Best Reek Alternatives in 2026
15 linters our editors would look at instead of Reek, in our ranking order.
Reek: A focused, configurable Ruby linter for finding and reporting code smells. Where it falls short: supports ruby rather than multiple programming languages.
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ESLint not yet scored
Best forJavaScript projects needing an extensible standard
A free, extensible JavaScript linter with autofix, plugins, and broad developer-tool integrations.
- Security rules
- Autofix
- Custom rules
—not yet scoredVisit ESLint -
Ruff not yet scored
Best forPython teams wanting linting and formatting together
Free Python linting and formatting with more than 900 built-in rules.
- Security rules
- Autofix
—not yet scoredVisit Ruff -
ShellCheck not yet scored
Best forShell-script quality and portability checks
A free, open-source linter for shell syntax, portability, robustness and security checks.
- Autofix
—not yet scoredVisit ShellCheck -
Stylelint not yet scored
Best forCSS and CSS-like language teams
A capable, extensible CSS linter for teams that want configurable rules and CI support.
- Autofix
- Custom rules
—not yet scoredVisit Stylelint -
clang-tidy not yet scored
Best forC++ teams needing bug and style analysis
A deep C++ linter for style, bugs, custom checks, CUDA, and IDE workflows.
- Security rules
- Autofix
- Custom rules
—not yet scoredVisit LLVM Project -
Clippy not yet scored
Best forRust developers seeking extensive lint coverage
A deeply configurable Rust linter with more than 800 checks and CI support.
- Security rules
- Autofix
—not yet scoredVisit Clippy -
Credo not yet scored
Best forElixir teams checking style and complexity
A focused, free Elixir linter for style, complexity, refactoring, and custom checks.
- Security rules
- Custom rules
—not yet scoredVisit Credo -
Biome not yet scored
Best forTeams linting and formatting web code
An open-source web toolchain combining linting, formatting, fixes, and editor support.
- Security rules
- Autofix
- Custom rules
—not yet scoredVisit Biome -
PMD not yet scored
Best forMultilanguage static-analysis programs
A broad, open-source linter for teams managing static analysis across 16 languages.
- Security rules
- Custom rules
—not yet scoredVisit PMD -
Astral not yet scored
Best forPython teams seeking linting, fixes, and formatting
An open-source Python linter and formatter with fixes, editor support, and CI integration.
- Security rules
- Autofix
—not yet scoredVisit Astral -
markdownlint not yet scored
Best forMarkdown documentation teams
A focused, configurable Markdown linter for documentation workflows.
- Autofix
- Custom rules
—not yet scoredVisit markdownlint -
SwiftLint not yet scored
Best forSwift teams using Xcode
A focused, free Swift linter with configurable rules, autofix, and CI integrations.
- Autofix
- Custom rules
—not yet scoredVisit SwiftLint -
Checkstyle not yet scored
Best forJava teams enforcing configurable standards
A focused, open-source Java linter with deep checks and flexible custom rules.
- Custom rules
—not yet scoredVisit Checkstyle -
Staticcheck not yet scored
Best forGo teams prioritizing correctness checks
A focused, free Go linter with broad checks, editor fixes, and CI support.
- Autofix
—not yet scoredVisit Staticcheck -
golangci-lint not yet scored
Best forGo teams wanting many linters in one tool
A focused open-source tool for running and managing many Go linters.
- Security rules
- Autofix
- Custom rules
—not yet scoredVisit golangci-lint
Reek Alternatives: Common Questions
Is there a free alternative to Reek?
Yes. ESLint, Ruff, ShellCheck, Stylelint and clang-tidy have a free plan or a free tier (15 of the 15 alternatives on this page).
Reek vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Languages supported | Autofix | Custom rules | Security rules | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| not scored | Reek | — | None | 1 | No | — | — | — |
| not scored | ESLint | Yes | None | 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| not scored | Ruff | Yes | None | 1 | Yes | No | Yes | — |
| not scored | ShellCheck | Yes | None | 4 | Yes | — | — | — |
| not scored | Stylelint | Yes | None | 8 | Yes | Yes | No | — |
| not scored | clang-tidy | — | None | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| not scored | Clippy | — | None | 1 | Yes | No | Yes | — |
| not scored | Credo | Yes | None | 1 | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| not scored | Biome | Yes | None | 17 | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| not scored | PMD | Yes | None | 16 | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| not scored | Astral | Yes | None | 1 | Yes | No | Yes | — |
| not scored | markdownlint | Yes | None | 1 | Yes | Yes | — | — |
| not scored | SwiftLint | — | None | 1 | Yes | Yes | No | — |
| not scored | Checkstyle | Yes | None | 1 | — | Yes | — | — |
| not scored | Staticcheck | Yes | None | 1 | Yes | — | — | — |
| not scored | golangci-lint | Yes | None | 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026