# Greptile vs HOL Guard

> Greptile: AI code review that checks every pull request against your full codebase context
> HOL Guard: Local approvals for AI coding agent actions before they touch your machine

- Greptile profile: https://finderatlas.com/tools/greptile
- HOL Guard profile: https://finderatlas.com/tools/hol-guard
- Comparison page: https://finderatlas.com/compare/greptile-vs-hol-guard
- Last reviewed: October 2026

## Verdict

Greptile and HOL Guard are both Coding AI tools. Both have a free plan or trial. Only Greptile is available on Web and offers an API. Only HOL Guard is available on macOS, Linux and CLI.

### Choose Greptile if

- You want a tool built for automated pull request review on large codebases, enforcing team coding standards, feeding review findings to coding agents.
- Reviews use a graph index of the whole repository, so findings can cover impact beyond the changed lines.
- Plain-English custom rules and learning from past pull request comments adapt reviews to team standards.

### Choose HOL Guard if

- You want a tool built for approving risky agent actions locally, Protecting secrets from coding agents, Reviewing MCP servers, skills and plugins before use.
- Open source under Apache-2.0 with public code and release history.
- Works offline with no account on the free local tier.

## Pricing

| | Greptile | HOL Guard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Free plan or trial | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 |

## Features

| Feature | Greptile | HOL Guard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full-Codebase Context | Yes | Not listed |
| Parallel Review Agents | Yes | Not listed |
| Custom Rules | Yes | Not listed |
| Learning from Comments | Yes | Not listed |
| Review Summaries | Yes | Not listed |
| Fix in Your Agent | Yes | Not listed |
| TREX Runtime Validation | Yes | Not listed |
| MCP Server and Claude Code Plugin | Yes | Not listed |
| Self-Hosting | Yes | Not listed |
| Pre-action interception | Not listed | Yes |
| Policy outcomes | Not listed | Yes |
| Local audit trail | Not listed | Yes |
| MCP, skills and plugin inspection | Not listed | Yes |
| Layered policy | Not listed | Yes |
| Plugin scanner | Not listed | Yes |
| Risk check | Not listed | Yes |
| Coverage matrix | Not listed | Yes |
| Broad agent support | Not listed | Yes |

## Platforms

| Platform | Greptile | HOL Guard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Web | Yes | No |
| Windows | No | No |
| macOS | No | Yes |
| iOS | No | No |
| Android | No | No |
| API | Yes | No |
| Browser Extension | No | No |
| Linux | No | Yes |
| CLI | No | Yes |

## Greptile strengths

- Reviews use a graph index of the whole repository, so findings can cover impact beyond the changed lines.
- Plain-English custom rules and learning from past pull request comments adapt reviews to team standards.
- Works with GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket, and hands findings to Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or Devin.
- Self-hosting and air-gapped deployment are available for regulated organizations.
- Free tier for one developer, free use for qualified open source, and 50% off for early startups.

## Greptile limitations

- Third-party comparisons report more false positives than some competitors; one competitor-run test claims nearly 60% of comments were nitpicks or false positives, which should be read as a rival's claim.
- Pro costs $30 per seat per month and extra credits cost $1 each, with Plus and Apex reviews using 3 and 10 credits.
- Self-hosting, SSO/SAML and GitHub Enterprise support require the custom-priced Enterprise plan.
- Focused on pull request review only; it is not an editor or coding assistant.

## HOL Guard strengths

- Open source under Apache-2.0 with public code and release history
- Works offline with no account on the free local tier
- Lets you approve or block actions instead of only logging them
- Covers MCP servers, skills, plugins and package installs, not just shell commands
- Publishes a coverage matrix and states its limits openly

## HOL Guard limitations

- Coverage depth varies by agent and event type, and some integrations are alpha
- Install instructions cover macOS and Linux; Windows support is not stated
- Cloud tiers add cost, and annual prices are not listed
- Site has no visible terms or company address on the product page

## FAQ

**Is Greptile better than HOL Guard?**

It depends on your workflow. Greptile is built for automated pull request review on large codebases, enforcing team coding standards, feeding review findings to coding agents. HOL Guard is built for approving risky agent actions locally, Protecting secrets from coding agents, Reviewing MCP servers, skills and plugins before use.

**What are the key feature differences between Greptile and HOL Guard?**

Greptile: AI code review that checks every pull request against your full codebase context. HOL Guard: Local approvals for AI coding agent actions before they touch your machine.

**Does Greptile or HOL Guard have a free plan?**

Yes, both do. Greptile is freemium and HOL Guard is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

**Which is cheaper, Greptile or HOL Guard?**

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.