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Cybersecurity · head to head

NICE Actimize vs Semgrep

NICE Actimize logo

NICE Actimize

Cybersecurity

Financial crime, risk and compliance suite for regulated institutions

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Semgrep logo

Semgrep

Cybersecurity

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Semgrep has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: NICE Actimize modules are licensed separately, so a bank that starts with AML and later needs fraud and surveillance faces three negotiations and a bill that compounds rather than a suite price.; Semgrep free tier caps out at 10 contributors and 10 repositories.
  • They diverge on capability: NICE Actimize covers Suspicious activity monitoring, Semgrep covers Static code scanning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NICE Actimize and Semgrep actually diverge.

Attributes where NICE Actimize and Semgrep differ
AttributeNICE ActimizeSemgrep
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Windowsweb, api, linux, mac, windows

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

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 NICE Actimize

  • Suspicious activity monitoring
  • Watchlist filtering
  • Customer due diligence
  • Payment fraud detection
  • Markets surveillance
  • Case management
  • X-Sight marketplace

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.

NICE Actimize

  • A bank under a regulatory consent order that needs a monitoring system with an audit trail examiners already recognisenot Semgrep
  • A broker dealer required to implement trade surveillance covering both orders and trader communicationsnot Semgrep
  • A regional bank outgrowing spreadsheet-based sanctions screening and needing documented model governancenot Semgrep
  • A payments firm needing real time fraud scoring on faster payments alongside batch AML monitoringnot Semgrep

Semgrep

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

Where each one falls short

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

NICE Actimize

  • Modules are licensed separately, so a bank that starts with AML and later needs fraud and surveillance faces three negotiations and a bill that compounds rather than a suite price.
  • Tuning and model validation are consultant-heavy, and the services spend over a deployment often exceeds the first year licence cost.
  • The older on premises deployments carry batch-oriented architecture that makes true real time decisioning harder than in newer cloud native rivals.
  • Rule and model changes go through a controlled release process, so a bank reacting to a new fraud typology may wait weeks for a change that a modern platform would ship in days.
  • Because it is the incumbent at so many institutions, criminals have a good working understanding of what the standard rule sets detect, and undifferentiated out of the box configurations catch predictable behaviour.

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

NICE Actimize

On request
  • NICE Actimize$undefined/year
    • Licensed per module, not as one suite
    • Scaled by institution asset size or transaction volume
    • On premises or Actimize cloud deployment

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 NICE Actimize if

  • You need suspicious activity monitoring.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Windows.
  • You also want watchlist filtering.
NICE Actimize 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 NICE Actimize or Semgrep better?
Neither clearly leads. NICE Actimize starts at On request and Semgrep at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NICE Actimize or Semgrep?
Semgrep has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for NICE Actimize and Free for Semgrep.
Does NICE Actimize or Semgrep run on more platforms?
NICE Actimize runs on Web, Linux, Windows. Semgrep runs on web, api, linux, mac, windows.
Can I use Semgrep for free?
Yes. Semgrep has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. NICE Actimize starts at On request.
What is NICE Actimize best used for?
NICE Actimize is most often used for a bank under a regulatory consent order that needs a monitoring system with an audit trail examiners already recognise, a broker dealer required to implement trade surveillance covering both orders and trader communications, a regional bank outgrowing spreadsheet-based sanctions screening and needing documented model governance, a payments firm needing real time fraud scoring on faster payments alongside batch aml monitoring. Of those, a bank under a regulatory consent order that needs a monitoring system with an audit trail examiners already recognise and a broker dealer required to implement trade surveillance covering both orders and trader communications are not what Semgrep is typically brought in for.
What can NICE Actimize do that Semgrep cannot?
NICE Actimize covers Suspicious activity monitoring, Watchlist filtering, Customer due diligence, Payment fraud detection. Semgrep covers Static code scanning, Supply chain scanning, Secrets detection, Cross-file analysis.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NICE Actimize: Is Actimize one product?

No. It is a family of separately licensed modules covering AML, fraud, due diligence and surveillance. You buy what you need and each has its own price.

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
NICE Actimize: Can it run in the cloud?

Yes, Actimize offers cloud deployment, though a large share of the installed base still runs on premises for data residency reasons.

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
NICE Actimize: Who owns it?

NICE Ltd, an Israeli company listed on Nasdaq. Actimize is its financial crime division.

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
Semgrep: Is there special pricing for startups?

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

Source
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