22 Best SCA Tools (2026)

What is SCA?

This one is more about what your machine is made of. Software Composition Analysis (SCA) tools do not need to analyse all of your source code.

Some SCA tools can work with just manifest files (package.json, pom.xml, requirements.txt).

They detect all the open-source libraries and dependencies used in your application and check if there is a known vulnerability for that version.

SCA tools are fast and can save you considerable trouble.

Some offer auto-remediation, automatically opening pull requests to bump a vulnerable dependency to a patched version.

That alone can save hours of manual work.

One thing that catches people off guard: “open source” does not always mean “free to use in commercial applications.” Many open-source licenses have restrictions that can create legal problems.

SCA tools check for license compliance so you do not end up in that situation.

The trade-off is noise.

SCA tools may report hundreds of issues, but not all vulnerabilities are actually reachable from your code.

You might use an open-source library for a single function, and the library might have dependencies that never execute in your application at runtime.

Newer tools with reachability analysis (Endor Labs, Contrast SCA, Qwiet AI) address this problem by showing you which vulnerabilities actually matter.

How SCA Works

SCA tools follow a straightforward pipeline.

They identify what open-source components you are using, check those components against vulnerability databases, and report what they find.

Some tools go further with reachability and license analysis.

Quick Comparison

All 17 active SCA tools side by side, grouped by license type.

BlueBracket (acquired by Endor Labs in 2023) is listed separately at the bottom.

SCA vs SAST

SCA and SAST are often confused because both scan code before deployment.

But they look at completely different things.

In practice, you want both.

SCA tells you your dependencies have problems.

SAST tells you your code has problems.

Together they cover the full picture of what goes into production.

Supply Chain Security in 2026

The SCA market has shifted in the last two years.

Traditional SCA tools check your dependencies against databases of known vulnerabilities (CVEs).

That works fine for vulnerabilities that have already been reported.

But supply chain attacks are different.

In a supply chain attack, an attacker compromises a legitimate package (or publishes a malicious one that looks legitimate).

There is no CVE for it because it has not been reported yet.

Traditional SCA tools miss these entirely.

Socket takes a different approach.

Instead of looking up CVEs, it analyzes what packages actually do: network calls, filesystem access, obfuscated code, install scripts.

If a package suddenly starts making HTTP requests to an unknown server, Socket flags it, even if there is no CVE.

Checkmarx SCA has a similar concept with its behavioral analysis feature, which evaluates package provider credibility and update cadence alongside vulnerability data.

The numbers make the case.

Sonatype reported a 245% year-over-year increase in supply chain attacks against open-source repositories in their 2024 State of the Software Supply Chain report.

That is not a trend that is slowing down.

SCA in Your CI/CD Pipeline

Most SCA tools are designed to run inside your development workflow.

Here is how teams typically set them up:

1. Pre-commit / IDE scanning — Run SCA checks in the developer’s IDE so they see vulnerable dependencies before committing. Snyk and JFrog Xray have strong IDE plugins for this.
2. Pull request checks — Run SCA on every PR. If a new dependency or version bump introduces a known vulnerability, the PR gets flagged. Most tools post findings directly as PR comments.
3. Policy gates — Block merges when critical vulnerabilities or license violations are detected. Define policies per severity level: block on critical/high, warn on medium, ignore low.
4. Auto-remediation — Let the tool open PRs to bump vulnerable dependencies automatically. Snyk and Mend do this well. Review the auto-fix before merging since version bumps can introduce breaking changes.
5. SBOM generation — Generate an SBOM as part of your release pipeline. This is useful for compliance and for responding quickly when a new vulnerability is disclosed (you can immediately check if you are affected).

How to Choose an SCA Tool

Here is what I would look at when picking an SCA tool:

1. Package manager support — Does it cover the ecosystems you use? npm, Maven, PyPI, NuGet, Go modules, RubyGems? Most commercial tools cover all of these, but double-check for less common ones like Cargo or Hex.
2. Vulnerability database — How fast does it pick up new CVEs? OWASP Dependency-Check relies on NVD, which can lag behind. Snyk and Mend maintain their own databases with faster turnaround.
3. Reachability analysis — If alert fatigue is a concern (it usually is), look for tools that can tell you which vulnerabilities are actually reachable. Endor Labs, Contrast SCA, and Qwiet AI offer this.
4. License compliance — If you ship software commercially, this matters. FOSSA and Black Duck are the strongest options for license compliance. Snyk covers it too but with less depth.
5. CI/CD integration and auto-remediation — How easy is it to add to your pipeline? Does it open auto-fix PRs? Snyk is the easiest to get started with. Mend is strong on auto-remediation.
6. Budget — OWASP Dependency-Check is free and works well for basic scanning. Most commercial tools have free tiers that cover small teams. Enterprise features (reachability, compliance dashboards, priority support) require paid plans.

Frequently Asked Questions

Explore Other Categories

SCA covers one aspect of application security. Browse other categories in our complete tools directory.

Written by

Suphi Cankurt

Suphi Cankurt is an application security enthusiast based in Helsinki, Finland. He reviews and compares 129 AppSec tools across 10 categories on AppSec Santa. Learn more.