Best Code Review Tools Shortlist
Here are the code review tools that I liked the most after testing their capabilities in making code cleaner and more efficient:
- GitHub - Best repository
- JetBrains Space - Best organizational features
- Bitbucket - Best for teams working on Jira
- Rhodecode - Best for centralization
- GitLab - Best reporting features
- Phabricator - Best for product and project management
- Codebeat - Best open-source option
- Azure DevOps - Best for DevOps
- Collaborator - Best collaboration features
- Snyk - Best dependency management
- JetBrains Upsource - Best for static analysis
- Veracode - Best security review features
In any software development process, code review is a vital step that keeps you from shipping ineffective products. To help you pick the code review tools that give you the most utility depending on what you’re working on, I’ve evaluated several options for this list, including an overview of each tool’s strengths and weaknesses and the criteria I considered.
What is Code Review?
Code review is an integral part of the quality assurance (QA) process of software development, often occurring after the initial coding phase but before the final testing and deployment. The source code undergoes scrutiny from someone other than the original author. It’s used to identify potential areas for improvement in efficiency and security. The primary goals of code review are to ensure the quality of the software and to improve the skills of all developers involved.
Code review tools facilitate this process in several ways, including automating the review, laying out a structure, and making the code easy for other team members to access.
Overviews of the 12 Best Code Review Tools
These are my favorite code review tools, along with where I’ve found they excel according to my tests. I’ve also included their strengths and weaknesses, as well as a separate section on how I evaluated them.
1. GitHub - Best repository
GitHub is the most popular Git repository host, offering cloud-based services for development teams of all sizes.
Why I Picked GitHub: When I find an issue in a codebase that I can correct, I use pull requests on GitHub to add suggested code and go over it with my fellow team members. When I initiate one, it lets me compare the branch to the base so everyone can see what’s different and, if there’s a consensus, proceed to merge.
GitHub Standout Features and Integrations:
Features I like using for code review in GitHub include the option to initiate review requests. I can specify someone I want to do it or let GitHub suggest one from analyzing historical blame data.
GitHub also has protected branches where only authorized team members can merge code after review, which is useful when working with new developers or ones with little Git experience.
Integrations are pre-built for Codefactor, Codacy, Codecov, Coveralls, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Terraform, Jira, Visual Studio Code, and Visual Studio.
Pricing: From $4/user/month
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Robust versioning system
- Several integrations
- Most experienced developers are already familiar with it
Cons
- Relies heavily on the CLI
- Restrictive free plan
2. JetBrains Space - Best organizational features
JetBrains Space is a software development platform that covers code reviews, as well as other aspects such as continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, Git hosting, and issue tracking.
Why I Picked JetBrains Space: JetBrains Space has built-in team management features that make collaboration easier for development groups of all sizes. For example, I only needed to define permissions for code review and version control once and then reuse the memberships whenever I created a new project with the same team members.
JetBrains Space Standout Features and Integrations:
Features I liked in JetBrains Space include the plugin that works across all of JetBrains’ IDEs, which team members could integrate into their workspaces with little hassle and make their code easier to access. I could also add guest users to my projects and define exactly what resources they had access to, something that I found useful for including freelance devs and clients in the process.
Integrations are pre-made for JetBrains IDEs such as PyCharm, RubyMine, WebStorm, IntelliJ IDEA, Rider, CLion, DataGrip, PhpStorm, GoLand, and Aqua.
Pricing: From $10/active member/month
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Works across all JetBrains IDEs
- Easy to install via plugins
- Robust collaboration features
Cons
- Steep learning curve if you want to use all features
- Expensive
3. Bitbucket - Best for teams working on Jira
Bitbucket is a cloud-native Git solution from Atlassian, the company behind products like Jira, Confluence, and Trello, that powers CI/CD workflows.
Why I Picked Bitbucket: Bitbucket won me over with its native Jira integration that simplified code review by creating a bridge between the repository and the platform where the team coordinated operations. It contextualized diffs and comments against the code, and it gave me the option to create issues and assign tasks in Jira from a pull request.
Bitbucket Standout Features and Integrations:
Features I liked while using Bitbucket with Jira include the single-page view that puts my repo in the same window as my workspaces, so I didn’t have to keep going back and forth between the code and team messages. I also liked that I could add checklists to my pull requests, as I would in a regular Jira ticket, and have reviewers check them off before requests get merged.
Integrations, beyond the native Jira, are pre-built for Slack, Buddybuild, CircleCI, Cider Security, CloudCannon, Codeship, Planio, Snyk, Testim.io, and Visual Studio.
Pricing: From $15/month
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Enhances collaboration with native Jira integration
- Decent CI/CD and DevOps workflow support
- Git functionality
Cons
- Few integrations and limited functionality with non-Atlassian products
- Periodic stability issues
4. Rhodecode - Best for centralization
Rhodecode is an open-source code management platform that hosts everything behind a firewall for extra security.
Why I Picked Rhodecode: I chose Rhodecode because it provides multiple options for code repositories and erosion control, with support for Git, Mercurial, and Subversion (SVN). You can bring all of them into one workspace and create common workflows that translate across each one, making collaboration easy without needing to switch existing systems.
Rhodecode Standout Features and Integrations:
Features I liked in Rhodecode for centralization include the ability to migrate from SVN to Git, for example, if you want offline functionality or higher speeds, and have the system rescan and remap the full repository for you. It also provides permission management functions for your servers from behind a firewall to ensure security across different environments.
Integrations are pre-built for Jira, Jenkins, TeamCity, Travis CI, Trello, GitHub, Bitbucket, Slack, Confluence, and Redmine.
Pricing: From $8/user/month
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Supports multiple repo and version control systems
- Robust centralization features
- Provides full-text searches for code
Cons
- Sluggish performance
- UI isn’t too user-friendly
5. GitLab - Best reporting features
GitLab is an open-source code repository platform that caters to the complete software development lifecycle in DevSecOps workflows.
Why I Picked GitLab: GitLab’s Code Quality feature allowed me to keep my code clean, consistent, and manageable throughout my project. It analyzes code after any changes, including following merge requests, and tells you how the quality has been impacted before committing to the main branch.
GitLab Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that stood out to me while evaluating GitLab include code review analytics, which assessed my code reviews to reveal trends and suggest where I could improve to move things along faster. With code controls, I could specify code owners and accompanying approval rules, which meant changes weren’t committed to the main branch until all the relevant team members had signed off on them.
Integrations are pre-built for Jenkins, Jira, Slack, Pivotal, Clickup, Campfire, Redmine, Telegram, Prometheus, and TeamCity.
Pricing: From $29/user/month (billed annually)
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Supports DevOps and CI/CD pipelines
- Provides in-depth reports
- Code controls reduce accidental changes to the code base
Cons
- Limited integrations
- Crowded UI
6. AWS CodeCommit - Best for teams developing on AWS
AWS CodeCommit is a fully managed platform that hosts Git repositories for source control and security.
Why I Picked AWS CodeCommit: CodeCommit leverages several features native to AWS that you can use for code reviews. For example, I could control access to the code itself by user, time, and location using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Key Management Service (KMS).
AWS CodeCommit Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that made me recommend CodeCommit for companies working within AWS include the ability to create repos using whatever method you prefer from AWS SDKs, CLI, or the Management Console. You can also monitor the repositories closely when they’re live with CloudTrail and CloudWatch, both of which track several metrics and give you detailed status logs.
Integrations are native for other AWS products and services, including S3, KMS, IAM, DynamoDB, CloudTrail, CloudWatch, SDK, Management Console, CLI, and SNS.
Pricing: From $1/user/month
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Easy to setup on AWS
- Native integrations for AWS products and services
- Robust user access control
Cons
- Limited non-AWS integrations
- Git functionality not as refined as alternatives like GitHub
7. Codebeat - Best open-source option
Codebeat is an open-source automated code analysis and review tool with dedicated support for some of the most popular web and mobile programming languages.
Why I Picked Codebeat: As I’ve stated above, Codebeat provides dedicated, built-in support for specific programming languages that are commonly used for mobile and web development. Currently, it supports automated code review for Javascript, Python, Go, Typescript, Ruby, Java, Kotlin, Swift, and Objective-C, with six more languages in beta.
Codebeat Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that stood out to me while I was testing Codebeat include the GPA feature that scans the code in a namespace for various violations, applies penalties if necessary, and gives you a score out of 4. It also provides light project management features with functions like access levels that let you work better with both internal team members as well as open-source contributors.
Integrations are pre-built for GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Slack, and HipChat.
Pricing: From $20/user/month
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Provides automated code reviews
- Easy to set up
- Detailed code review reports with GPA scoring system
Cons
- Few languages fully supported
- Limited integrations
8. Azure DevOps - Best for DevOps
Azure DevOps, formerly called Visual Studio Teams Services, is a collection of tools for CI/CD, agile, and DevOps development workflows from Microsoft.
Why I Picked Azure DevOps: Azure DevOps provides a suite of tools that streamline cross-department collaboration, tools I believe are good for involving all major stakeholders in code review. Most of these tools can also be integrated into CI/CD pipelines; at the center of everything is Azure Repos, the Git-based tool that I used to host the code and share it with team members.
Azure DevOps Standout Features and Integrations:
Features I liked for DevOps with Azure DevOps include Artifacts, a package management tool that supports Python, npm, Maven, and NuGet from public and private sources. With Boards, a project management tool that connects directly to Repos, I could track code review feedback and requests from my team members.
Integrations are pre-built for Docker, Jenkins, Slack, GitHub, Jira, Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ IDEA, GitLab, Xcode, and ServiceNow.
Pricing: From $6/user/month
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Provides CI/CD pipelines
- Robust DevOps and collaboration features
- Free for small teams
Cons
- Opinionated design means limited customizability
- Individual tools aren’t as robust as standalone alternatives
9. Collaborator - Best collaboration features
Collaborator is a code and document review tool for different teams involved in development, developed by SmartBear Software.
Why I Picked Collaborator: As the name suggests, Collaborator allowed me to involve more stakeholders in the code review process to a greater degree. I created groups and participant subscriptions where I could specify hierarchies, responsibilities, and access for team members, developers, and non-technical individuals. I could also nest groups within each other and have people be part of more than one group.
Collaborator Standout Features and Integrations:
Features I liked for cross-team code review with Collaborator include version control with color coding: additions in green, alterations in yellow, and deletions in red, making it easy to track changes in the code. Collaborator also allowed me to build my own peer review frameworks and standardize the rules for reviews, workflows, and reporting, then lock everything in when I was satisfied.
Integrations are pre-built for Perforce, Visual Studio, GitHub, Jira, and Microsoft Office.
Pricing: From $60/month (billed annually)
Trial: 30-day free trial
Pros
- Streamlines collaboration
- Robust version control features
- Provides document review functionality
Cons
- Expensive
- Limited integrations
10. Snyk - Best dependency management
Snyk is a developer security platform that provides software composition analysis (SCA), infrastructure-as-code (IAC), static applications security testing (SAST), and containerization functionality.
Why I Picked Snyk: Snyk made it easy for me to keep track of both direct and transitive dependencies, so whenever I was doing code review, I knew how far out any changes were going to ripple. It also analyzed my projects, then located and notified me of vulnerable dependencies so I could get out ahead of potential disasters.
Snyk Standout Features and Integrations:
Features I liked in Snyk include the fact that it reviews code and provides a report that ranks the risks it finds in order of severity, so it’s easier to prioritize fixes if you’re not sure where to start.
Whenever it finds a vulnerability, it also provides clear remediation advice, whether you’re working within a CLI or IDE. For the latter, it works on some of the most popular IDEs, including Visual Studio, VS Code, and every option from JetBrains, making it easy for most developers to include it in their workstations.
Integrations are pre-built for Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Jenkins, CircleCI, RubyMine, WebStorm, IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, Eclipse, and Bitbucket.
Pricing: From $57/contributing developer/month
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Strong dependency management
- Robust security features
- Integrates with popular IDEs
Cons
- Expensive
- Security is sometimes aggressive and might flag false positives
11. Gitea - Best for companies with self-hosted development platforms
Gitea is an open-source self-hosted software development solution that provides Git hosting, code review CI/CD pipelines, and package management.
Why I Picked Gitea: I chose Gitea because it’s written in Go, which makes it fast and lightweight enough to be relatively manageable on self-hosted development platforms. The documentation says it needs 1GB of memory and a dual-core processor for small projects, and this tracks with my tests which I carried out on a Raspberry Pi. As far as self-hosted Git solutions go, I’d say it’s more than workable.
Gitea Standout Features and Integrations:
Features I liked in Gitea include Actions, an integrated CI/CD pipeline that allowed me to create custom workflows with YAML. This made it easy to incorporate a dedicated step for code review in the software development lifecycle. Gitea also supports more than 20 public and private package managers, including Chef, PyPl, Maven, and npm, that I could use to set things up in my self-hosted environment.
Integrations are pre-built for Jenkins, Bitbucket, GitLab, GitHub, Visual Studio Code, Docker, YouTrack, and Agola.
Pricing: From $380/month (billed annually)
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Lightweight
- Highly configurable
- Built-in CI/CD pipeline
Cons
- Self-hosted option requires dedicated maintenance teams
- Managed option is expensive
12. Veracode - Best security review features
Veracode is a digital security company that provides a variety of products and services for software developers, platforms, and workflows.
Why I Picked Veracode
I chose Veracode because of its penetration testing as a service (PTaaS) offering that lets you get pentest experts to check how resilient your system is against attacks. These teams are useful for catching vulnerabilities that might go unnoticed with an automated code review.
Veracode Standout Features and Integrations:
Features I liked for doing security-centric code reviews in Veracode include the static end-to-end scans that check pipelines, policies, and IDEs for vulnerabilities. For the number of security scans that Veracode runs, I appreciated that I always got a report that presented vulnerabilities by how critical they were so I could prioritize fixes by severity.
I also liked Veracode Security Labs, a tool that I used to strengthen my grasp of cybersecurity as I coded with live exercises, sandboxed demonstrations of exploitations, and gamified systems, all with progress reports.
Integrations are pre-built for Jira, CircleCI, Eclipse, Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio, Azure DevOps, Bitbucket, Bamboo, and Docker.
Pricing: Pricing upon request
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Robust security features
- Provides detailed reports and logs
- Security Labs helps you learn security best practices on the fly
Cons
- Sometimes flags false positives
- Scans take long to complete
Other Code Review Software Options
I evaluated several tools for this article and found a couple that were good enough to include if you still feel like you need something different from what’s in the main list:
- Codefactor - Best issue tracking features
- Peer Review for Trac - Best Trac code review plugin
- Review Board - Best document review
- Codestriker - Best notification system
- JArchitect - Best for Java review
- Codescene - Best hotspot analysis tool
- Codegrip - Best rule management
- Gogs - Best Golang review tool
Selection Criteria For Code Review Tools
Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best code review tools for this article:
Core Functionality
A few of the main functions I wanted the tools to cover include:
- Repository access so it’s easy for reviewers to get to the codebase
- Automation of repetitive tasks to facilitate scaling and speed
- Collaborative features like notifications, boards, and messaging to make peer reviews more manageable across teams
Key Features
Some features I wanted the tools to have for a better chance at making the list include:
- Logging for bugs and other issues that reviewers find in the code
- Remediation so that developers can act on issues they uncover
- Workflow management so the process moves along smoothly between programmers and reviewers
Usability
I consider code review a necessary bottleneck in software development, so I needed tools that were easy to use, like straightforward integration into the system and navigable interfaces, in order to reduce the time spent on the process while retaining effectiveness.
Integrations
As one part of the software development process, I needed the subjects to be able to integrate with other tools developers use, including IDEs, messaging apps, and CI/CD pipelines.
People Also Ask
If you’re new to code review and feel you need more beyond the tools, here are the answers to some questions you might have:
What is the purpose of a code review?
Is code review part of DevOps?
How long should a code review take?
Conclusion
Code review means your team has to stop active development and go back to the code base, meaning it’s inherently a bottleneck in the software development process. Finding the right code review tools for your workflow can keep disruption to a minimum and ensure you can still ship products on time rather than be even more of a stumbling block.
I hope the information in this article was enough to get you started. Subscribe to The CTO Club newsletter for more great insights.