Ruff vs clang-tidy

Ruff9.2Visit CTclang-tidy8.7Visit

Higher score Ruff #2 in Linters 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Ruff

vs

CT clang-tidy #5 in Linters 8.7/10 Open source ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit LLVM Project

• Ruff fits best

  Python teams wanting linting and formatting together

• clang-tidy fits best

  C++ teams needing bug and style analysis

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Side by side

Feature	Ruff 9.2/10 Visit ↗	CTclang-tidy 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.7
Ranking	#2 in Linters	#5 in Linters
Best for	Python teams wanting linting and formatting together	C++ teams needing bug and style analysis
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Open source
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Support	Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	10 integrations	8 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Ruff 3/4 · clang-tidy 4/4
Autofix	✓	✓
Custom rules	—	✓ (best)
Security rules	✓	✓
CI support	✓	✓
Specs
Languages supported	1	3 (best)
IDE support	Ide	Ide
Our review
Pros	More than 900 built-in lint rules Automatic fixes and built-in Python formatting Editor, notebook, CI, pre-commit, and Docker integrations	Covers style, interface misuse, bugs, performance, portability, and maintainability. Supports autofix, custom query checks, CUDA analysis, and changed-line workflows. Integrates with clangd, CLion, Visual Studio, Qt Creator, and other IDEs.
Cons	Focused on Python rather than multiple languages Custom lint rules are not supported Third-party plugins are not supported	Its main focus is C++ and Clang-based code analysis. Autofix applies only to checks with supported fixes. Configuration spans command-line globs, .clang-tidy files, and compilation databases.
Our verdict	Ruff is an open-source Python linter and code formatter for developers and teams. It checks Python files with the ruff check command, automatically fixes supported violations, and formats Python code. Its focus suits Python projects that… Read the review →	clang-tidy is an open-source, Clang-based linter for C++ teams that want more than basic style checking. It diagnoses style violations, interface misuse, statically detectable bugs, performance issues, portability problems, and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Ruff — where it wins

  • More than 900 built-in lint rules
  • Automatic fixes and built-in Python formatting
  • Editor, notebook, CI, pre-commit, and Docker integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on Python rather than multiple languages
  • Custom lint rules are not supported
  • Third-party plugins are not supported

• clang-tidy — where it wins

  • Covers style, interface misuse, bugs, performance, portability, and maintainability.
  • Supports autofix, custom query checks, CUDA analysis, and changed-line workflows.
  • Integrates with clangd, CLion, Visual Studio, Qt Creator, and other IDEs.

  Where it doesn't

  • Its main focus is C++ and Clang-based code analysis.
  • Autofix applies only to checks with supported fixes.
  • Configuration spans command-line globs, .clang-tidy files, and compilation databases.

• Ruff9.2/10 · Free plan

  Free Python linting and formatting with more than 900 built-in rules.

  Visit RuffFull verdict →
• CTclang-tidy8.7/10 · Open source

  A deep C++ linter for style, bugs, custom checks, CUDA, and IDE workflows.

  Visit LLVM ProjectFull verdict →