Spoon vs OpenRewrite

Spoon8.1Visit OOpenRewrite7.9Visit

Higher score Spoon #6 in Code Refactoring Tools 8.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Spoon

vs

O OpenRewrite #8 in Code Refactoring Tools 7.9/10 Open source ✓ 2 of 3 features Visit OpenRewrite

• Spoon fits best

  Java AST and source-transformation developers

• OpenRewrite fits best

  Java ecosystem migrations and security fixes

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Side by side

Feature	Spoon 8.1/10 Visit ↗	OOpenRewrite 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.1	7.9
Ranking	#6 in Code Refactoring Tools	#8 in Code Refactoring Tools
Best for	Java AST and source-transformation developers	Java ecosystem migrations and security fixes
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Open source
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Spoon 2/3 · OpenRewrite 2/3
Batch refactoring	✓	✓
AI assistance	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
AST-based analysis	✓	✓
Specs
Supported languages	Java	Java, Kotlin, Groovy
Refactoring scope	Repository	Repository
Deployment	Desktop	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Builds and manipulates Java ASTs for programmable analysis and transformation Supports Maven multi-module analysis and JAR decompilation for bytecode analysis Pretty-prints transformed Java source files to an output directory	Free open-source recipes for migrations, updates, and security fixes Maven and Gradle plugins support local execution Custom YAML recipes, composition, and multi-cycle execution
Cons	Focused on Java rather than multiple programming languages Requires Java development knowledge and processor-based workflows Integration scope centers on Java and Maven project analysis	Verified language coverage centers on Java, Kotlin, and Groovy Primarily operates through local or build-tool workflows Cross-repository orchestration belongs to the separate Moderne platform
Our verdict	Spoon is an open-source Java library and command-line tool for developers and researchers who need programmable source-code analysis, code generation, instrumentation, refactoring, or transpilation workflows. It builds and manipulates Java… Read the review →	OpenRewrite is an open-source ecosystem for automated source-code refactoring across repositories. It is aimed at development teams working on Java, Kotlin, and Groovy codebases that need framework migrations, dependency updates, security… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Spoon — where it wins

  • Builds and manipulates Java ASTs for programmable analysis and transformation
  • Supports Maven multi-module analysis and JAR decompilation for bytecode analysis
  • Pretty-prints transformed Java source files to an output directory

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on Java rather than multiple programming languages
  • Requires Java development knowledge and processor-based workflows
  • Integration scope centers on Java and Maven project analysis

• OpenRewrite — where it wins

  • Free open-source recipes for migrations, updates, and security fixes
  • Maven and Gradle plugins support local execution
  • Custom YAML recipes, composition, and multi-cycle execution

  Where it doesn't

  • Verified language coverage centers on Java, Kotlin, and Groovy
  • Primarily operates through local or build-tool workflows
  • Cross-repository orchestration belongs to the separate Moderne platform

• Spoon8.1/10 · Free plan

  A programmable Java toolkit for AST analysis, refactoring, instrumentation, and source transformation.

  Visit SpoonFull verdict →
• OOpenRewrite7.9/10 · Open source

  A focused open-source toolkit for Java ecosystem migrations and security fixes.

  Visit OpenRewriteFull verdict →