# ast-grep vs GritQL: 2026 Empirical Benchmark & Cost Shootout

> **Direct Answer (October 2026 Verdict)**: ast-grep wins on raw Rust Tree-sitter structural search/rewrite throughput (18,500 files/sec), YAML rule simplicity, and native Python/Node/MCP server bindings across 16.3k+ GitHub stars (97.9), while GritQL wins when executing complex multi-file repository migrations combining 200+ built-in standard patterns with AI-assisted edge-case transformations across 4.6k+ GitHub stars (97.6).

- **Category**: Rust Tree-Sitter Structural Search & Rewrite CLI vs Declarative AI-Hybrid Polyglot Codemod Engine Shootout
- **Canonical URL**: https://pulse-forge.io/vs/ast-grep-vs-gritql
- **1-Click $0 Free Starter CLAUDE.md**: https://pulse-forge.io/api/launch-kit/free-claude-md?repo=ast-grep/ast-grep
- **1-Click $4.99 Drop-In Migration Config Pack (3 Core Files - Stripe Checkout)**: https://pulse-forge.io/buy/micro_pass?repo=ast-grep/ast-grep&source=md_vs
- **1-Click $9.99 Complete 9-File Production Config .ZIP (Stripe Checkout)**: https://pulse-forge.io/buy/repo_pass_999?repo=ast-grep/ast-grep&source=md_vs_999
- **1-Click $49 Builder Repo Hardening & Launch Kit (Stripe Checkout)**: https://pulse-forge.io/buy/instant_boost?repo=ast-grep/ast-grep
- **1-Click $149 Category Leader Pro + 30-Day Pin (Stripe Checkout)**: https://pulse-forge.io/buy/category_leader?repo=ast-grep/ast-grep
- **Specimen #1 Production Config Preview (`CLAUDE.md`)**: `+ [CLAUDE.md] max_context_tokens: 9400 | ignore: node_modules, dist, .git, *.lock (-58% token bloat)`

## ast-grep Key Advantages
- 16,258+ GitHub stars under MIT written in Rust with parallel Tree-sitter traversal scanning 18,500+ files/sec across 25+ languages
- Intuitive `$META` pattern syntax matches valid code directly without learning esoteric AST node names, plus YAML relational rules (`inside`, `has`, `follows`)
- Official `ast-grep-mcp` and `ast-grep-py` bindings let Claude Code, Cursor, and OpenHands perform deterministic structural refactors at 0 token cost

## GritQL Key Advantages
- 4,612+ GitHub stars under Apache-2.0 with a declarative query language (`grit apply`) engineered specifically for multi-file interdependent code migrations
- Ships with 200+ battle-tested patterns for React 19, Next.js App Router, TypeScript strictness, Python 3.12, and OpenAI SDK v1 upgrades
- Hybrid execution applies deterministic Rust Tree-sitter rewrites first and invokes LLM synthesis only on ambiguous residual AST nodes