PMD vs Simian Similarity Analyzer

PPMD8.5Visit Simian Similarity Analyzer6.6Visit

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

vs

Simian Similarity Analyzer #7 in Code Duplication Detection Tools 6.6/10 Open source Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Simian

• PMD fits best

  Teams wanting static analysis with CPD

• Simian Similarity Analyzer fits best

  Broad-language duplicate checks in build pipelines

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Side by side

Feature	PPMD 8.5/10 Visit ↗	Simian Similarity Analyzer 6.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.5	6.6
Ranking	#2 in Code Duplication Detection Tools	#7 in Code Duplication Detection Tools
Best for	Teams wanting static analysis with CPD	Broad-language duplicate checks in build pipelines
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Open source
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Desktop	Self-hosted
Platforms	Windows, Linux, macOS	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Integrations	10 integrations	1 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features PMD 1/4 · Simian Similarity Analyzer 3/4
Near-duplicate detection	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Duplication gates	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Trend visualisation	Not checked yet	—
Open-source option	✓	✓
Specs
Supported languages	Not checked yet	19
CI/PR reporting	Not checked yet	Ci
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	Supports 19 languages and near-duplicate matching Configurable thresholds plus include and exclude file filters Gradle and build-pipeline integration with duplication failure gates
Cons	Deployment is self-hosted or desktop rather than a hosted service Support channels are centered on documentation Does not include AI features	Command-line workflow may not suit teams seeking a visual interface No trend visualisation is provided Self-hosted deployment requires teams to manage the runtime
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 →	Simian Similarity Analyzer is an open-source, language-agnostic command-line tool for finding duplicated blocks in source code and other human-readable files. It is aimed at teams that need duplicate checks across large codebases, from… 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

• Simian Similarity Analyzer — where it wins

  • Supports 19 languages and near-duplicate matching
  • Configurable thresholds plus include and exclude file filters
  • Gradle and build-pipeline integration with duplication failure gates

  Where it doesn't

  • Command-line workflow may not suit teams seeking a visual interface
  • No trend visualisation is provided
  • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to manage the runtime

• PPMD8.5/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit PMDFull verdict →
• Simian Similarity Analyzer6.6/10 · Open source

  A configurable, language-agnostic duplicate checker for build pipelines.

  Visit SimianFull verdict →