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Head-to-head · Continuous Integration Software

CircleCI vs Semaphore

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score CircleCI #4 in Continuous Integration Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit CircleCI
Semaphore #8 in Continuous Integration Software 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Semaphore

CircleCI leads on 1 check, Semaphore on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreCircleCI · 9.0/10
  • Free planboth

CircleCI scores higher on our rubric for continuous integration software: 9.0 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #8.

CircleCI leads on parallel jobs: 80 jobs versus 20 jobs. On pipeline configuration, Semaphore gives you Both where CircleCI offers Yaml.

CircleCI is the better fit for teams needing advanced test CI. Semaphore is the better fit for teams wanting visual workflows and self-hosting.

  • CircleCI fits best

    Teams needing advanced test CI

  • Semaphore fits best

    Teams wanting visual workflows and self-hosting

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature CircleCI 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Semaphore 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.6
Ranking #4 in Continuous Integration Software #8 in Continuous Integration Software
Best for Teams needing advanced test CI Teams wanting visual workflows and self-hosting
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $15/mo $0.0025/unit usage-based
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs, Tickets, Email Email, Community, Docs · 24/7
Compliance SOC 2, GDPR, SSO/SAML, 2FA SOC 2, SSO/SAML
Integrations 3 integrations 6 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features CircleCI 4/4 · Semaphore 4/4
Hosted option ✓ ✓
Self-hosted runners ✓ ✓
Pull request checks ✓ ✓
Artifact or dependency cache ✓ ✓
Specs
Parallel jobs 80 jobs (best) 20 jobs
Included build minutes Not checked yet Not checked yet
Pipeline configuration Yaml Both
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
  • YAML and visual workflow configuration support both code-first and visual setup
  • Parallel jobs, caching, artifacts, and test reporting support faster feedback
  • Self-hosted agents and Community Edition support customer-managed infrastructure
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
  • Usage-based compute pricing makes monthly costs dependent on consumption
  • The managed plan has 20 concurrent jobs by default
  • Advanced workflows may require managing YAML, visual configuration, or self-hosted agents
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 →

Semaphore is a continuous integration and delivery platform for software development teams. It connects GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket repositories to workflows that build, test, release, and deploy applications. Teams can define pipelines…

Read the review →
  1. CircleCIContinuous Integration Software 9.0Free plan
  2. SemaphoreContinuous Integration Software 8.6Free plan

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

  • Semaphore — where it wins

    • YAML and visual workflow configuration support both code-first and visual setup
    • Parallel jobs, caching, artifacts, and test reporting support faster feedback
    • Self-hosted agents and Community Edition support customer-managed infrastructure

    Where it doesn't

    • Usage-based compute pricing makes monthly costs dependent on consumption
    • The managed plan has 20 concurrent jobs by default
    • Advanced workflows may require managing YAML, visual configuration, or self-hosted agents

More comparisons

All continuous integration software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update