ESLint vs PMD

ESLint9.4Visit PPMD8.3Visit

Higher score ESLint #1 in Linters 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit ESLint

vs

P PMD #9 in Linters 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit PMD

• ESLint fits best

  JavaScript projects needing an extensible standard

• PMD fits best

  Multilanguage static-analysis programs

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Side by side

Feature	ESLint 9.4/10 Visit ↗	PPMD 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.3
Ranking	#1 in Linters	#9 in Linters
Best for	JavaScript projects needing an extensible standard	Multilanguage static-analysis programs
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted, Desktop
Support	Community, Docs	Docs
Integrations	12 integrations	10 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ESLint 4/4 · PMD 3/4
Autofix	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Custom rules	✓	✓
Security rules	✓	✓
CI support	✓	✓
Specs
Languages supported	1	16 (best)
IDE support	Ide	Ide
Our review
Pros	Free, open-source static analysis with automatic fixing Custom rules, plugins, parsers, and configurations Integrates with editors, build tools, CI, and Node.js	400+ built-in rules across 16 supported languages Custom Java and XPath rules plus CPD duplicate-code detection Integrates with major build tools, IDEs, and CI workflows
Cons	Primary language scope is JavaScript and JSX Additional languages depend on plugins Autofix applies only to supported issues	Autofix is not part of the stated core capabilities Its breadth may require managing rules across multiple languages Platform coverage is listed as Windows, Linux, and self-hosted
Our verdict	ESLint is an open-source static-analysis tool for identifying and fixing problems in JavaScript code. It analyzes code without executing it, reports rule violations, and can automatically fix many supported issues through the --fix… Read the review →	PMD is an open-source, extensible static code analyzer for developers and development teams working across multiple programming languages. Its published capabilities cover 16 languages and include checks for common programming flaws such… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• ESLint — where it wins

  • Free, open-source static analysis with automatic fixing
  • Custom rules, plugins, parsers, and configurations
  • Integrates with editors, build tools, CI, and Node.js

  Where it doesn't

  • Primary language scope is JavaScript and JSX
  • Additional languages depend on plugins
  • Autofix applies only to supported issues

• PMD — where it wins

  • 400+ built-in rules across 16 supported languages
  • Custom Java and XPath rules plus CPD duplicate-code detection
  • Integrates with major build tools, IDEs, and CI workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • Autofix is not part of the stated core capabilities
  • Its breadth may require managing rules across multiple languages
  • Platform coverage is listed as Windows, Linux, and self-hosted

• ESLint9.4/10 · Free plan

  A free, extensible JavaScript linter with autofix, plugins, and broad developer-tool integrations.

  Visit ESLintFull verdict →
• PPMD8.3/10 · Free plan

  A broad, open-source linter for teams managing static analysis across 16 languages.

  Visit PMDFull verdict →