Best The Plumber Alternatives in 2026
The top The Plumber alternatives are Datadog Test Optimization, Mergify and Jenkins: 15 CI failure analysis and flaky test tools our editors would look at instead of The Plumber, in our ranking order.
The Plumber: The Plumber turns failed GitHub Actions runs into code-level root-cause reports. Where it falls short: works only with GitHub actions and GitHub repositories.
Switching from The Plumber? For most ci failure analysis and flaky test tools buyers the best The Plumber alternative is Datadog Test Optimization, built for teams needing mature, broad flaky-test management. On a budget, FailBrief starts at $9/mo. Mergify has a free plan.
Why People Look for a The Plumber Alternative
- Works only with GitHub Actions and GitHub repositories
- Does not detect flaky tests or provide test quarantine
- Free usage is limited to 5 analyses per month
- No flaky test detection — 9 of the alternatives below have it
- No test quarantine — 1 of the alternatives below has it
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallDatadog Test Optimization9.2
Teams needing mature, broad flaky-test management
Visit Datadog Test Optimization - Lowest priceFailBrief7.6
Paid plans from $9/mo
Visit FailBrief - Best free optionMergify8.8
Has a free plan
Visit Mergify - Best for flaky test detectionMergify8.8
Flaky test detection (The Plumber: no)
Visit Mergify
All 15 The Plumber Alternatives, Ranked
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.
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Best forTeams needing mature, broad flaky-test management
- Better than The Plumber:
- Editor score 9.2 vs 6.9
A broad CI test toolkit for finding, managing, and investigating flaky tests.
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Datadog -
Best forGitHub-centric teams managing flaky tests and merges
- Better than The Plumber:
- Flaky test detection
- Editor score 8.8 vs 6.9
Combines flaky-test analysis and quarantine with merge queues and CI workflows.
- Flaky test detection
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Mergify -
Best forTeams building self-managed CI pipelines
- Better than The Plumber:
- Editor score 7.9 vs 6.9
Flexible self-managed CI infrastructure, but not a dedicated flaky-test analysis tool.
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Jenkins -
Best forTeams seeking free flaky-test detection and quarantine
- Better than The Plumber:
- Flaky test detection
- Editor score 7.9 vs 6.9
Free flaky-test detection with quarantine, failure analysis, and broad CI support.
- Flaky test detection
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Trunk -
Best forBuild-tool teams needing cross-build flake detection
- Better than The Plumber:
- Flaky test detection
- Test quarantine
- Editor score 7.9 vs 6.9
Cross-build fingerprints and quarantine workflows help teams manage flaky tests across CI.
- Test quarantine
- Flaky test detection
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Develocity -
Best forTeams wanting broad flake analytics and quarantine
- Better than The Plumber:
- Flaky test detection
- Editor score 7.9 vs 6.9
Broad flake analysis and quarantine, starting at $99/month with no free plan.
- Flaky test detection
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit BuildPulse -
Best forPlaywright teams wanting rich failure artifacts
- Better than The Plumber:
- Flaky test detection
- Editor score 7.9 vs 6.9
A Playwright-led CI analysis suite with rich artifacts, flake monitoring, and self-hosting.
- Flaky test detection
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Currents -
Best forTeams needing self-hosted flake analytics and artifacts
- Better than The Plumber:
- Flaky test detection
- Editor score 7.9 vs 6.9
Deep flake diagnostics and artifacts with cloud or self-hosted deployment.
- Flaky test detection
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Flakiness.io -
Best forTeams focused on visual-test flakes and review
- Better than The Plumber:
- Editor score 7.8 vs 6.9
A visual-diff review workflow with flaky-test detection, built around your CI setup.
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Argos -
Best forTeams combining test management with failure analysis
- Better than The Plumber:
- Flaky test detection
- Editor score 7.7 vs 6.9
A broad test-management suite with useful flaky-test and failure-analysis capabilities.
- Flaky test detection
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Qualflare -
Best forSmall teams wanting low-cost GitHub Actions analysis
- Better than The Plumber:
- Flaky test detection
- Editor score 7.6 vs 6.9
A low-cost GitHub Actions analyzer for root causes, fixes, trends, and flaky tests.
- AI fix suggestions
- Failure root-cause analysis
- Flaky test detection
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit FailBrief -
Best forDevelopers debugging reproducible local test flakes
- Better than The Plumber:
- Editor score 7.5 vs 6.9
A local CLI and GitHub Action for reproducing and analyzing flaky test failures.
7.5/10★★★★☆Explore Flake -
Best forTeams needing AI build diagnosis across CI providers
- Better than The Plumber:
- Editor score 7.4 vs 6.9
A cross-provider CI failure analyst with root-cause guidance, but no listed flaky-test workflows.
- AI fix suggestions
- Failure root-cause analysis
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Daxtack -
Best forTeams seeking AI diagnosis and fix suggestions for CI
- Better than The Plumber:
- Editor score 7.3 vs 6.9
AetherCI uses AI to diagnose CI failures, suggest fixes, and connect delivery context.
- AI fix suggestions
- Failure root-cause analysis
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit AetherCI -
Best forResearchers localizing flaky faults in test suites
- Better than The Plumber:
- Flaky test detection
- Editor score 7.2 vs 6.9
A research-oriented tool for rerunning tests and localizing flaky faults.
- Failure root-cause analysis
- Flaky test detection
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit FlaPy
The Plumber Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to The Plumber?
Datadog Test Optimization: #1 in our CI Failure Analysis And Flaky Test Tools ranking, with an editor score of 9.2 out of 10. A broad CI test toolkit for finding, managing, and investigating flaky tests.
Is there a free alternative to The Plumber?
Yes. Mergify, Jenkins, Trunk Flaky Tests, Flakiness.io and Argos have a free plan or a free tier (11 of the 15 alternatives on this page).
What is the cheapest paid alternative to The Plumber?
Of the alternatives here that publish a price, FailBrief starts lowest, at $9/mo.
Why do people look for The Plumber alternatives?
Works only with GitHub Actions and GitHub repositories; Does not detect flaky tests or provide test quarantine; Free usage is limited to 5 analyses per month.
How do I switch from The Plumber?
Export your data from The Plumber (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel The Plumber.
How to Switch from The Plumber
- Export your data from The Plumber (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel The Plumber.
The Plumber vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Flaky test detection | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | The Plumber | Yes | No | 6.9 | |
| 1 | Datadog Test Optimization | No | $20/user/mo | 9.2 | |
| 2 | Mergify | Yes | $21/seat/mo | Yes | 8.8 |
| 3 | Jenkins | Yes | Free | 7.9 | |
| 4 | Trunk Flaky Tests | Yes | Yes | 7.9 | |
| 5 | Develocity Flaky Tests | No | Yes | 7.9 | |
| 6 | BuildPulse | No | $29/seat/mo | Yes | 7.9 |
| 7 | Currents | No | $49/mo | Yes | 7.9 |
| 8 | Flakiness.io | Yes | $49/mo | Yes | 7.9 |
| 9 | Argos | Yes | $100/mo | 7.8 | |
| 10 | Qualflare | Yes | $16/user/mo | Yes | 7.7 |
| 11 | FailBrief | Yes | $9/mo | Yes | 7.6 |
| 12 | Flake | Yes | Free | 7.5 | |
| 13 | Daxtack | Yes | $25/mo | 7.4 | |
| 14 | AetherCI | Yes | $99/mo | 7.3 | |
| 15 | FlaPy | Yes | Free | Yes | 7.2 |
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Nov 2026
Last updated · How we research and update