Bearer
Bearer is a free command-line static application security testing tool for scanning source code and tracing data flows for security and privacy risks.
What Bearer is
Bearer is a free command-line static application security testing tool for scanning source code and tracing data flows for security and privacy risks. It analyzes code patterns rather than viewing actual data values, and supports more than 120 sensitive data types, including personal data, PII, and PHI. Privacy reports can identify sensitive data, related data subjects, and the internal or third-party components that process it, providing input for GDPR records of processing activities. The CLI includes SAST rules for security risks and a separate scanner for hard-coded secrets. Its documented supported stacks are Go, Python, PHP, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, and Java. CI/CD setup is documented for GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, and CircleCI; pull request scans and custom security rules are also supported. Installation options include an install script, Homebrew, Linux package managers, Docker, and downloadable binaries. The listed platforms are Linux and macOS, with macOS 12 or later and Git 2.34 or later required. Bearer notes that its classification patterns may miss some true positives while aiming to reduce false positives. Its homepage says Bearer was acquired by Cycode and invites users to join the early access list for Bearer Cloud.
Good
- Covers more than 120 sensitive data types.
- Includes a separate hard-coded secrets scanner.
- Documents CI/CD setup for three named services.
- Supports custom security rules and pull request scans.
- Free plan with no numeric limits stated.
Watch out
- Classification patterns may miss some true positives.
- macOS 12 or later is required on macOS.
- Git 2.34 or later is required.
- Listed platforms are Linux and macOS.
Who it suits
Bearer suits development teams scanning source code for security risks and sensitive-data flows, especially those using its listed language stacks or CI/CD integrations. Users should account for the stated possibility of missed true positives and the documented platform requirements.
Verdict
Bearer combines source-code security scanning with privacy-oriented data-flow reporting. Its stated detection tradeoff and installation requirements matter when deciding whether it fits a team's workflow.
Plans and prices
From Bearer's own pricing page, checked 8 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Bearer CLI | Free | Free and open SAST; no numeric limits stated |
The facts
Each one read from Bearer's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- CI integrations
- The CLI documents CI/CD setup for GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, and CircleCI.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Data handling
- Bearer CLI says it analyzes code patterns without viewing the actual data values.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Detection caveat
- Bearer says its data classification patterns aim to reduce false positives, with a potential tradeoff of missing some true positives.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Installation
- Installation options include an install script, Homebrew, Linux package managers, Docker, and downloadable binaries; macOS 12 or later is supported and Git 2.34 or later is required.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Privacy reports
- Privacy reports can identify sensitive data, data subjects, and internal or third-party components processing that data, including input for GDPR records of processing activities.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Product
- Bearer CLI is a static application security testing tool that scans source code and analyzes data flows to find security and privacy risks.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Product availability
- Bearer's homepage says Bearer has been acquired by Cycode and invites users to join the early access list for Bearer Cloud.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Security scanning
- The CLI includes SAST rules for security risks and a separate scanner for hard-coded secrets.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Sensitive data
- Bearer CLI supports more than 120 sensitive data types, including personal data, PII, and PHI.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Supported languages
- The documentation lists Go, Python, PHP, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, and Java as supported stacks.checked 8 Oct 2026
Alternatives to Bearer
- 1
Semgrep Code
Free planOpen sourceWebAPIExtensionLinux8.3From $15 a month - 2
MobSF
Free planOpen sourceWebAPILinuxmacOS8.2From $2,999.99 a year - 3
GitHub CodeQL
Free planWebExtensionLinuxmacOS7.5From $30 a month - 4
gosec
Free planOpen sourceAPILinuxmacOSSelf-hosted7.2Free plan - 5
Horusec
Free planWebAPIExtensionLinux6.6Free plan - 6
Xygeni
Free planWebAPIExtensionLinux6.6Free plan