Snyk Vs Github Advanced Security

Introduction

Choosing the right AppSec tools is critical for security leaders. Snyk and GitHub Advanced Security (GHAS) are popular options, each with different strengths. Snyk focuses on open-source dependency and container security, while GHAS offers GitHub-native code scanning. This comparison shows how they stack up and why it matters.

TL;DR

In short, Aikido Security offers a better overall solution. Snyk excels in open-source library and container vulnerability scanning. GitHub Advanced Security shines in static code analysis (CodeQL) and GitHub-native dependency checks. However, Aikido Security combines both strengths while delivering far fewer false positives and simpler integration across development platforms.

Overview of Snyk

Snyk is a developer-first security platform focusing on finding vulnerabilities in code and dependencies. Its key strengths include robust open-source software composition analysis (SCA) to catch vulnerable libraries, as well as container image scanning for known CVEs in container OS packages. Snyk also provides static application security testing (SAST) (via Snyk Code) and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) configuration scanning to cover cloud resource files. It integrates into developers’ workflows (IDEs, Git repos, CI/CD) to provide fast, actionable security feedback early in development.

Overview of GitHub Advanced Security

GitHub Advanced Security (available with GitHub Enterprise) provides built-in security for code repositories. It features code scanning via GitHub’s CodeQL static analysis engine to find vulnerabilities in custom code, plus dependency vulnerability alerts and secret scanning for leaked credentials. Its strength lies in seamless GitHub integration: security alerts show up natively in pull requests and the repo Security tab, with no additional tools or dashboards needed.

Core Security Capabilities (SAST, SCA, Container, IaC)

Snyk: Snyk’s feature set spans multiple security areas. It performs SCA on open-source dependencies, reporting known vulnerabilities and even license issues. It includes a SAST tool (Snyk Code) to scan proprietary code for security bugs like SQL injection or XSS. Snyk shines in container security – scanning container base images for outdated packages – and offers dedicated IaC scanning to catch misconfigurations in Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes manifests, etc.. Notably, Snyk does not have built-in secret scanning or dynamic analysis tools, focusing instead on code and artifact vulnerabilities.

GitHub Advanced Security: GHAS covers the essentials of code and dependency security within GitHub. Its SAST comes from CodeQL queries that detect code vulnerabilities with precision (leveraging data flow analysis). For SCA, GitHub Advanced Security relies on GitHub’s advisory database and Dependabot alerts to flag vulnerable dependencies. It also provides secret scanning, flagging credentials or API keys committed in code. However, GHAS does not natively scan container images or IaC files – its scope is limited to repository code and dependencies.

Integration & DevOps Workflow

Snyk: As a third-party platform, Snyk offers broad integration across the software development lifecycle. It supports multiple version control systems (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) and can hook into CI/CD pipelines to fail builds when critical flaws are found. Developers can also use Snyk’s CLI locally or plug into IDEs for immediate feedback as they code. This flexibility allows Snyk to fit diverse workflows – scanning projects on different platforms and reporting results via PR comments, CI logs, or Snyk’s own dashboard.

GitHub Advanced Security: GHAS is designed for teams already using GitHub as their primary code host. It hooks directly into GitHub’s workflow – enabling CodeQL analysis adds automated scans (via GitHub Actions) on every push, and results appear within GitHub. Developers see security alerts as part of code review, without needing to manage another tool. The trade-off is that GHAS only works within the GitHub ecosystem. If your organization has code outside GitHub, GHAS won’t cover those projects.

Accuracy and Performance (False Positives, Speed)

Snyk: Snyk emphasizes developer-friendly results, but teams have reported some “noise” in its findings. In larger codebases, Snyk scans can produce many alerts, some of which may be low-priority or false positives. This can lead to alert fatigue if not tuned, as developers might waste time investigating issues that aren’t actual threats.

On the performance side, Snyk’s cloud scanning is relatively fast – static code analysis results often return in under a minute for medium projects. This speed enables running Snyk on every commit or in CI without major slowdowns. The quick feedback loop is a plus, but the challenge is ensuring the alerts are relevant so developers trust and act on them.

GitHub Advanced Security: GHAS’s CodeQL analysis is known for high precision and depth, which generally means fewer outright false positives in its default rules. CodeQL queries are refined by security experts and have found many real-world vulnerabilities, giving GHAS a strong signal-to-noise ratio out of the box.

However, when GHAS is first enabled on a repository, teams can still be flooded with a large number of findings – including minor issues or library vulnerabilities – that require triage. Some fine-tuning (disabling irrelevant queries or writing custom rules) may be needed to reduce this noise to a manageable level.

In terms of speed, CodeQL’s comprehensive scans are resource-intensive; a full analysis can take several minutes on a large codebase. GitHub has added default workflows and incremental scanning to improve this, but in CI pipelines CodeQL might noticeably slow down builds compared to Snyk’s quicker scans.

Coverage and Scope (Languages, Frameworks, Mobile, IaC)

Snyk: Snyk supports a wide array of languages and environments. Its SCA covers most popular package managers (npm, Maven, PyPI, Go Modules, RubyGems, etc.), catching vulnerable libraries across the majority of tech stacks. Snyk’s SAST supports languages like Java, JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Ruby, Go, C#, PHP, and even mobile languages such as Swift and Kotlin. It also scans configuration files (Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Helm) for misconfigurations, and scans container images for OS package vulnerabilities.

One notable limitation is that Snyk focuses on scanning source code and dependencies; it doesn’t perform dynamic testing on running applications. So while it covers code and cloud config broadly, other tools would be needed for pen-testing or runtime protection.

GitHub Advanced Security: GitHub’s CodeQL engine supports many major languages (including C/C++, C#, Go, Java/Kotlin, JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Ruby, and Swift). This allows GHAS to scan a broad range of codebases – web apps, microservices, mobile apps – as long as the code is hosted on GitHub. For dependency exposure, GHAS leverages GitHub’s dependency graph, which is strong for the popular ecosystems above and alerts on known vulnerabilities in those dependencies.

That said, GHAS is confined to repository content. It won’t scan your built containers or cloud infrastructure outside of code. There is no native container image vulnerability scanning or cloud posture analysis in GHAS. In practice, its coverage is broad across application code, but doesn’t extend into the runtime environment or multi-platform scenarios outside GitHub.

Developer Experience (Setup, UI, Findings Noise)

Snyk: Snyk is often praised for its developer-centric approach. Getting started is straightforward – you can sign up and quickly connect a repo or run a scan. The Snyk UI provides detailed issue reports with clear remediation guidance (like upgrade versions or code fixes). Integration into IDEs (VS Code, IntelliJ, etc.) means developers see issues while coding, which encourages fixing problems early. This “shift-left” experience and the polished interface help with adoption.

However, some teams have faced challenges with Snyk’s usability at scale. Large projects can overwhelm the dashboard with hundreds of findings, and developers might start ignoring the tool if they perceive too much noise. There are reports of Snyk’s IDE plugin struggling or crashing on very large repositories. Without careful tuning and triaging (e.g. ignoring certain low-risk alerts), the volume of notifications can reduce developers’ trust in the results.

GitHub Advanced Security: For GitHub-centric teams, GHAS feels like a natural part of the workflow. Developers don’t need to learn a new interface – security alerts appear in GitHub alongside pull requests and code, which lowers resistance to using the tool. Enabling GHAS is as simple as clicking a button or adding a config file, and then CodeQL scans run automatically. The findings can be viewed in the repo’s Security tab or directly in PR discussions, making it easy for devs to collaborate on fixing them.

The challenge in developer experience comes from the nature of CodeQL’s output and the overhead of enterprise setup. The security alerts can sometimes be highly technical, requiring developers to understand the vulnerability’s context (or consult security teams). If a repository suddenly shows dozens of alerts, it can be intimidating. Additionally, because GHAS is tied to GitHub Enterprise, some organizations face bureaucratic hurdles to enable it or roll it out broadly.

Pricing and Maintenance

Snyk: Snyk is a commercial SaaS product with a pricing model that can become a pain point as you scale. It typically charges per developer or per project, and as you add more features (like container or IaC scanning), the costs add up. Many organizations find that Snyk’s price scales aggressively – often requiring a five-figure annual spend to unlock all features and get enterprise support.

On the plus side, Snyk is cloud-hosted and managed, so you don’t have infrastructure to maintain, and updates to its vulnerability database happen automatically. However, you will need to maintain your usage of the tool – for example, managing ignore lists for false positives and ensuring each Snyk module (Open Source, Code, Container, etc.) is properly integrated into your pipelines. Juggling multiple Snyk products can require coordination to get a single-pane-of-glass view.

GitHub Advanced Security: GHAS is only available with GitHub Enterprise, which makes it a significant investment. If your company already uses GitHub Enterprise, GHAS comes bundled (or as an add-on cost per seat). If not, there’s a high barrier to entry for smaller teams.

The good news is there’s no extra server or software to run – everything is handled by GitHub in the cloud. Maintenance is more about process and policy: you’ll spend time customizing CodeQL rules, deciding which repos to enable scanning on, and training developers to manage the findings. Since GHAS is tied to GitHub, there’s also a platform lock-in consideration – if you ever migrate projects off GitHub, you lose this security coverage. Support for GHAS is via GitHub’s enterprise channels, which may not be as specialized as a dedicated AppSec vendor. Overall, GHAS simplifies tool maintenance but shifts the effort into managing results and integrating them into development workflows.

Aikido offers a simpler, more transparent pricing model – flat and predictable – and is significantly more affordable at scale than either Snyk or SonarQube.

Pros and Cons of Each Tool

Snyk – Pros:

• Broad security coverage: Handles open-source dependencies, containers, IaC and code in one ecosystem.
• Developer-friendly integration: Works with many dev tools (IDEs, CI pipelines) for seamless adoption.
• Actionable remediation: Provides clear fix advice (e.g. upgrade suggestions, patches) to help developers resolve issues quickly.
• Strong open-source vulnerability database: Snyk’s intel on library flaws is comprehensive, catching supply chain risks early.

Snyk – Cons:

• False positive noise: Can generate too many alerts (especially in code scanning), requiring teams to sift out what matters.
• Cost scales quickly: Pricing can become expensive for large teams or advanced features, with high per-seat costs and add-ons.
• Lacks some security types: No built-in secret scanning or runtime protection, so additional tools are needed for secrets management and dynamic testing.
• Tool sprawl risk: Using multiple Snyk products (Code, Open Source, Container) means juggling separate modules, which can feel fragmented if not well integrated.

GitHub Advanced Security – Pros:

• Native GitHub integration: Built directly into GitHub – alerts show up in PRs and code views with no extra interfaces.
• Powerful static analysis: Leverages CodeQL to detect complex vulnerabilities in custom code with relatively few false alarms.
• Dependency and secret alerts: Automatically flags vulnerable libraries and exposed secrets in your repo, improving security visibility during development.
• Low friction for devs: No separate tool to install or log into; developers remain in their normal GitHub workflow, which encourages use.

GitHub Advanced Security – Cons:

• GitHub-only: Works only with GitHub repositories on Enterprise plans – not applicable for other platforms or lower-tier GitHub plans.
• High cost of entry: Requires GitHub Enterprise, which is cost-prohibitive for many small and mid-size companies.
• Limited scope: Focuses on code, dependencies, and secrets in repos – lacks coverage for container images, cloud config, or runtime risks.
• Needs tuning expertise: Getting the most out of CodeQL may require writing custom queries or filtering results, which demands security expertise and ongoing maintenance.

Aikido Security: The Better Alternative

Aikido Security is a unified alternative combining Snyk’s and GHAS’s strengths without their pain points. It covers code, open-source dependencies, containers, IaC, cloud, and runtime in one platform. Thanks to curated rules and smart filtering, Aikido delivers far fewer false positives (around 85% less noise), so developers only see actionable issues. It integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and more (no platform lock-in), and offers transparent usage-based pricing that undercuts enterprise licensing costs. In short, Aikido provides broader coverage, more accurate results, and better value – a no-nonsense, developer-first solution.

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