Sourcery - Github Copilot alternative

Sourcery is an automated code review platform focused on code quality and security. It analyzes pull requests and provides instant feedback across 30+ languages in GitHub, GitLab, or your IDE. Unlike code completion tools, Sourcery specializes in reviewing existing code to identify bugs, security vulnerabilities, and quality issues. Solo developers benefit from having an automated reviewer that catches problems before deployment and enforces best practices without manual oversight.

Strengths

• Provides instant, actionable feedback across 30+ languages including Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, and Java.
• Integrates directly into development workflow with support for GitHub, GitLab, VS Code, and JetBrains IDEs.
• Generates pull request summaries and review guides with diagrams to explain changes.
• Runs analysis fully locally for IDE usage, with no code sent to external servers.
• Learns from previous reviews and adapts to feedback for improved suggestions over time.
• Offers self-hosted deployments for secure enterprise environments.

Weaknesses

• Primary focus on code review rather than code generation or completion.
• Static refactoring rules concentrated mainly on Python, JavaScript, and TypeScript.
• May remove or relocate comments during refactoring operations.
• Requires authentication token for private repository usage.
• Less suitable for developers who prioritize autocomplete over quality analysis.

Best for

Developers and teams who value code quality, security scanning, and automated review feedback over real-time code generation.

Pricing plans

• Free — $0 — Open source projects only, unlimited usage.
• Pro — Unknown — Private repositories, 14-day free trial available.
• Team — Unknown — Multi-user support for private repositories.
• Enterprise — Unknown — Self-hosted options, custom LLM endpoints, zero retention policies.

Tech details

• Type: AI-powered code reviewer and refactoring assistant
• IDEs: VS Code, JetBrains (IntelliJ, PyCharm, etc.), Cursor; GitHub and GitLab integrations
• Key features: Automated pull request reviews, inline code suggestions, bug detection, security scanning, PR summaries with generated diagrams, style guide enforcement, refactoring recommendations
• Privacy / hosting: Local analysis for IDE usage with no code leaving your machine; cloud reviews use OpenAI and Anthropic LLMs with 30-day maximum retention; self-hosted options available with custom LLM endpoints; code never used to train AI models
• Models / context window: Uses OpenAI and Anthropic LLMs for code reviews; context window size unknown

When to choose this over Github Copilot

• You prioritize code quality and security reviews over autocomplete suggestions.
• You need fully local code analysis without external data transmission.
• You want automated knowledge sharing through PR summaries and review guides.

When Github Copilot may be a better fit

• You need real-time code completion and generation during active development.
• Your workflow relies heavily on AI-assisted coding rather than post-hoc review.
• You work primarily in languages outside Python, JavaScript, and TypeScript for static analysis features.

Conclusion

Sourcery positions itself as a code quality specialist rather than a general-purpose coding assistant. It serves 200,000+ developers who need automated review feedback without sacrificing security or privacy. The platform's focus on bug detection, security scanning, and continuous learning makes it complementary to—rather than directly competing with—code generation tools. Solo developers gain an always-available code reviewer, while teams benefit from consistent style enforcement and knowledge sharing through automated documentation.

Sources

• Official site: https://sourcery.ai/
• GitHub: https://github.com/sourcery-ai/sourcery
• Pricing: https://sourcery.ai/pricing

FAQ

What languages does Sourcery support?

Sourcery provides code reviews across 30+ languages. Static refactoring rules focus on Python, JavaScript, and TypeScript, but general review capabilities work with most major programming languages.

Does Sourcery store my code?

For IDE usage, all analysis runs fully locally and no code leaves your machine. For cloud reviews on GitHub/GitLab, code is sent to OpenAI and Anthropic LLMs but stored for no more than 30 days and never used to train AI models. Self-hosted options provide zero retention policies.

How does Sourcery differ from Github Copilot?

Sourcery specializes in code review and quality analysis rather than code generation. While Github Copilot focuses on autocomplete and writing new code, Sourcery identifies bugs, security issues, and quality problems in existing code. The tools serve complementary purposes in the development workflow.

Can I use Sourcery with my existing CI/CD pipeline?

Yes. Sourcery integrates with GitHub and GitLab to provide automated reviews on pull requests. It analyzes changes and provides inline suggestions directly in your code hosting platform.

Is Sourcery free for open source projects?

Sourcery is completely free to use for public repositories and open source projects. Private repositories require a paid plan after a 14-day free trial.

Can Sourcery work behind a corporate firewall?

Yes. Sourcery can be configured to work behind firewalls and corporate proxies. Enterprise customers can also deploy fully self-hosted solutions that never send code to external servers.