Pull requests are where developers already make the merge decision, so a security finding posted on the PR reaches the author before the change merges.
The right tool depends on what you want from review. Some tools add SAST checks, some summarize PRs, and some enforce policy. A smaller set reviews the change for exploitable risk and explains the fix inline.
What a PR security review tool should do
Look for more than a checkbox that says “PR comments.”
A useful PR security reviewer should:
Understand the surrounding repository as well as the diff.
Separate security findings from style and maintainability comments.
Explain exploitability and reachability.
Give fix guidance that matches the codebase.
Learn from triage decisions.
Close findings when the remediation commit lands.
Cover application code, dependencies, CI/CD, and infrastructure changes where possible.
Judge each tool by whether its comments change the merge decision.
Top PR security review tools
Hacktron: best for AI security review focused on exploitable pull request findings.
GitHub Advanced Security: best for GitHub-native CodeQL, secret scanning, and dependency review.
Semgrep: best for custom rule checks in PR workflows.
Snyk: best for dependency and SAST findings inside developer workflows.
CodeRabbit: best for AI code review with some security comments.
Greptile: best for repository-aware AI review across larger codebases.
SonarQube: best for quality gates that include security checks.
Aikido Security: best for developer security coverage across code and cloud, with PR integrations.
1. Hacktron
Hacktron Review is built specifically for PR security review. It reviews code changes with repository context and posts inline findings for exploitable vulnerabilities. It suits teams that want security findings as review comments in GitHub.
Its strongest areas are access control, business logic, injection, SSRF, prompt injection, secrets, supply-chain risk, GitHub Actions, and IaC changes.
2. GitHub Advanced Security
GitHub Advanced Security is a strong fit for teams standardized on GitHub Enterprise. CodeQL, secret scanning, and dependency review can each report on pull requests. It suits GitHub-native teams with security engineering support.
3. Semgrep
Semgrep works well when teams want fast, custom rule checks in CI and PRs. It suits security teams that can write and maintain rules.
4. Snyk
Snyk is useful for teams that want dependency, code, container, and IaC checks in developer workflows. It suits developer security programs that span all four.
5. CodeRabbit
CodeRabbit is an AI review assistant. It can help with summaries and general review feedback. It suits engineering productivity teams.
The trade-off is that security findings can get mixed with non-security comments.
6. Greptile
Greptile focuses on repository-aware AI code review. It suits teams that want AI review with codebase context.
If AppSec is the main driver, compare its security-specific findings carefully.
7. SonarQube
SonarQube is useful for quality gates and recurring code quality checks with security coverage. It suits teams already using Sonar for engineering standards.
8. Aikido Security
Aikido gives teams developer security coverage with integrations across code and cloud workflows. It suits teams that want one platform for code and cloud with PR feedback.
Evaluation checklist
Run each tool on real PRs that touched sensitive code:
Auth and permissions.
Billing and subscriptions.
File upload and parsing.
Webhooks and integrations.
AI agent actions.
Dependencies and GitHub Actions.
Terraform and cloud permissions.
Then ask which tool found something useful, explained why it mattered, and gave the author a clear fix.