PMD vs JPlag

PPMD8.5Visit JPlag6.7Visit

Higher score P PMD #2 in Code Duplication Detection Tools 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit PMD

vs

JPlag #6 in Code Duplication Detection Tools 6.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit JPlag

• PMD fits best

  Teams wanting static analysis with CPD

• JPlag fits best

  Academic or multi-language similarity analysis

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Side by side

Feature	PPMD 8.5/10 Visit ↗	JPlag 6.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.5	6.7
Ranking	#2 in Code Duplication Detection Tools	#6 in Code Duplication Detection Tools
Best for	Teams wanting static analysis with CPD	Academic or multi-language similarity analysis
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Desktop	Self-hosted
Platforms	Windows, Linux, macOS	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Docs	Community
Integrations	10 integrations	1 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features PMD 1/4 · JPlag 2/4
Near-duplicate detection	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Duplication gates	Not checked yet	—
Trend visualisation	Not checked yet	—
Open-source option	✓	✓
Specs
Supported languages	Not checked yet	20
CI/PR reporting	Not checked yet	None
Our review
Pros	Supports 16 languages with more than 400 built-in rules Includes CPD for detecting copied and pasted code Integrates with build tools, CI workflows, and IDEs	Syntax-aware matching across 20 supported languages Handles some obfuscation and code modifications Free, open source, with CLI and Java API access
Cons	Deployment is self-hosted or desktop rather than a hosted service Support channels are centered on documentation Does not include AI features	Focused on pairwise analysis rather than duplication gates No CI pull-request reporting or trend visualisation Self-hosted setup relies on community support
Our verdict	PMD is an open-source static code analyzer for teams that want to identify programming flaws, enforce coding standards, and detect duplicated code. It primarily targets Java and Apex while supporting 16 PMD languages overall. Its CPD… Read the review →	JPlag is a free, open-source tool that compares programs pairwise to identify source-code similarity. It is primarily suited to programming education, where instructors review student submissions, and it can also help examine duplicated… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• PMD — where it wins

  • Supports 16 languages with more than 400 built-in rules
  • Includes CPD for detecting copied and pasted code
  • Integrates with build tools, CI workflows, and IDEs

  Where it doesn't

  • Deployment is self-hosted or desktop rather than a hosted service
  • Support channels are centered on documentation
  • Does not include AI features

• JPlag — where it wins

  • Syntax-aware matching across 20 supported languages
  • Handles some obfuscation and code modifications
  • Free, open source, with CLI and Java API access

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on pairwise analysis rather than duplication gates
  • No CI pull-request reporting or trend visualisation
  • Self-hosted setup relies on community support

• PPMD8.5/10 · Free plan

  PMD combines configurable static analysis with CPD copy-paste detection across development workflows.

  Visit PMDFull verdict →
• JPlag6.7/10 · Free plan

  A free, syntax-aware tool for pairwise program-similarity analysis across 20 languages.

  Visit JPlagFull verdict →