CircleCI vs Jenkins

CircleCI9.0Visit Jenkins8.8Visit

Higher score CircleCI #4 in Continuous Integration Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit CircleCI

vs

Jenkins #6 in Continuous Integration Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Jenkins

• CircleCI fits best

  Teams needing advanced test CI

• Jenkins fits best

  Customizable self-hosted CI

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Side by side

Feature	CircleCI 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Jenkins 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.8
Ranking	#4 in Continuous Integration Software	#6 in Continuous Integration Software
Best for	Teams needing advanced test CI	Customizable self-hosted CI
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	$15/mo	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Community, Docs, Tickets, Email	Docs
Integrations	3 integrations	7 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features CircleCI 4/4 · Jenkins 3/4
Hosted option	✓ (best)	—
Self-hosted runners	✓	✓
Pull request checks	✓	✓
Artifact or dependency cache	✓	✓
Specs
Parallel jobs	80 jobs	Not checked yet
Included build minutes	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Pipeline configuration	Yaml	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Runs jobs across Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows, GPU, Arm, and self-hosted runners Supports parallel workflows, caching, artifacts, workspaces, and test splitting Connects with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, AWS, Google Cloud, and Kubernetes	Distributed builds across controllers and agents Jenkinsfiles support pipeline-as-code workflows Plugin model connects development and delivery tools
Cons	Paid usage is based on credits rather than a fixed build-minute allowance The Scale plan uses customizable pricing instead of a listed monthly price Advanced support options cost extra on the Performance and Scale plans	No hosted CI execution option Plugin configuration can add operational complexity Pull-request workflows depend on supported plugins
Our verdict	CircleCI is a continuous integration and delivery platform for software teams that need automated builds, tests, and deployment workflows. Teams define pipelines in YAML through a .circleci/config.yml file, connect supported… Read the review →	Jenkins is an open-source automation server for building, testing, delivering, and deploying software. It suits development and operations teams that want to install and operate their own continuous integration and continuous delivery… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• CircleCI — where it wins

  • Runs jobs across Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows, GPU, Arm, and self-hosted runners
  • Supports parallel workflows, caching, artifacts, workspaces, and test splitting
  • Connects with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, AWS, Google Cloud, and Kubernetes

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid usage is based on credits rather than a fixed build-minute allowance
  • The Scale plan uses customizable pricing instead of a listed monthly price
  • Advanced support options cost extra on the Performance and Scale plans

• Jenkins — where it wins

  • Distributed builds across controllers and agents
  • Jenkinsfiles support pipeline-as-code workflows
  • Plugin model connects development and delivery tools

  Where it doesn't

  • No hosted CI execution option
  • Plugin configuration can add operational complexity
  • Pull-request workflows depend on supported plugins

• CircleCI9.0/10 · Free plan

  A flexible CI platform for teams that need broad environments and advanced test workflows.

  Visit CircleCIFull verdict →
• Jenkins8.8/10 · Free plan

  A flexible self-hosted CI server for teams that want pipeline control and extensibility.

  Visit JenkinsFull verdict →