release-plz
release-plz: A Rust-focused release tool that handles versioning, changelogs, tags, and publishing. Ranked #4 of 29 in Release Automation Tools by our editors (7.9/10); pricing: Free plan; best for rust workspaces releasing across multiple Git hosts.
At a glance
- Editor score7.9 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forRust workspaces releasing across multiple Git hosts
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Semantic versioningYes
- Facts checked5 Oct 2026
Where it wins
- Derives version bumps from Conventional Commits and API-breaking-change checks
- Supports Cargo workspaces and changelog generation with git-cliff
- Creates releases on GitHub, Gitea, or GitLab and publishes to Cargo registries
Where it doesn't
- Focused on Rust packages rather than general-purpose release workflows
- Release pull requests are opened from CI, so teams need a CI workflow for that step
- Support channels listed are documentation
Our verdict on release-plz
For Rust developers maintaining individual crates or Cargo workspaces, release-plz automates the path from Git history to published packages. It analyzes Conventional Commits and checks for API-breaking changes to determine version updates. It can generate or update changelogs with git-cliff, open release pull requests from CI, create Git tags, and publish packages to Cargo registries. The command-line tool can also run locally to update manifests and changelogs, giving maintainers a choice between local use and CI-driven releases.
Its ecosystem fit is a defining strength: release-plz supports GitHub, Gitea, and GitLab, alongside Cargo registries including crates.io. It can update dependencies with cargo update before releasing, and its listed integrations include cargo-semver-checks. This makes it relevant to Rust projects that need releases across more than one Git host, rather than only a GitHub-centered flow. The tool is open source and supports Linux, macOS, and Windows, as well as self-hosted deployment.
The scope is deliberately Rust-oriented: release-plz handles Cargo packages, not a broad range of languages or artifact types. Teams also need to account for the CI setup if they want it to open release pull requests; the official quickstart documents a GitHub Actions workflow. Its support channel is documentation. Choose release-plz if Cargo versioning, changelogs, Git-host releases, and registry publishing belong in one workflow. Teams seeking general-purpose release automation beyond Rust packages should look elsewhere.
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release-plz pricing
release-plz fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Semantic versioning | Yes |
| Changelog generation | Yes |
| Release note automation | Yes |
| Release artifacts | Rust Cargo packages (.crate) |
| Source platforms | GitHub, Gitea, GitLab |
| Package registries | Cargo registries (including crates.io) |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Linux, macOS, Windows |
| Support | Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 7 integrations: GitHub, Gitea, GitLab, Cargo registries, crates.io, git-cliff … |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | release-plz.dev |
| Facts checked | 5 Oct 2026 |
release-plz integrations
release-plz lists 7 integrations on its own site.
- GitHub
- Gitea
- GitLab
- Cargo registries
- crates.io
- git-cliff
- cargo-semver-checks
Alternatives to release-plz
- semantic-releaseAn open-source CI release tool that turns commit history into versions, notes, and published releases.9.1
- LernaLerna combines monorepo task orchestration with npm package versioning and publishing.8.1
- release-itA flexible release CLI that handles Git workflows, release notes and npm publishing.7.9
See all release-plz alternatives →
release-plz vs the competition
- release-plz vs semantic-release
- release-plz vs Lerna
- release-plz vs release-it
- release-plz vs FerrFlow
- release-plz vs Auto
- release-plz vs Python Semantic Release
Compare release-plz with any tool side by side →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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