ast-grep vs Spoon

ast-grep8.7Visit Spoon8.1Visit

Higher score ast-grep #2 in Code Refactoring Tools 8.7/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 3 features Visit ast-grep

vs

Spoon #6 in Code Refactoring Tools 8.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Spoon

• ast-grep fits best

  Developers needing free structural refactoring

• Spoon fits best

  Java AST and source-transformation developers

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Side by side

Feature	ast-grep 8.7/10 Visit ↗	Spoon 8.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.7	8.1
Ranking	#2 in Code Refactoring Tools	#6 in Code Refactoring Tools
Best for	Developers needing free structural refactoring	Java AST and source-transformation developers
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Open source	Free plan
Free plan	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Desktop, Self-hosted
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ast-grep 0/3 · Spoon 2/3
Batch refactoring	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
AI assistance	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
AST-based analysis	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Supported languages	Not checked yet	Java
Refactoring scope	Not checked yet	Repository
Deployment	Not checked yet	Desktop
Our review
Pros	AST-based search and rewriting support large-scale codemods Custom YAML lint rules and language-server fixes Works across Windows, macOS, and Linux	Builds and manipulates Java ASTs for programmable analysis and transformation Supports Maven multi-module analysis and JAR decompilation for bytecode analysis Pretty-prints transformed Java source files to an output directory
Cons	Local installation requires teams to manage their own deployment AST pattern matching differs from plain-text search workflows Editor integrations focus on VS Code, Neovim, and Emacs	Focused on Java rather than multiple programming languages Requires Java development knowledge and processor-based workflows Integration scope centers on Java and Maven project analysis
Our verdict	ast-grep is an open-source command-line tool for developers who need structural code search, linting, rewriting, and refactoring. Instead of matching only plain text, it works with abstract syntax tree patterns, making it suitable for… Read the review →	Spoon is an open-source Java library and command-line tool for developers and researchers who need programmable source-code analysis, code generation, instrumentation, refactoring, or transpilation workflows. It builds and manipulates Java… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• ast-grep — where it wins

  • AST-based search and rewriting support large-scale codemods
  • Custom YAML lint rules and language-server fixes
  • Works across Windows, macOS, and Linux

  Where it doesn't

  • Local installation requires teams to manage their own deployment
  • AST pattern matching differs from plain-text search workflows
  • Editor integrations focus on VS Code, Neovim, and Emacs

• Spoon — where it wins

  • Builds and manipulates Java ASTs for programmable analysis and transformation
  • Supports Maven multi-module analysis and JAR decompilation for bytecode analysis
  • Pretty-prints transformed Java source files to an output directory

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on Java rather than multiple programming languages
  • Requires Java development knowledge and processor-based workflows
  • Integration scope centers on Java and Maven project analysis

• ast-grep8.7/10 · Open source

  A free, open-source choice for structural searches, codemods, and custom linting.

  Visit ast-grepFull verdict →
• Spoon8.1/10 · Free plan

  A programmable Java toolkit for AST analysis, refactoring, instrumentation, and source transformation.

  Visit SpoonFull verdict →