GateTest vs CodeQL
60-Second Breadth vs 30-Minute Depth in 2026
CodeQL is GitHub’s deep taint engine — genuinely excellent at tracking data flow across function boundaries. The trade-offs are real: 15-30 minute scan times, GitHub Advanced Security required for private repos, no auto-fix, and zero coverage of accessibility, performance, IaC, or AI safety. GateTest covers 110 categories in 60 seconds and opens a fix PR.
Where CodeQL is genuinely stronger
We believe in honesty. CodeQL’s taint-analysis engine has real advantages for specific scenarios:
For high-assurance security audits where scan time doesn’t matter, CodeQL’s depth is real. GateTest is the better choice for breadth, speed, auto-fix, and everything outside security.
What CodeQL doesn’t cover
CodeQL is a security SAST engine. These entire categories are outside its scope:
Feature Comparison
| Feature | GateTest | CodeQL |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-hop taint-flow analysis (SQL injection, path traversal) | ✓ | ✓ |
| SSRF detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Command injection detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto-fix PR (working code changes) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Scan time under 2 minutes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Works on private repos without per-seat licensing | ✓ | ✗ |
| IaC security (Terraform, K8s, Dockerfile, CI) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dependency / SCA scanning | ✓ | ✗ |
| Accessibility (WCAG 2.2 automated audit) | ✓ | ✗ |
| N+1 query detection | ✓ | ✗ |
| Race condition / TOCTOU detection | ✓ | ✗ |
| PII-in-logs detection | ✓ | ✗ |
| Prompt injection / AI-app safety scanning | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mutation testing (via GitHub Action) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cross-finding attack-chain correlation (Forensic tier) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pay per scan (no per-seat licensing) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Works outside GitHub (Gluecron, CLI, any CI) | ✓ | ✗ |
| PR / commit status integration | ✓ | ✓ |
CodeQL is free for public repos via GitHub Actions. Private repos require GitHub Advanced Security (per-committer pricing).
Where GateTest wins
60 seconds vs. 30 minutes
CodeQL scans take 10-30 minutes on typical codebases. A developer waiting 25 minutes for security results between commits isn't going to run the scan often — and 'run it once in CI' means bugs ship to PR review before anyone saw them. GateTest targets 60 seconds, making it practical as a pre-commit hook, a per-PR gate, and an on-demand audit tool.
Auto-fix PR — CodeQL can't do this
CodeQL shows you what's wrong. GateTest fixes it. The Scan + Fix tier ($199) uses Claude to write working code changes and open a pull request — not just a suggestion, but a commit with the guard added and a regression test written. The Forensic Scan tier ($399) adds per-finding Claude diagnosis and cross-finding attack-chain correlation.
No Advanced Security licence required
CodeQL on private repos requires GitHub Advanced Security, which is priced per committer per month. A 20-person team pays hundreds of dollars monthly before running a single scan. GateTest charges $99 per scan for all 110 modules — no seat licensing, no annual contracts. The price is identical for a solo developer and a 500-person team.
110 categories vs. security-only
CodeQL is a security engine. The 80% of code quality problems that aren't CVEs — N+1 queries, race conditions, accessibility failures, stale feature flags, PII in logs, import cycles, IaC misconfigurations — are invisible to CodeQL. GateTest runs them all in the same scan.
Frequently asked questions
How does GateTest differ from CodeQL?
CodeQL is a semantic analysis engine that tracks data flow across function boundaries — it's genuinely excellent at multi-hop taint chains like 'user input enters here, passes through these two functions, reaches a SQL query there.' That depth comes with trade-offs: a CodeQL scan on a medium repo takes 15-30 minutes, it requires GitHub Actions or a local CodeQL runner, and GitHub Advanced Security (required for private repos) adds significant per-seat cost. GateTest covers the same SSRF, SQL injection, and command-injection attack classes in 60 seconds across a broader surface (110 modules including Terraform, K8s, Dockerfile, accessibility, performance, and AI safety), and opens a fix PR on the Scan + Fix tier. The use case is complementary for high-assurance codebases: CodeQL for deep taint chains, GateTest for breadth + speed + fix delivery.
Does CodeQL find the same vulnerabilities as GateTest?
CodeQL covers a subset of the vulnerability classes GateTest covers, and covers them differently. CodeQL's taint-analysis approach genuinely tracks multi-step data flow chains that GateTest's module-based approach may miss — for example, user input flowing through 4 intermediate functions before reaching a sink. GateTest covers 110 categories CodeQL doesn't address at all: N+1 queries, race conditions, datetime timezone bugs, money-float errors, PII in logs, stale feature flags, import cycles, Dockerfile security, Kubernetes manifest hardening, CI pipeline permissions, accessibility (WCAG 2.2), and more. Honest answer: both tools have real, different coverage gaps.
Does CodeQL require GitHub Advanced Security?
For public repositories on GitHub, CodeQL is free via GitHub Actions. For private repositories, CodeQL requires GitHub Advanced Security, which is priced per committer per month — a significant budget line for larger teams. GateTest charges per scan ($99 for all 110 modules, no per-seat licensing) and works with any GitHub repository (public or private) as well as Gluecron-hosted repos.
Can CodeQL auto-fix vulnerabilities?
CodeQL has no auto-fix capability as of 2026. GitHub Copilot Autofix can suggest patches for CodeQL alerts in GitHub Advanced Security, but these are limited to CodeQL-flagged issues and require manual review. GateTest's Scan + Fix tier ($199) uses Claude to write working code fixes for every issue it finds — not suggestions, but an actual pull request with the guard added, the query restructured, or the config corrected. On the Forensic Scan tier ($399), Claude also reasons about each finding individually and identifies cross-finding attack chains.
How long does a CodeQL scan take vs GateTest?
A typical CodeQL scan on a 50,000-line JavaScript/TypeScript codebase takes 10-30 minutes in GitHub Actions depending on query suite depth and build time. GateTest targets a 60-second full scan (110 modules) via a direct API call — no CI run required, no build step. For fast iteration (pre-commit, PR review, on-demand audits) the speed difference matters significantly.
Does GateTest work without GitHub Actions?
Yes. GateTest's website scan (/pricing) runs on-demand via a direct API call — you paste a repo URL, pay, and get results without touching your CI. The GitHub App delivers results as commit statuses and PR comments. The CLI (npm install -g gatetest) runs locally or in any CI environment. CodeQL requires either GitHub Actions or a local CodeQL runner installed from GitHub's release page.
110 modules. 60 seconds. Fix PR included.
Security, quality, accessibility, IaC, AI safety — in one scan, no CI required, no per-seat licensing. Claude opens the fix PR on Scan + Fix and Forensic Scan tiers.
Scan My Repo — From $29One-time payment per scan via Stripe. No subscription, no auto-renew.