Puma Scan

Puma Scan is a static application security testing tool for C# development in Visual Studio. Its End User Edition scans code as developers write and reports vulnerabilities as compiler warnings before code is committed. It supports C# in .NET Framework and .NET Core, including Web Forms and MVC; legacy website projects are unsupported. The product page says the scanner also covers AI-generated code from GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, Amazon Q, and Gemini Code Assist. For automated checks, it lists GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and Azure DevOps integrations. CI editions can enforce configurable severity thresholds and stop builds that do not meet them. The Server Edition adds command-line scans, on-premises Azure DevOps build-task integration, and exports in HTML, JSON, MSBuild, VSO, VSTest, and CSV formats. Community analyzers run locally and do not contact Puma Scan servers for rule updates. Plans include a free Community edition; End User is $299 a year. Paid plans include support and updates. A 30-day trial requires no credit card, but reporting is unavailable during the trial.

Puma Scan combines in-editor C# analysis with pipeline scanning options and configurable build thresholds. Check its project and editor limits, and note that trial users cannot access reporting.

Puma Scan suits .NET developers and security engineers working in Visual Studio, as well as development, security, and operations teams using CI pipelines. The End User extension is not suited to VS Code users or legacy Web Site projects.

Overview

Puma Scan is a static application security testing tool for .NET teams that want security feedback in Visual Studio or automated checks in a build pipeline. It is most compelling for C# developers and security teams working in supported Visual Studio projects; teams using VS Code or legacy Web Site projects should look elsewhere.

Key features

The End User Edition scans C# as developers write in Visual Studio and surfaces vulnerabilities as compiler warnings before code is committed. That puts findings close to the code change, where developers can address them during implementation. It supports .NET Framework and .NET Core, including Web Forms and MVC, but excludes legacy Web Site projects and cross-platform editors such as VS Code.

Puma Scan says it covers AI-generated code from GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, Amazon Q, and Gemini Code Assist. That extends its relevance to teams using those coding assistants, but does not make static analysis conclusive: the maker warns that findings may include false positives and false negatives and documents its analysis rules.

For pipeline checks, integrations include GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and Azure DevOps. CI editions can enforce configurable severity thresholds and stop builds when requirements are not met, which gives teams a way to make security requirements part of delivery rather than a separate reminder. Server Edition also supports command-line scans and on-premises Azure DevOps build tasks. Its exported reports include HTML, JSON, MSBuild, VSO, VSTest, and CSV formats.

The Community Edition's analyzers run locally in Visual Studio without contacting Puma Scan servers for rule updates. That suits users who want local analysis without server communication, but the product does not obtain rule updates through that channel.

Pricing

Puma Scan offers a free Community plan and paid annual licenses. Its 30-day trial requires no credit card, but reporting is unavailable during the trial.

The free plan is limited to open source projects, while the $299 a year End User license covers one named user rather than a team. Pipeline plans raise the cost substantially but add build capacity and, in each case, five End User licenses. The stated annual renewals make renewal terms worth weighing alongside the initial price.

Platforms

Puma Scan supports Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted deployment. Its End User scanning is specifically tied to Visual Studio and C#, so platform availability should not be mistaken for support for every editor or project type.

Who it's for

Puma Scan is aimed at .NET security engineers and developers, with its pipeline editions positioned for development, security, and operations teams. Individual C# developers can get early editor feedback, while teams can use CI thresholds to block builds that miss their severity requirements. It is a weaker fit for teams whose everyday editor is VS Code or whose codebase depends on legacy Web Site projects.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Compiler-warning feedback during Visual Studio editing can bring security issues into the developer's workflow before commit.
• Pro: CI severity thresholds can stop builds, giving teams an enforceable gate rather than a report alone.
• Pro: Server Edition combines on-premises Azure DevOps and command-line scanning with multiple report export formats.
• Con: The End User extension is limited to Visual Studio and supported .NET project types, excluding VS Code and legacy Web Site projects.
• Con: The free Community Edition is for open source projects and does not retrieve rule updates from Puma Scan servers.
• Con: Trial users cannot access reporting, limiting evaluation of that part of the workflow.
• Con: Static analysis can miss vulnerabilities or flag false positives, so findings still require review.

Alternatives

Compare static application security testing software if you want to assess this category more broadly.

• MobSF is a free, open-source option for readers who want coverage across Android, iOS, APIs, web, Linux, and self-hosted environments rather than Puma Scan's C# and Visual Studio focus.
• Skylos is another freemium alternative; its free tier includes local CLI scans without login and cloud limits of one project, 10 stored scans, and seven-day history.
• Snyk Open Source is worth considering when the priority is software composition analysis: its free plan provides access to Snyk Open Source (SCA) for up to five projects.
• Dawnscanner is a free, locally run Ruby security scanner for readers who want a command-line tool instead of a Visual Studio C# extension.
• Horusec is a free open-source alternative with CLI and platform components.
• OpenGrep is a free open-source static analysis engine for readers who prefer a CLI tool.
• Semgrep Code is another option with a free edition covering Code and Supply Chain for up to 10 repositories and 10 contributors.
• Bandit is a free, Apache-licensed option for readers considering a different security tool.

Verdict

Choose Puma Scan if your team builds supported C# projects in Visual Studio and wants early warnings, or needs configurable CI thresholds to enforce security checks. Its editor-to-pipeline approach is the main draw; the Visual Studio and project constraints, annual plan costs, and trial's lack of reporting are strong reasons to compare alternatives if they do not fit your workflow.