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Best Linters 2026
Facts read 29 Sep 2026 – 15 Oct 2026
Linters help you check code against rules and surface issues during development or automated workflows. Compared on languages supported, IDE and CI support, the entries offer criteria for assessing where linting can fit in your work. Autofix, custom rules, and security rules provide additional ways to compare how tools address corrections, project conventions, and code checks. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add practical considerations. Cppcheck, PMD, and Astral are among the options shown, with Biome and ESLint also represented. Think about the languages and environments your projects use, then weigh those needs against each tool’s listed rule and workflow support.
The standings: top 10
| Name | In a line | Record score | Price from | Try it free | Runs on | Facts read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Cppcheck | 5.9 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux, Self-hosted | 15 Oct 2026 | |
| 02 Flake8 | Flake8 suits Python developers who want command-line style and quality checks, configurable error selection, or plugin extensions. | 5.4 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux, API | 15 Oct 2026 |
| 03 JSHint | 5.3 | Free plan | Free plan | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux | 15 Oct 2026 | |
| 04 Hadolint | Hadolint suits developers and teams maintaining Dockerfiles who want configurable lint rules, structured reports, and CI or editor integration. | 4.9 | Free plan | Free plan | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux | 8 Oct 2026 |
| 05 Ruff | 4.9 | Free plan | Free plan | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux | 29 Sep 2026 | |
| 06 ShellCheck | 4.9 | Free plan | Free plan | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux | 7 Oct 2026 | |
| 07 actionlint | 4.8 | Free plan | Free plan | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux | 11 Oct 2026 | |
| 08 PMD | PMD may suit developers and teams seeking a free code analyzer with customizable rules, command-line use, or build and CI integration. | 4.8 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux, Self-hosted | 2 Oct 2026 |
| 09 SwiftLint | SwiftLint suits Swift developers and teams who want configurable style checks in their editor, build, or CI workflows. | 4.8 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux | 10 Oct 2026 |
| 10 Astral | It suits Python developers looking for an open-source linter and package and project management tools across macOS, Linux, or Windows. | 4.7 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux | 1 Oct 2026 |
02
Flake8
Flake8 suits Python developers who want command-line style and quality checks, configurable error selection, or plugin extensions.
WindowsMacLinux+2 Record5.4 Visit
03
JSHint
WebWindowsMac+4 Record5.3 Visit
04
Hadolint
Hadolint suits developers and teams maintaining Dockerfiles who want configurable lint rules, structured reports, and CI or editor integration.
WebWindowsMac+1 Record4.9 Visit
05
Ruff
WebWindowsMac+2 Record4.9 Visit
8
PMD
WindowsMacLinux+1 Free plan Record4.8 Visit PMD may suit developers and teams seeking a free code analyzer with customizable rules, command-line use, or build and CI integration.
9
SwiftLint
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record4.8 Visit SwiftLint suits Swift developers and teams who want configurable style checks in their editor, build, or CI workflows.
10
Astral
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record4.7 Visit It suits Python developers looking for an open-source linter and package and project management tools across macOS, Linux, or Windows.
12
Oxc
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record4.7 Visit Oxc suits developers working with JavaScript and TypeScript who want linting, formatting, and other development tools in one toolchain.
14
SQLFluff
WindowsMacLinux+2 Free plan Record4.7 Visit It suits teams reviewing SQL in ELT projects, especially those working across multiple dialects or using Jinja and dbt.
15
Biome
WebWindowsMac+2 Free plan Record4.6 Visit Biome suits people maintaining web projects who want formatting, linting, and import organization in one toolchain.
16
Checkstyle
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record4.6 Visit Checkstyle suits Java programmers and teams that need configurable source-level checks to follow a coding standard.
19
detekt
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record4.6 Visit detekt suits Kotlin developers who want configurable static analysis across supported project types.
20
HLint
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record4.6 Visit HLint suits Haskell developers looking for suggestions about code simplification or redundancy.
24
clang-tidy
Linux Free plan Record4.5 Visit It suits C++ developers who want configurable static checks, supported automatic fixes, or custom checks in their workflow.
25
golangci-lint
WindowsMacLinux+1 Free plan Record4.5 Visit golangci-lint suits Go developers who want to run multiple linters and configure their output and analysis through YAML.
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