Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience real numbers from our own analytics — open to see them
–Visitors
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · counted by iTechGuides's own first-party analytics, bots removed, every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Code Formatting Tools

Ruff vs Scalafmt

  • Updated Sep 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Ruff #7 in Code Formatting Tools 6.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Ruff
Scalafmt #8 in Code Formatting Tools 6.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Scalafmt

Ruff leads on 0 checks, Scalafmt on 4, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreRuff · 6.8/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresScalafmt · 4 of 4

Ruff scores higher on our rubric for code formatting tools: 6.8 against 6.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #7 and #8.

Scalafmt offers editor integration; Ruff doesn't publish it. Scalafmt offers ignore files; Ruff doesn't publish it. Scalafmt offers changed-lines formatting; Ruff doesn't publish it. Scalafmt offers library api; Ruff doesn't publish it.

Ruff is the better fit for python teams needing lint plus format. Scalafmt is the better fit for scala projects using build tools.

  • Ruff fits best

    Python teams needing lint plus format

  • Scalafmt fits best

    Scala projects using build tools

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. It never changes our verdict. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Ruff 6.8/10 Visit ↗ Scalafmt 6.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 6.8 6.6
Ranking #7 in Code Formatting Tools #8 in Code Formatting Tools
Best for Python teams needing lint plus format Scala projects using build tools
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Not published Not published
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted, Desktop
Support Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 10 integrations 12 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Ruff 0/4 · Scalafmt 4/4
Editor integration Not published ✓ (best)
Ignore files Not published ✓ (best)
Changed-lines formatting Not published ✓ (best)
Library API Not published ✓ (best)
Specs
Supported languages Not published Scala 2, Scala 3, sbt, Scala scripts
Supported platforms Not published CLI, editors, build tools, standalone library
License model Not published Open_source
Our review
Pros
  • More than 900 built-in lint rules with automatic fixes
  • Built-in formatting for Python files and Jupyter Notebooks
  • Integrates with major editors, CI systems, pre-commit, and Docker
  • Supports Scala 2 and Scala 3 dialects
  • Integrates with sbt, Maven, Gradle, and Mill
  • Offers editor, changed-file, and library API options
Cons
  • Supports one programming language: Python
  • Custom lint rules and third-party plugins are not supported
  • No AI features for teams seeking AI-assisted development
  • Focused on Scala, sbt, and Scala scripts rather than many languages
  • Configuration is managed through a .scalafmt.conf file
  • Not a hosted commercial service with paid support tiers
Our verdict

Ruff is an open-source Python linter and code formatter from Astral. It is designed for developers and teams that want lint checks, supported automatic fixes, formatting, and editor or CI integration in one focused tool. The ruff check…

Read the review →

Scalafmt is an open-source code formatter for Scala projects, including Scala 2, Scala 3, sbt, and Scala script files. It reformats code according to settings in a .scalafmt.conf file and can run through the command line, editors, build…

Read the review →
  1. RuffCode Formatting Tools 6.8Free plan
  2. ScalafmtCode Formatting Tools 6.6Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Ruff — where it wins

    • More than 900 built-in lint rules with automatic fixes
    • Built-in formatting for Python files and Jupyter Notebooks
    • Integrates with major editors, CI systems, pre-commit, and Docker

    Where it doesn't

    • Supports one programming language: Python
    • Custom lint rules and third-party plugins are not supported
    • No AI features for teams seeking AI-assisted development

  • Scalafmt — where it wins

    • Supports Scala 2 and Scala 3 dialects
    • Integrates with sbt, Maven, Gradle, and Mill
    • Offers editor, changed-file, and library API options

    Where it doesn't

    • Focused on Scala, sbt, and Scala scripts rather than many languages
    • Configuration is managed through a .scalafmt.conf file
    • Not a hosted commercial service with paid support tiers

More comparisons

All code formatting tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026

Last updated · How we research and update