PMD vs NDepend

PPMD7.4Visit NDepend6.9Visit

Higher score P PMD #4 in Code Complexity Analyzers 7.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit PMD

vs

NDepend #5 in Code Complexity Analyzers 6.9/10 14-day trial ✓ 0 of 4 features Visit NDepend

• PMD fits best

  Teams wanting free, extensible static analysis

• NDepend fits best

  .NET teams needing metrics and quality gates

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Side by side

Feature	PPMD 7.4/10 Visit ↗	NDepend 6.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.4	6.9
Ranking	#4 in Code Complexity Analyzers	#5 in Code Complexity Analyzers
Best for	Teams wanting free, extensible static analysis	.NET teams needing metrics and quality gates
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Desktop	Desktop, Cloud
Platforms	Windows, Linux, macOS	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Docs	Email, Docs
Integrations	10 integrations	10 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features PMD 0/4 · NDepend 0/4
Hotspot detection	Not published	Not published
IDE feedback	Not published	Not published
Pull-request gates	Not published	Not published
Trend history	Not published	Not published
Specs
Complexity metrics	Not published	Not published
Supported languages	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	400+ built-in rules across 16 supported languages Custom Java or XPath rules with configurable rulesets Build, CI, IDE, command-line, and copy-paste detection support	Measures complexity, coupling, nesting depth, and lines of code Custom CQLinq rules and quality gates can fail builds Tracks trends and debt estimates, with CI and IDE integrations
Cons	Primarily targets Java and Apex despite multilanguage support Support is provided through documentation channels No AI-assisted analysis features	Supports .NET languages rather than a broad range of languages Developer edition is Windows-only Paid product; no free plan
Our verdict	PMD is an open-source static code analyzer for teams that want to identify programming flaws, enforce coding standards, and inspect code for security-focused issues. It supports 16 languages, with built-in rules covering best practices,… Read the review →	NDepend analyzes .NET applications and assemblies for developers, architects, and engineering teams that need to understand code complexity and dependencies. It reports metrics such as lines of code, coupling, and nesting depth; maps… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• PMD — where it wins

  • 400+ built-in rules across 16 supported languages
  • Custom Java or XPath rules with configurable rulesets
  • Build, CI, IDE, command-line, and copy-paste detection support

  Where it doesn't

  • Primarily targets Java and Apex despite multilanguage support
  • Support is provided through documentation channels
  • No AI-assisted analysis features

• NDepend — where it wins

  • Measures complexity, coupling, nesting depth, and lines of code
  • Custom CQLinq rules and quality gates can fail builds
  • Tracks trends and debt estimates, with CI and IDE integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Supports .NET languages rather than a broad range of languages
  • Developer edition is Windows-only
  • Paid product; no free plan

• PPMD7.4/10 · Free plan

  Free, extensible analysis with 400+ rules, custom checks, IDEs, CI, and CPD.

  Visit PMDFull verdict →
• NDepend6.9/10 · 14-day trial

  A .NET-focused analyzer that pairs code metrics with customizable rules and build gates.

  Visit NDependFull verdict →