A Comprehensive Guide to CI/CD Tools in 2025

Struggling to choose the right CI/CD tool?

We've researched and compiled a comprehensive list of the best CI/CD tools plus insights on when to use each one. 

In today's fast-paced software landscape, understanding CI/CD pipeline tools and selecting the right fit is more crucial than ever.

With 85% of top tech companies leveraging CI/CD pipelines in their core products, it's clear that these tools are essential for staying competitive. 

Yet, many organizations struggle to find the right solution, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities.

Those who have successfully implemented CI/CD report a 50% reduction in software delivery costs, a significant advantage. 

And in 2023, 68% of DevOps teams took it a step further by integrating security tools directly into their pipelines, highlighting the increasing complexity and importance of these systems.

Our latest blog breaks down what CI/CD pipeline tools are and how to choose the best options for 2025, so your team can streamline delivery and maximize performance.

What Are CI/CD Tools?

So what are CI/CD Tools?

CI/CD tools help you set up automations to test and deploy your software and speed up the development process.

These tools play a crucial role in the DevOps workflow, helping to manage everything from code integration to final deployment, ensuring a smooth and efficient development lifecycle.

Why Opt For Them?

Table 1 - Key benefits of CI/CD tools: faster development, improved code quality, reduced manual tasks, and better collaboration.

Best CI/CD Tools In 2025

1. GitLab

GitLab CI is a highly regarded tool for continuous integration and delivery, compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux.

It combines various functionalities into a single, user-friendly dashboard, offering Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, Code Reviews, and Continuous Deployment. 

The interface is designed to be accessible and easy to navigate.

A notable feature of GitLab CI is its caching capability, which significantly reduces build times. 

This cache can be utilized across different branches within the same project, though it can be disabled for specific tasks if necessary.

GitLab CI is an excellent choice for developers because it supports builds using the Shell Executor, similar to running terminal-based programs. 

This flexibility allows for the creation of custom pipelines and ensures an easy transition from other CI/CD tools.

Key Features

• Branch Management: View, create, and manage code and project data with branching tools.
• Version Control: Leverage a distributed version control system to facilitate rapid iteration in designing and managing projects.
• Collaboration: Centralized collaboration tools offer a unified source of truth and scalability.
• CI Automation: Streamlines the CI process by automating source code builds, integration, and verification.
• Security: Provides robust security options, including container scanning, SAST, DAST, and dependency scanning, to ensure compliance and safety.

License

GitLab CI is available in both free and paid versions.

Why You Should Consider Using Gitlab?

GitLab simplifies software development by offering an integrated DevOps platform that combines version control, CI/CD, and project management in one place. 

Its YAML-based pipelines are easy to configure, making automation seamless. 

With scalability for any project size and extensive third-party integrations, GitLab optimizes workflows. 

Additionally, real-time monitoring ensures better visibility and traceability.

2. TeamCity

TeamCity is a building management and continuous integration server created by JetBrains.

Designed as a continuous integration tool, TeamCity facilitates the building and deployment of various project types. 

It operates within a Java environment and seamlessly integrates with Visual Studio and other IDEs. 

The tool is compatible with both Windows and Linux servers and supports .NET as well as open-stack projects.

The 2019.1 release of TeamCity introduced a refreshed user interface and native integration with GitLab. 

It also added support for GitLab and Bitbucket server pull requests. 

New features include token-based authentication, detection and reporting of Go tests, and AWS Spot Fleet request handling.

Key Features

• Configurable Settings Reuse: Reuse settings and configurations from parent projects in subprojects.
• Parallel Build Support: Runs builds concurrently across different environments.
• Historical Build Management: View, pin, tag, and favorite historical builds and test reports.
• Customizable and Extendable: Highly customizable with options for interaction and extension.
• CI Server Stability: Ensures consistent and reliable server functionality.
• Flexible User Management: Includes role assignments, user grouping, multiple authentication methods, and a comprehensive activity log.

License

TeamCity is a commercial tool, offering both free and paid licenses.

Why You Should Consider Using TeamCity

TeamCity offers built-in support for multiple IDEs, eliminating the need for extra plugins. 

Its detailed documentation ensures easy setup, while its cross-platform compatibility makes it a flexible choice. With a free tier available, it’s accessible to all team sizes. 

Moreover, its real-time failure notifications provide clear insights to quickly resolve build issues.

3. Bamboo

Bamboo is a continuous integration server designed to automate the release management of software applications, facilitating the creation of a continuous delivery pipeline. 

It handles tasks such as building, functional testing, version assignment, release tagging, and deploying new versions to production environments.

Key Features

• Scalable Build Agents: Supports up to 100 remote build agents.
• Parallel Test Execution: Runs batches of tests in parallel for quick feedback.
• Docker Image Management: Creates and pushes Docker images to registries.
• Per-Environment Permissions: Allows on-demand deployments while securing production.
• Automatic Branch Detection: Detects new branches and applies the main line's CI scheme.
• Flexible Build Triggers: Initiates builds based on various triggers like repository changes and notifications.

License

Bamboo's pricing is based on the number of build agents, allowing for concurrent processing in multiple builds.

Why You Should Consider Using Bamboo

Bamboo simplifies CI/CD by seamlessly integrating with Git, Mercurial, Bitbucket, and Jira, ensuring efficient version control and workflow management. 

It automatically applies CI rules to new branches and merges branches before running tests. With real-time analytics, teams can quickly assess and refine processes. 

Bamboo also supports end-to-end quality management, release tracking, and modular deployments. 

Its intuitive interface, pre-built functionalities, and on-demand staging environments make it easy to set up and scale. 

Designed for speed and efficiency, Bamboo minimizes the need for plugins while ensuring fast, reliable builds and streamlined deployment processes.

4. CircleCI

CircleCI is a CI/CD automation platform designed to streamline software development and deployment processes. 

It enables users to automate their entire pipeline, from code integration and testing to deployment.

CircleCI can automatically build code when updates are committed to GitHub, GitHub Enterprise, or Bitbucket. 

It offers both a cloud-based solution for continuous integration and the option to run on private, firewall-protected infrastructure.

Key Features

• Integration Support: Connects with Bitbucket, GitHub, and GitHub Enterprise.
• Language Compatibility: Supports a wide range of languages, including JavaScript, .NET, C++, PHP, Ruby, and Python.
• Flexible Build Environments: Runs builds using either containers or virtual machines.
• Efficient Debugging: Facilitates easy debugging and rapid testing.
• Custom Notifications: Provides personalized email and IM notifications.
• Deployment Options: Supports both continuous and branch-specific deployment.
• Performance Optimization: Offers customizable caching and parallelism for enhanced speed.
• Automation and Custom Commands: Automates merging processes and supports custom commands for package uploads.

License

CircleCI is an open-source CI/CD tool.

Why You Should Consider Using CirlceCI

CircleCI is a powerful and flexible CI/CD platform designed to accelerate software delivery. It offers fast execution speeds, allowing teams to build, test, and deploy efficiently. 

With built-in security and compliance features, sensitive data remains protected throughout the pipeline. 

CircleCI supports custom workflows and integrations, making it adaptable to various development needs. Its scalability ensures consistent performance as projects grow. 

Additionally, teams benefit from expert support for onboarding and optimization. 

With 6,000 free build minutes per month, CircleCI enables teams to streamline development while maintaining reliability and security.

5. Buddy

Buddy is a CI/CD automation tool designed to streamline the building, testing, and deployment of websites and applications. 

It integrates with GitHub, Bitbucket, and GitLab, utilizing Docker containers with pre-installed languages and frameworks, along with DevOps, monitoring, and notification features.

Key Features

• Advanced Optimization: Utilizes smart change detection, parallelism, and state-of-the-art caching for enhanced performance.
• Customizable Environments: Allows for the creation, customization, and reuse of build and test environments.
• Attachable Services: Supports a variety of services including Elastic, PostgreSQL, RabbitMQ, Redis, MariaDB, Memcached, MongoDB, and Selenium for comprehensive testing.
• Real-Time Monitoring: Provides real-time progress updates and logs with unlimited history.
• Workflow Management: Features templates for exporting, cloning, and importing workflows for streamlined pipeline management.

License

Buddy is a commercial tool, with an option for a free trial version.

Why You Should Consider Using Buddy

Buddy is a streamlined CI/CD tool designed to automate development workflows with precision and ease. 

It enables developers to build applications in Docker containers, ensuring consistency across environments. 

With predefined actions for popular technologies like Node.js, setting up pipelines requires minimal effort. 

Buddy supports automated deployment to multiple platforms, including FTP, S3, and Google Cloud, making it a versatile solution. 

Along with this, it allows users to execute server-side operations via SSH, such as restarting services or updating databases. 

Its maintenance mode feature ensures seamless user communication during updates, making it an efficient choice for modern development teams.

6. Azure DevOps

Azure DevOps, formerly known as Visual Studio Team Services, is a suite of tools from Microsoft tailored for DevOps teams. 

It offers not only CI/CD capabilities but also features repos and agile project management boards.

Azure DevOps stands out for its CI/CD feature, Pipelines, which is compatible with any cloud. 

For enhanced functionality, it can be seamlessly integrated with Azure tools such as Azure Boards for project management, Repos for Git repositories, Test Plans for manual and exploratory testing, and Artifacts for package management.

Key Features 

• Container Support: Native support for containers facilitates high-performance parallel jobs and scalable tests with minimal effort.
• Agile Planning: Azure Boards allows detailed sprint planning and workflow prediction for efficient pipeline management.
• Integration with Azure Services: Offers native integration with Azure products like Functions, Web Apps, and Container Registry.
• Pre-Built Integrations: Includes pre-built connections for GitHub, Slack, Jenkins, Kubernetes, SonarCloud, Docker Hub, and Google Cloud.

License

Azure DevOps offers a free plan and paid options starting from $52 per user per month.

Why You Should Consider Using Azure DevOps

Azure DevOps fosters a collaborative development environment, bringing together developers, project managers, and contributors to streamline software delivery. 

It enables organizations to accelerate product development compared to traditional methods. 

Teams can choose between cloud-based Azure DevOps Services or on-premises Azure DevOps Server, depending on their needs. 

With integrated tools accessible via a web browser or IDE, Azure DevOps simplifies workflows and enhances productivity. 

Whether using the full suite of services or integrating select features into existing processes, Azure DevOps offers a flexible and efficient solution for modern software development.

7. Travis CI

Travis CI is a continuous integration solution designed to build and test projects by automatically detecting and processing new contributions from GitHub. 

It supports numerous programming languages.

Key Features

• Quick Setup: Rapidly configure and start CI processes.
• Live Build Views: Monitor GitHub projects with real-time build status.
• Multi-Cloud Deployment: Deploy to various cloud services.
• Pre-Installed Databases: Access a range of pre-configured database services.
• Automatic Deployments: Automatically deploy upon successful builds.
• Clean VMs: Each build runs in a fresh virtual machine.
• Cross-Platform Support: Compatible with all operating systems.

License

Travis CI offers a paid plan for testing private projects on Travis-ci.com.

Why You Should Consider Using Travis CI

Travis CI provides a user-friendly interface, accessible via the web, CLI, or API, for building and managing CI/CD pipelines with ease. 

It allows developers to design, configure, and maintain pipelines efficiently, ensuring better quality and full control over the process. 

With a straightforward user-based pricing model, teams can accurately plan for CI/CD costs. 

Additionally, its extensive API and open-source tools offer flexibility, enabling teams to create customized CI/CD workflows tailored to their specific needs. 

Travis CI’s simplicity and adaptability make it a strong choice for teams looking to streamline their software development processes.

8. Codeship

Codeship is a hosted platform designed to facilitate frequent and automated software releases. 

It aims to enhance product development by streamlining the testing and deployment processes.

Key Features

• Flexible Integrations: Connects with a wide range of tools, services, and cloud environments.
• User-Friendly Interface: Offers an intuitive UI and fast, comprehensive developer support.
• Optimized Performance: Accelerates builds and deployments with a turnkey environment.
• Customizable AWS Instances: Allows selection of AWS instance size, CPU, and memory according to needs.
• Team and Permission Management: Configures teams and permissions with an integrated notification center.
• Enhanced Monitoring: Provides seamless third-party integrations, smart notification management, and project dashboards for a comprehensive project overview.

License

Codeship offers up to 100 builds per month for free, with unlimited builds starting at $49 per month. Options for additional concurrent builds or larger instance sizes are available.

Why You Should Consider Using Codeship

Codeship simplifies the CI/CD process, enabling developers to deliver code efficiently and reliably. 

Its quick setup allows projects to be configured within minutes using either a web interface or CLI, with additional customization available through YAML files or graphical editors. 

Security and compliance are prioritized, with encryption and adherence to standards like SOC 2 and GDPR. 

Codeship enhances build speed by caching dependencies, leveraging Docker containers, and running tests in parallel. 

With its flexibility, it supports various tools, technologies, and cloud platforms, making it a versatile choice for teams looking to streamline their deployment pipelines.

9. Wercker

Wercker is an ideal platform for developers working with Docker or starting new Docker-based projects. 

It supports CI/CD, microservices, and Docker, making it a robust choice for development teams.

Key Features

• Git Integrations: Connects with GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, and other version control systems.
• Local Environment Replication: Use Wercker CLI to replicate the SaaS environment locally for debugging and testing pipelines.
• Docker Integration: Enables building minimal containers with Docker to keep sizes manageable.
• Walterbot Chatbot: Interact with build notifications and status updates through the Walterbot chatbot.
• Secure Environment Variables: Keeps sensitive information protected with environment variables.
• Advanced Security Features: Includes source code protection, the option to disable test logs, protected environment variables, and customizable user and project permissions.

License

After Oracle's acquisition, Wercker's pricing information has not been disclosed.

Why You Should Consider Using Wercker

Wercker simplifies CI/CD by integrating with popular tools like Slack and HipChat, along with major version control systems such as GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. 

Its user-friendly web dashboard provides a seamless experience, while its CLI support allows teams to manage workflows directly from their local machines. 

Wercker’s Steps Marketplace offers prebuilt task templates, reducing manual effort and helping developers focus on core development tasks. 

With its flexibility and automation, Wercker enhances deployment efficiency, making it a reliable choice for teams looking to streamline their software delivery pipelines.

10. GoCD

Developed by ThoughtWorks, GoCD is an open-source tool designed for building and releasing software with modern CI/CD infrastructure support.

Key Features

• Configurable Dependencies: Set up dependencies for quick feedback and on-demand deployments.
• Trusted Artifacts: Each pipeline instance is linked to a specific changeset for reliability.
• End-to-End Workflow Control: Provides comprehensive visibility and control from commit to deployment.
• Pipeline Visualization: Easily view upstream and downstream dependencies.
• Flexible Deployment: Deploy any version of your application at any time.
• Version Management: Deploy known good versions to any desired location.
• Bill of Materials: Generate a simple bill of materials for any deployment using the Compare Builds feature.
• Configuration Templates: Maintain clean configurations by reusing pipeline setups with GoCD’s template system.
• Extensive Plugin Support: Offers a wide range of plugins for enhanced functionality.

License

Available as a free, open-source tool.

Why You Should Consider Using GoCD

GoCD simplifies complex workflows with parallel and sequential execution, ensuring efficient dependency management for quick feedback and streamlined deployments. 

Its artifact promotion feature allows teams to pass verified binaries between stages, ensuring consistency and reliability. 

The Value Stream Map provides complete visibility into the entire workflow, making it easy to track changes and troubleshoot issues. 

With manual deployment triggers, teams can deploy any stable version at any time, enhancing control and security. 

Additionally, GoCD supports parallel test execution across platforms, helping teams quickly identify and resolve build failures for a more efficient CI/CD process.

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FAQs

1. Which CI CD tool is most popular?

GitHub Actions

As the most widely used CI/CD tool globally, GitHub Actions enables you to build, test, and deploy code directly from GitHub. 

It integrates with various tools to automate every step of your development workflow.

2. How to choose CI/CD tool?

Selecting the right CI/CD tool involves considering several key factors:

• Project Requirements:

Evaluate your project's specific needs, such as the programming languages, frameworks, and environments you use.

Ensure the tool supports these requirements effectively.

• Integration Capabilities:

Look for a tool that integrates seamlessly with your existing tools and services, including version control systems, cloud providers, and deployment platforms.

• Ease of Use:

Consider the tool’s user interface and ease of setup.

A tool that is intuitive and user-friendly can save time and reduce the learning curve.

• Scalability:

Choose a tool that can grow with your project, handling increasing workloads and more complex workflows as your development needs evolve.

• Cost:

Evaluate the pricing structure to ensure it fits within your budget.

Some tools offer free plans with limited features, while others may have tiered pricing based on usage or team size.

• Community and Support:

Assess the availability of support and community resources.

A robust community and comprehensive support can be invaluable for troubleshooting and best practices.

• Security and Compliance:

Ensure the tool adheres to your organization's security and compliance requirements, providing features like secure storage of credentials and data protection.

By carefully considering these factors, you can select a CI/CD tool that aligns with your development goals and enhances your workflow efficiency.

3. Which CI CD tool is easy to learn?

GitHub Actions is known for its ease of learning, particularly if you're already familiar with GitHub. 

Its integration with GitHub's interface simplifies setup and management, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced developers.

Another option could be CircleCI, which is also recognized for its user-friendly experience. 

Its straightforward setup and intuitive interface, along with extensive documentation and tutorials, make it a great choice for those new to CI/CD.