Looking for a GitHub Advanced Security alternative?
GitHub Advanced Security (GHAS) is a strong suite inside a GitHub Enterprise org. It's the wrong fit if you're a solo dev, small team, or just not on Enterprise. Here's the comparison.
The pricing problem with GHAS for small teams
GitHub Advanced Security requires a GitHub Enterprise plan, then bills per active committer per month on top of the Enterprise license. For a 5-person team that means Enterprise license cost + per-committer GHAS fees — well into four figures a month before the first scan.
XploitScan's Team plan is a flat $99/mo for up to 5 seats, runs on any Git host (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, self-hosted), and works without any Enterprise tier.
When each one fits
GHAS is great when
- → Your organization is already on GitHub Enterprise
- → You need native Security tab + Dependabot + secret scanning integrated
- → You have a security team that can tune CodeQL custom queries
- → Per-committer pricing is within budget
- → Deep SAML/SSO/audit integration into your GitHub Enterprise tenant matters
XploitScan is great when
- → You're on GitHub Free, Team, or Pro (not Enterprise)
- → You use GitLab, Bitbucket, or self-hosted Git
- → You're shipping AI-generated code and want rules targeted at those patterns
- → Flat pricing ($19/mo solo, $99/mo team) fits the budget
- → You want every finding to come with a copy-paste fix
Side-by-side
| Dimension | GHAS | XploitScan |
|---|---|---|
| Requires Enterprise tier | Yes | No — any plan, any host |
| Pricing model | Per-active-committer + Enterprise license | Flat $9 / $19 / $99 per month |
| Detection engine | CodeQL (semantic query engine) | 158 rules (regex + AST + taint) |
| Public benchmark | None disclosed | Live, reproducible |
| CI integration | Native (GitHub Actions) | GitHub Action, GitLab CI, Bitbucket, any CI |
| CLI | Limited; CodeQL CLI heavy | npx xploitscan scan . |
| SARIF output | Yes | Yes — --format sarif |
| AI editor integration (MCP) | None | Official MCP server for Cursor / Claude Desktop / Windsurf |
| Fix explanation | CodeQL rule metadata | Plain English + copy-paste fix |
Where GHAS legitimately wins
- Native GitHub integration. Findings land directly in the Security tab. PR blocking, code owners, branch protection — all integrated without plumbing. If you're deep in GitHub Enterprise and want tool output inside GitHub's native surfaces, GHAS is the path of least resistance.
- CodeQL custom queries. For organizations with security engineers authoring bespoke semantic queries, CodeQL is a uniquely powerful platform. XploitScan doesn't try to compete on custom query authoring.
- Dependabot + secret scanning bundle. If you're buying GHAS for the whole bundle (code scanning + Dependabot alerts + secret scanning + private vulnerability reporting), the combined offering is valuable in ways a pure code scanner doesn't replace.
Try XploitScan on your code
Free, 5 scans/day, no account required. Any Git host, any size of project. SARIF output for the GitHub Security tab is built in.