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Developer Tools · head to head

Garden vs Semgrep

Garden logo

Garden

Developer Tools

Kubernetes development and testing automation with shared caching, now owned by Incredibuild

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Semgrep logo

Semgrep

Cybersecurity

Open-source static analysis tool for finding security bugs and enforcing code standards.

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Garden incredibuild acquired Garden in November 2024 and the pricing page now redirects to documentation, so there is no public commercial offer and no published roadmap for a team betting a platform on it.; Semgrep free tier caps out at 10 contributors and 10 repositories.
  • They diverge on capability: Garden covers Action graph, Semgrep covers Static code scanning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Garden and Semgrep actually diverge.

Attributes where Garden and Semgrep differ
AttributeGardenSemgrep
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feefreemium
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetesweb, api, linux, mac, windows
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Garden

  • Action graph
  • Shared result caching
  • Remote Kubernetes environments
  • In-cluster builds
  • Same config everywhere
  • Hot reload sync
  • Helm and Kustomize support
  • Templating

Only in Semgrep

  • Static code scanning
  • Supply chain scanning
  • Secrets detection
  • Cross-file analysis
  • AI-powered triage and remediation
  • CI/CD integration

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Garden

  • A platform team whose integration test suite takes longer than the coffee break and needs caching to cut the loopnot Semgrep
  • An organisation with thirty or more services on Kubernetes where docker-compose no longer approximates productionnot Semgrep
  • Giving every developer an ephemeral namespace instead of queuing for one shared staging environmentnot Semgrep
  • Running the identical build and test definition locally and in CI so failures reproduce on a laptopnot Semgrep

Semgrep

  • Scanning code for security vulnerabilities in CI/CDnot Garden
  • Detecting vulnerable open-source dependenciesnot Garden
  • Finding hardcoded secrets before code shipsnot Garden
  • Enforcing custom code standards with rule setsnot Garden
  • Prioritizing findings with AI-assisted triagenot Garden

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Garden

  • Incredibuild acquired Garden in November 2024 and the pricing page now redirects to documentation, so there is no public commercial offer and no published roadmap for a team betting a platform on it.
  • It is tightly bound to Kubernetes, so teams running on ECS, Nomad, plain VMs or serverless get little from it and would need a different tool entirely.
  • The YAML action graph is a real configuration surface: a large monorepo needs someone to own and maintain Garden config as a first-class artefact, which is a standing platform-engineering cost.
  • Shared remote environments mean every developer needs cluster access and a cost allocation model, so cloud spend rises and namespace sprawl becomes a thing you have to police.
  • Caching correctness depends on declaring dependencies accurately; an under-declared action will serve a stale cached pass and hide a genuine test failure, which is a hard class of bug to notice.

Semgrep

  • Free tier caps out at 10 contributors and 10 repositories.
  • Secrets scanning is priced as a separate module ($15/contributor) from Code and Supply Chain.
  • Self-managed repositories and custom CI/CD require the Enterprise tier.
  • AI credits are limited per tier and additional usage requires upgrading.

Pricing, plan by plan

Garden

Free
  • Garden open sourceFree
    • Apache 2.0 licensed CLI
    • Full action graph and caching
    • Self-managed clusters
  • Commercial tier$undefined/year
    • Hosted caching and team features
    • Support and onboarding
    • Pricing no longer published since the Incredibuild acquisition

Semgrep

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10 contributors
    • Code and Supply Chain scanning
    • 60 AI credits total
  • Teams$30/month
    • Code, Supply Chain, or Secrets scanning per contributor
    • Pro rules
    • AI-powered triage and remediation
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • On-prem support
    • Custom CI/CD
    • 50 AI credits per developer/month

Which should you pick?

Choose Garden if

  • You need action graph.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes.
  • You also want shared result caching.
Garden review

Choose Semgrep if

  • You need static code scanning.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api, linux, mac, windows.
  • You also want supply chain scanning.
Semgrep review

Questions people ask

Is Garden or Semgrep better?
Neither clearly leads. Garden starts at Free and Semgrep at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Garden or Semgrep?
Garden starts at Free and Semgrep at Free.
Does Garden or Semgrep run on more platforms?
Garden runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes. Semgrep runs on web, api, linux, mac, windows.
Can I use Garden for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Garden best used for?
Garden is most often used for a platform team whose integration test suite takes longer than the coffee break and needs caching to cut the loop, an organisation with thirty or more services on kubernetes where docker-compose no longer approximates production, giving every developer an ephemeral namespace instead of queuing for one shared staging environment, running the identical build and test definition locally and in ci so failures reproduce on a laptop. Of those, a platform team whose integration test suite takes longer than the coffee break and needs caching to cut the loop and an organisation with thirty or more services on kubernetes where docker-compose no longer approximates production are not what Semgrep is typically brought in for.
What can Garden do that Semgrep cannot?
Garden covers Action graph, Shared result caching, Remote Kubernetes environments, In-cluster builds. Semgrep covers Static code scanning, Supply chain scanning, Secrets detection, Cross-file analysis.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Garden: Is Garden still maintained?

The open source project remains on GitHub under Incredibuild ownership, but the commercial pricing page redirects to the docs and there is no public paid offer.

Semgrep: What does Semgrep cost?

The Free edition covers up to 10 contributors; Teams starts at $30/contributor/month for Code scanning (Supply Chain also $30, Secrets $15); Enterprise is custom-priced.

Source
Garden: Do I need Kubernetes?

Effectively yes. Garden is built around Kubernetes environments and offers little to teams on other runtimes.

Semgrep: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the Free edition supports up to 10 contributors and 10 repositories with Code and Supply Chain scanning plus 60 AI credits total.

Source
Garden: Does it replace my CI system?

No. It runs inside GitHub Actions, GitLab CI or similar and speeds up what those pipelines execute.

Semgrep: How is usage metered?

Pricing is per contributor, defined as someone who made at least one commit to a scanned private repository in the past 90 days.

Source
Garden: What is the actual saving?

It comes from skipping builds and tests whose inputs have not changed, so the benefit scales with how many services you have and how often only a few change.

Semgrep: Is there special pricing for startups?

Yes, Semgrep offers special startup pricing upon request for early-stage companies.

Source
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