CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Checkmarx vs Sonatype

Checkmarx sells Checkmarx Developer Assist, which delivers context-aware security guidance directly within a developer's IDE. Sonatype sells software that guides component selection, blocks malicious components and automates dependency fixes in developer and agent workflows. CISO Tribune files both under Software composition analysis. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • Checkmarx
  • Sonatype
Checkmarx vs Sonatype: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
CheckmarxCheckmarx sells Checkmarx Developer Assist, which delivers context-aware security guidance directly within a developer's IDE.checkmarx.comSonatypeSonatype sells software that guides component selection, blocks malicious components and automates dependency fixes in developer and agent workflows.sonatype.com
What it sells
  • Checkmarx Developer Assist[5]Delivers context-aware security guidance within the IDE. It combines realtime scanning with agentic AI remediation.
  • Checkmarx MCP Server[5]A secure gateway that bridges AI-powered development assistants with the Checkmarx security platform.
  • Nexus One Platform[4][9]A platform that helps developers and agents build with trusted components and automate governance.
  • Sonatype Nexus Repository[4][6][10]An enterprise artifact repository manager for packages, containers, models, and build artifacts.
  • Sonatype Lifecycle[2][4][11][13][16]Software composition analysis with policies for open source components and AI models.
  • Sonatype Guide[4][5][13][14]Includes the Sonatype Lifecycle capabilities and the software compliance capabilities of SBOM Manager.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesFulton, United States[3]
Founded
2006[2]Not stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Owned by Hellman & Friedman since 2020[2][4][5]Not stated on its pages
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • July 28, 2026Checkmarx announced Checkmarx Fusion, a hybrid scanning approach now available in early access to its customers.[6]
  • April 27, 2026Checkmarx disclosed that its investigation into a supply chain security incident found a cybercriminal group had published company-related data on the dark web.[3]
Not stated on its pages
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[4]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[7]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, Checkmarx sells mainly to developers who write code in IDEs and with AI coding agents. Its documentation describes plugins for several IDEs and for AI coding agents. Checkmarx offers Developer Assist in distinct licensing models, each serving a distinct segment of its customers, including SAST on-premises accounts.From its own pages, Sonatype sells mainly to development, DevOps, platform engineering, and security teams that want to govern open source components and AI models. Sonatype describes Nexus One as the single source of truth for those teams. Sonatype also says it offers special pricing for government agencies. Teams that track work in Jira Cloud or Jira Data Center are among those its Lifecycle integration addresses.
Last verified
November 2, 2026September 27, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Checkmarx and Sonatype are both filed under Software composition analysis.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Checkmarx's primary category is Static application security testing; Sonatype's is Software composition analysis.
  • Checkmarx is also filed under Dynamic application security testing and Application security posture management. Sonatype is also filed under Software supply chain security.
  • Checkmarx lists Checkmarx Developer Assist and Checkmarx MCP Server. Sonatype lists Nexus One Platform, Sonatype Nexus Repository, Sonatype Lifecycle and Sonatype Guide.
  • Sonatype is headquartered in Fulton, United States.
  • Checkmarx was founded in 2006.
  • Checkmarx is owned by Hellman & Friedman, since 2020.

What it sells: Checkmarx

What Checkmarx Developer Assist does[5]
Checkmarx Developer Assist provides real-time detection, remediation and actionable insights as developers write or refine AI-generated and existing code. It comprises two main elements, Realtime Scanning and Agentic-AI Remediation. Plugins exist for IDEs and for AI coding agents.
What Checkmarx MCP Server does[5]
The Checkmarx MCP Server defines the tools and APIs that allow AI agents to interact with Checkmarx cloud services from within the IDE. The MCP Service is installed automatically once the developer authenticates in the IDE.

What it sells: Sonatype

What Nexus One Platform does[4][9]
Nexus One platform helps developers and agents build with trusted components, automate governance, and increase visibility across the AI SDLC. Sonatype presents it as the single source of truth for development, DevOps, platform engineering, and security teams.
What Sonatype Nexus Repository does[4][6][10]
Sonatype Nexus Repository gives developers, pipelines, and agents one place to pull, publish, and manage the packages, containers, models, and build artifacts behind every release. It gives global teams secure access with TLS encryption, SAML, and SSO support. It also stores and manages container images.
What Sonatype Lifecycle does[2][4][11][13][16]
Sonatype Lifecycle offers 18 default policies and over 30 customizable constraints. It pushes component intelligence into GitHub so developers can respond to policy violations in pull requests. Its capabilities are now included in Sonatype Guide.
What Sonatype Guide does[4][5][13][14]
New customers purchase Sonatype Guide to get software composition analysis and open source governance functionality. Sonatype Guide integrates into CI/CD platforms like GitHub and Jenkins to scan containers for known vulnerabilities, policy violations, and license risks.

Questions about Checkmarx and Sonatype

What do Checkmarx and Sonatype sell?
Checkmarx sells Checkmarx Developer Assist and Checkmarx MCP Server. Sonatype sells Nexus One Platform, Sonatype Nexus Repository, Sonatype Lifecycle and Sonatype Guide.
Are Checkmarx and Sonatype in the same category?
They share Software composition analysis. Checkmarx's primary category is Static application security testing and Sonatype's is Software composition analysis.
Where are Checkmarx and Sonatype headquartered?
Sonatype is headquartered in Fulton, United States.
When were Checkmarx and Sonatype founded?
Checkmarx was founded in 2006.
Who owns Checkmarx and Sonatype?
Checkmarx is owned by Hellman & Friedman, since 2020.
Who are Checkmarx and Sonatype sold to?
From its own pages, Checkmarx sells mainly to developers who write code in IDEs and with AI coding agents. From its own pages, Sonatype sells mainly to development, DevOps, platform engineering, and security teams that want to govern open source components and AI models.
What have Checkmarx and Sonatype announced recently?
July 28, 2026: Checkmarx announced Checkmarx Fusion, a hybrid scanning approach now available in early access to its customers.

About Checkmarx

Checkmarx sells Checkmarx Developer Assist, which delivers context-aware security guidance directly within a developer's IDE. Checkmarx Developer Assist helps prevent vulnerabilities before they reach the pipeline. As developers write or refine AI-generated and existing code, Checkmarx Developer Assist provides real-time detection, remediation and actionable insights.

Checkmarx Developer Assist comprises two main elements. The first is Realtime Scanning, which identifies vulnerabilities in realtime during IDE development of both human-generated and AI-generated code. Scanners run in the background whenever a developer edits a relevant file. Checkmarx scanners identify vulnerabilities and unmasked secrets in code. Checkmarx also identifies vulnerable or malicious container images and open source packages used in a project. Results are marked as Problems that are highlighted in the code and annotated with identifying icons.

The second element is Agentic-AI Remediation, in which a developer initiates an Agentic-AI session to receive remediation suggestions. Checkmarx feeds relevant information to the AI agent, which accesses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server to gather data from proprietary databases and customized AI models. The AI assistant then uses this data to generate remediated code for the project. Developers can accept the suggested changes or chat with the AI agent to learn more about the vulnerability and fine-tune the remediation suggestion.

Checkmarx Developer Assist lets developers mark risks as Ignore, so that the risks are no longer shown in the IDE. A developer can Revive a risk at any time to resume showing that risk. Specialized realtime scanners identify vulnerable open source packages and container images, exposed secrets and IaC risks.

Checkmarx provides dedicated Developer Assist plugins for two types of coding platforms: IDEs (VS Code, Cursor, Kiro, Windsurf, Visual Studio and JetBrains) and AI Coding Agents such as Claude Code. In the coding agent plugin, Developer Assist steps in and remediates the risk as the assistant generates code. The plugin is currently available for Claude Code CLI, Copilot CLI and Cursor CLI.

The Checkmarx MCP Server is a secure gateway that bridges AI-powered development assistants with the Checkmarx security platform. The Checkmarx MCP Server defines the tools and APIs that allow AI agents such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor AI or Windsurf AI to interact with Checkmarx cloud services from within the IDE. Once the developer authenticates in the IDE, the MCP Service is automatically installed. The Checkmarx MCP Server authenticates the developer's IDE session with Checkmarx. The Checkmarx MCP Server exposes available Checkmarx tools and capabilities, such as code scanning, remediation and policy enforcement, as AI-accessible functions.

Checkmarx says the MCP standard lets any IDE-integrated AI assistant access Checkmarx engines and services, including SAST, SCA, IaC and API Security, through a unified interface. Checkmarx selected the MCP standard as the foundation for its agentic architecture. Checkmarx describes MCP as vendor-neutral and supported by a growing ecosystem of AI tools.

Developer Assist is available in three licensing models, each serving a distinct segment of Checkmarx customers.[1]

Checkmarx on the record

Sources

Checkmarx full record

  1. [1]checkmarx.comCheckmarx · checkmarx.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Hellman friedman completes acquisition of checkmarxCheckmarx · checkmarx.com · published April 16, 2020 · Tier A
  3. [3]Checkmarx Confirms GitHub Repository Data Posted on Dark Web After March 23 AttackThe Hacker News · published April 27, 2026 · Tier B
  4. [4]Checkmarx Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  5. [5]About Checkmarx Developer AssistCheckmarx · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Checkmarx Fusion: Hybrid Scanning Delivers the Most Complete Vulnerability Detection AvailableGlobeNewswire · published July 28, 2026 · Tier A

Sonatype full record

  1. [1]sonatype.comSonatype · sonatype.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Sonatype Lifecycle | SCA Tools for Open Source SecuritySonatype · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Grand opening of india innovation hubSonatype · sonatype.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Sonatype | Secure Software Development with Open Source & AISonatype · undated page, accessed October 28, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Container Security Solutions | Sonatypesonatype.com · undated page, accessed October 28, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Sonatype Container SecuritySonatype · undated page, accessed October 28, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Sonatype Nexus Repository Reviews & Product Details - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 28, 2026 · Tier C
  8. [8]About Sonatype | Our Company & Mission | SonatypeSonatype · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Software Supply Chain Management | Sonatype Nexus One PlatformSonatype · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Sonatype Nexus Repository | A Leading Artifact RepositorySonatype · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Sonatype Lifecycle and Jira Integrations | SonatypeSonatype · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]PyCharm and Sonatype IntegrationSonatype · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Sonatype Pricing & Nexus Repository Plans | SonatypeSonatype · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Using Guide Personal Access Tokens with OSS Index API IntegrationsSonatype · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Maven Central + Sonatype | Securing the Largest Java RepositorySonatype · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Customer Success Stories | SonatypeSonatype · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A

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