SonarCloud or SonarQube: What’s Best for Your Team?

Every software team wants to deliver clean, secure, and reliable code. Tools like SonarCloud and SonarQube play a big role in making that possible by spotting bugs, vulnerabilities, and code smells before they reach production.

But here comes the question many teams face: should you choose SonarCloud or SonarQube?

While both come from SonarSource and share the same goal of improving code quality, the way they are deployed, managed, and scaled is different. The right choice depends on your team’s structure, infrastructure, and future growth plans.

This blog will walk you through what SonarCloud and SonarQube offer, their differences, and how to decide which is best for your team.

What is SonarCloud?

SonarCloud is the cloud-hosted version of Sonar’s code quality and security tool. It’s a fully managed SaaS platform maintained by SonarSource, meaning your team doesn’t need to set up or maintain any servers.

Key Features of SonarCloud:

• Works directly with popular cloud-based repositories like GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps.
  

• Provides real-time code analysis with each commit and pull request.
  

• Automatically updates and scales with no manual effort.
  

• Offers built-in dashboards for visibility into bugs, vulnerabilities, and technical debt.
  
  

Pros of SonarCloud:

1. Zero Maintenance – No servers, no upgrades, no manual patches.
   

2. Fast to Get Started – Teams can begin within minutes after setup.
   

3. Scalable – Grows with your projects without additional hardware.
   

4. Integrated with Cloud Repos – Designed for modern DevOps pipelines.
   
   

Cons of SonarCloud:

1. Subscription Cost – Pricing is based on code volume; can rise as projects grow.
   

2. Limited Customisation – Less flexibility compared to a self-hosted system.
   

3. Data Residency – Some organisations prefer not to have code data in external cloud servers.

What is SonarQube?

SonarQube is the self-hosted version of the platform. It runs on your own servers, whether on-premises or in a private cloud. This gives you full control over configuration, integrations, and data.

Key Features of SonarQube:

• Works with both cloud and on-premises repositories.
  

• Fully customisable rules, plugins, and settings.
  

• Offers role-based access control and governance options.
  

• Available in both free Community Edition and paid commercial editions.
  
  

Pros of SonarQube:

1. Full Control – Infrastructure, configuration, and data remain within your organisation.
   

2. Customisation – Ability to add plugins, tailor rules, and adjust settings to fit workflows.
   

3. Compliance Ready – Suitable for industries with strict security or legal requirements.
   

4. Offline Access – Can run in isolated or restricted environments.
   
   

Cons of SonarQube:

1. Maintenance Overhead – Your team manages installation, updates, scaling, and monitoring.
   

2. Setup Time – Takes longer to deploy compared to SonarCloud.
   

3. Resource Costs – Requires infrastructure and skilled staff to maintain.

SonarCloud vs SonarQube: Key Differences

While both SonarCloud and SonarQube aim to improve code quality, they differ in how they are deployed and managed. SonarCloud is a fully managed SaaS platform that runs in the cloud, requiring no setup or maintenance from your side. In contrast, SonarQube is self-hosted, meaning you install and manage it on your own servers or private cloud.

When it comes to setup, SonarCloud is quick and effortless, letting teams start analysing code within minutes. SonarQube, however, needs proper configuration and infrastructure before it can be used. The same applies to maintenance—SonarCloud updates and scales automatically, while SonarQube requires your team to handle upgrades, monitoring, and scaling.

Scalability is another difference. SonarCloud grows automatically as your projects expand, making it ideal for fast-moving teams. With SonarQube, scalability depends on how much resource planning your team can manage. Customisation also sets them apart: SonarCloud offers standard features with limited flexibility, whereas SonarQube allows extensive customisation with plugins, rules, and integrations.

Data control is another deciding factor. With SonarCloud, your code data is stored on external servers managed by SonarSource. SonarQube, on the other hand, keeps all data within your environment, which is important for organisations with strict compliance or security requirements. Finally, the cost model also differs: SonarCloud follows a subscription-based approach, while SonarQube requires licences along with the cost of managing infrastructure.

When to Choose SonarCloud

SonarCloud is the better fit if your team:

• Wants a hassle-free, ready-to-use solution.
  

• Works primarily with cloud-hosted repositories.
  

• Prefers predictable subscription pricing.
  

• Needs to get up and running quickly without internal maintenance.
  
  

It’s especially useful for startups, small teams, and distributed teams where speed and ease of use matter more than infrastructure control.

When to Choose SonarQube

SonarQube is the right choice if your team:

• Handles sensitive or regulated data that cannot leave your environment.
  

• Needs advanced customisation with specific plugins or rules.
  

• Already has infrastructure and DevOps capacity to manage servers.
  

• Is a large enterprise looking for long-term cost control and scalability.
  
  

This makes SonarQube ideal for enterprises, government agencies, and industries like finance or healthcare where compliance and security are top priorities.

How to Decide: SonarCloud or SonarQube?

When weighing up SonarCloud and SonarQube, ask yourself:

1. Do we want convenience or control?
   

• SonarCloud offers convenience.
  

• SonarQube offers control.
  

2. Where should our data live?
   

• SonarCloud stores code data on external servers.
  

• SonarQube keeps it in-house.
  

3. What’s our long-term budget strategy?
   

• SonarCloud follows a subscription model.
  

• SonarQube involves upfront setup but may save costs for larger teams.
  

4. How fast do we need to start?
   

• SonarCloud is ready almost instantly.
  

• SonarQube requires time and resources to set up.

Conclusion

Both SonarCloud and SonarQube provide powerful ways to maintain clean, secure, and reliable code. The difference comes down to how you want to balance convenience versus control.

• If you want speed, simplicity, and no maintenance, SonarCloud is the smarter choice.
  

• If you need compliance, deep customisation, and data control, SonarQube is the better option.
  
  

The best solution depends on your team’s size, compliance requirements, and future growth. Taking the time to evaluate your goals now will help you avoid costly changes later.

FAQs

Q1. Is SonarCloud free?
Yes, SonarCloud offers a free plan for public repositories. Private repositories require a paid subscription.

Q2. Can SonarQube and SonarCloud work together?
Not directly. They are separate products, though both serve the same purpose of code quality analysis.

Q3. Which one is better for enterprises?
SonarQube is usually better for large enterprises because it offers control, compliance, and customisation.

Q4. Does SonarCloud support private codebases?
Yes, with a paid plan you can analyse private repositories on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps.