE plugins for every major editor. mycop is a newer project with a smaller ecosystem.

These are real limitations, not future features. mycop is designed to be a fast, focused, zero-config scanner for AI-generated code in Python, JavaScript, Go, and Java — not a comprehensive security platform.

Conclusion

The right tool depends on what you are trying to solve.

If your primary concern is the new wave of vulnerabilities introduced by AI coding assistants in Python, JavaScript, Go, and Java codebases, mycop is built for that exact problem. It installs in 10 seconds, requires no configuration, scans offline, auto-fixes with AI, and integrates with agentic tools via MCP. And it is completely free.

If you need broad language coverage and custom rules, Semgrep is the most versatile option.

If you need dependency scanning, container security, and enterprise compliance, Snyk is the most comprehensive platform.

All three tools produce SARIF output, integrate with GitHub Actions, and can run in CI pipelines. You are not locked into a single choice — and the best security posture often comes from layering multiple tools.

mycop is MIT licensed and open source. This comparison was written in February 2026 and reflects the state of each tool at that time. Pricing and features may change. Visit semgrep.dev and snyk.io for their latest information.