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Head-to-head · Code Duplication Detection Tools

Fallow vs NiCad

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Fallow #4 in Code Duplication Detection Tools 6.9/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Fallow
NiCad #8 in Code Duplication Detection Tools 6.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit NiCad

Fallow leads on 0 checks, NiCad on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreFallow · 6.9/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Fallow
  • Most featuresFallow · 3 of 4

Fallow scores higher on our rubric for code duplication detection tools: 6.9 against 6.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #8.

Fallow is the better fit for small teams enforcing duplication gates in CI. NiCad is the better fit for researchers needing configurable clone analysis.

  • Fallow fits best

    Small teams enforcing duplication gates in CI

  • NiCad fits best

    Researchers needing configurable clone analysis

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Fallow 6.9/10 Visit ↗ NiCad 6.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 6.9 6.5
Ranking #4 in Code Duplication Detection Tools #8 in Code Duplication Detection Tools
Best for Small teams enforcing duplication gates in CI Researchers needing configurable clone analysis
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free
Starting price $20/seat/mo Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial 30 days —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted, Browser extension Self-hosted
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Fallow 3/4 · NiCad 1/4
Near-duplicate detection ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Duplication gates ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Trend visualisation Not checked yet Not checked yet
Open-source option ✓ ✓
Specs
Supported languages 2 Not checked yet
CI/PR reporting Pull_request Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Free MIT scan runs in the terminal, CI, VS Code, and coding agents
  • Baseline and changed-since analysis can focus CI checks on new duplication
  • Multiple detection modes, near-miss analysis, and CI output formats
  • Finds exact and near-miss clones with configurable similarity thresholds
  • Supports normalization, renaming, filtering, and abstraction
  • Reports clone pairs and classes in XML or browsable HTML
Cons
  • Analysis is limited to TypeScript and JavaScript projects
  • Near-miss detection is limited to function-scoped clones with small structural edits
  • Production function-call data requires the separate paid Runtime service
  • Command-line and self-hosted use may require technical setup
  • Language availability varies by version and distribution
  • No verified integrations are specified
Our verdict

Fallow is a codebase analysis tool for TypeScript and JavaScript projects, suited to developers and teams who want duplication checks in their everyday workflow or CI. Its free MIT scan detects duplicated code alongside dead code,…

Read the review →

NiCad is a free, open-source command-line tool for detecting exact and near-miss code clones in software systems. It is aimed at researchers and developers who want to configure how source fragments are extracted, normalized, and compared,…

Read the review →
  1. FallowCode Duplication Detection Tools 6.9Free plan · 30-day trial
  2. NiCadCode Duplication Detection Tools 6.5Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Fallow — where it wins

    • Free MIT scan runs in the terminal, CI, VS Code, and coding agents
    • Baseline and changed-since analysis can focus CI checks on new duplication
    • Multiple detection modes, near-miss analysis, and CI output formats

    Where it doesn't

    • Analysis is limited to TypeScript and JavaScript projects
    • Near-miss detection is limited to function-scoped clones with small structural edits
    • Production function-call data requires the separate paid Runtime service

  • NiCad — where it wins

    • Finds exact and near-miss clones with configurable similarity thresholds
    • Supports normalization, renaming, filtering, and abstraction
    • Reports clone pairs and classes in XML or browsable HTML

    Where it doesn't

    • Command-line and self-hosted use may require technical setup
    • Language availability varies by version and distribution
    • No verified integrations are specified
  • Fallow6.9/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

    A free TypeScript and JavaScript duplication scanner with CI gates and optional paid runtime insights.

    Visit FallowFull verdict →
  • NiCad6.5/10 · Free plan

    A configurable command-line tool for finding exact and near-miss code clones.

    Visit NiCadFull verdict →

More comparisons

All code duplication detection tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update