Beyond Traditional Rule-Based Detection
Semgrep focuses on rule-based pattern detection. Precogs goes further with contextual analysis, reduced false positives, and actionable remediation across code, secrets, and compliance risks.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
See exactly where traditional DevSecOps tools stop and where Precogs continues protecting your full stack.
| Capability | Precogs AI | Semgrep |
|---|---|---|
| AI & Automation | ||
| Agentic AI Workflow | Autonomous detect → triage → fix → PR → integrate | Semgrep Assistant helps triage, manual fix |
| AI-Generated Fix in PRs | Full code fix delivered as PR | Semgrep Assistant (AI triage + limited autofix) |
| Zero-Day Detection | AI detects novel vulnerability patterns | Only finds what rules define |
| Code Security | ||
| Code Security (SAST) | AI-native multi-model ensemble | Pattern-matching with Pro rules |
| Custom Rules | Pre-built rules, less customizable | Excellent - write your own rules in Semgrep syntax |
| CWE Mapping | Full CWE mapping with severity + exploitability | CWE mapping (limited compliance context) |
| Binary Security | ||
| Binary / Firmware Analysis | Full binary SAST | Not available |
| Data Protection | ||
| PII Detection | 99.2% precision (30+ PII types) | Not available |
| Secrets Detection | Multi-layer (regex + ML NER + Shannon entropy) | Semgrep Secrets |
| Pre-LLM Sanitization | Strips PII/secrets/IP before AI analysis | Not available |
| Infrastructure & Containers | ||
| Software Composition Analysis (SCA) | Full SCA + SBOM | Semgrep Supply Chain |
| Infrastructure as Code (IaC) | Terraform, Kubernetes, CloudFormation | Via custom rules (no dedicated IaC module) |
| Container Scanning | Container image analysis | Not available |
| Integrations & Compliance | ||
| IDE Integration | VS Code, JetBrains | VS Code, IntelliJ, LSP support |
| CI/CD Integration | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket |
| Compliance Reporting | OWASP, CWE, SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 21434, UN R155 | OWASP, CWE (limited compliance dashboards) |
| Open Source | Proprietary | Open-source core (OSS engine) |
| Language Support | 35+ languages | 30+ languages |
| Deployment | Cloud + on-premise | Cloud + self-hosted (OSS engine) |
Key Differentiators: Precogs AI vs Semgrep
See how Precogs’ AI-native, full-stack security delivers deeper coverage, less noise, and faster remediation than traditional tools.
Agentic AI - Find, Fix, Ship
Semgrep finds issues with precision - but fixing is manual. Precogs runs an agentic AI workflow: it autonomously detects, triages by real-world exploitability, generates the actual code fix, and delivers it as a pull request. No researching remediation, no writing patches, no security backlog. Your developers review and merge - that’s it.
PII, Secrets & Pre-LLM Sanitization
Semgrep has secrets detection but no PII scanning at all. Precogs includes advanced PII detection (99.2% precision across 30+ data types - credit cards, SSNs, NHS numbers, IBANs, passport numbers), multi-layer secrets scanning, AND Pre-LLM Sanitization - which strips all sensitive data from your code before it reaches any AI model. Your customer data and IP never leave your environment.
AI Intelligence vs Pattern Matching - Zero-Day Detection
Semgrep is the best pattern-matching SAST tool on the market. But pattern matching only finds vulnerabilities that match pre-defined rules. If a rule hasn’t been written for a specific vulnerability, Semgrep won’t catch it. Precogs’s multi-model AI ensemble understands code context and can detect novel vulnerability patterns - including zero-days - that no rule has been written for. This is the fundamental difference between rules and intelligence.
Answers to Our Most Frequently Asked Questions
Have more questions about switching from Semgrep to Precogs? Our faq can help you evaluate and migrate quickly.
Is Precogs AI better than Semgrep?
It depends on your needs. Precogs excels at AI-powered detection with minimal false positives, autonomous agentic fixes, PII detection, Pre-LLM Sanitization, and full-stack coverage. Semgrep excels at customisable pattern matching and has a strong open-source community. For teams wanting broad automated security with less manual rule maintenance, Precogs is the better fit.