# Best CI/CD Platforms in 2026 Source: https://listme.name/best/ci-cd-platforms CI/CD platforms differ on where they run, what they cost and how much they run for you. This ranking favors platforms with a free start and clear pricing, then weighs self-hosting options and how closely each one ties to a code host. ## 1. GitHub Actions (score 92.0) The default CI for GitHub repositories, free for public repositories and with included minutes by plan. Its workflows depend on GitHub, so it does not help teams that host code elsewhere. - Best for: Projects already on GitHub - Free plan, paid upgrades | Web - Website: https://github.com/features/actions - Page: https://listme.name/software/github-actions ## 2. GitLab (score 90.5) Source control, CI/CD and planning in one product, with a free tier for personal projects and an MIT-licensed Community Edition. Premium is $29 per user a month, and advanced security sits on the custom-priced Ultimate plan. - Best for: Code hosting plus CI in one product - Free plan, paid upgrades | Web, Self-hosted | open source (MIT) - Website: https://about.gitlab.com/ - Page: https://listme.name/software/gitlab ## 3. CircleCI (score 87.0) A hosted CI platform with a Free Cloud Server plan of 30,000 credits a month and machine sizes for each job. Costs rise with credit use, and the Scale plan starts with a sales demo. - Best for: Hosted CI with control over machine size - Pay as you go | Web - Website: https://circleci.com/ - Page: https://listme.name/software/circleci ## 4. Buildkite (score 85.5) Runs jobs on your own agents or on hosted Linux agents billed per minute, with a Free plan for up to five active users. Pro is $30 per active user a month, and the platform is not open source. - Best for: CI on your own infrastructure - Free plan, paid upgrades | Web - Website: https://buildkite.com/ - Page: https://listme.name/software/buildkite ## 5. Azure Pipelines (score 85.0) Microsoft's CI/CD service inside Azure DevOps, with one free parallel job of 1,800 build minutes per organization each month. It fits teams on Azure or Microsoft tooling, and extra parallel jobs and users add cost. - Best for: Teams on Azure and Microsoft tooling - Free plan, paid upgrades | Web - Website: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/devops/pipelines - Page: https://listme.name/software/azure-pipelines ## 6. Bitbucket Pipelines (score 84.0) CI built into Bitbucket Cloud with 50 free build minutes a month and no separate CI server to run. It works only with Bitbucket Cloud repositories, and build minutes cap each plan. - Best for: Teams already on Bitbucket Cloud - Free plan, paid upgrades | Web - Website: https://www.atlassian.com/software/bitbucket/features/pipelines - Page: https://listme.name/software/bitbucket-pipelines ## 7. Jenkins (score 83.5) A free, MIT-licensed automation server with a large plugin ecosystem, for teams that want full control of their infrastructure. The servers and plugin upkeep are yours to manage. - Best for: Self-hosted CI with full control - Free and open source | Web, Self-hosted | open source (MIT) - Website: https://www.jenkins.io/ - Page: https://listme.name/software/jenkins ## 8. Semaphore (score 82.5) CI/CD service billed per minute by machine size, with $15 of free credits each month and a self-hosted rate of $0.0025 a minute. Its own comparison reports faster builds and lower cost per job, but those figures are the vendor's. - Best for: Teams that want per-minute pricing and fast builds - Pay as you go | Web - Website: https://semaphore.io/ - Page: https://listme.name/software/semaphore ## 9. Drone (score 81.5) Apache-2.0 container-based CI engine that you run on your own servers, with a cloud version offered to try. The cloud platforms here run builds for their users, while Drone suits teams that want to run the CI engine themselves. - Best for: Self-hosted CI that runs builds in containers - Free and open source | Self-hosted | open source (Apache-2.0) - Website: https://www.drone.io/ - Page: https://listme.name/software/drone ## 10. Woodpecker CI (score 80.0) An Apache 2.0 licensed, container-based CI engine that is free to self-host, with core and community plugins. It asks the team to run and secure the server. - Best for: Open-source container-based CI, self-hosted - Free and open source | Web, Self-hosted | open source (Apache-2.0) - Website: https://woodpecker-ci.org/ - Page: https://listme.name/software/woodpecker-ci ## How to choose - **Code host:** GitHub Actions suits GitHub repositories and Bitbucket Pipelines suits Bitbucket Cloud; GitLab covers its own hosting. - **Self-hosting:** Jenkins and Woodpecker CI run on your servers, and GitLab offers a self-managed edition alongside its hosted service. - **Pricing unit:** Plans are based on minutes, credits or active users, so compare the unit that matches your build volume. - **Open source:** Jenkins, Woodpecker CI and GitLab's Community Edition are open source; the other platforms here are not. ## Criteria - Free plan and pricing clarity - Fit with common code hosts - Self-hosting and control - Open-source license - Ease of setup and maintenance ## FAQ **What is the best free CI/CD platform?** GitHub Actions is free for public repositories. GitLab's Free tier suits personal projects, and CircleCI's Free Cloud Server plan includes 30,000 credits a month. **Which CI/CD tools are open source?** Jenkins is MIT-licensed, Woodpecker CI and Drone are Apache 2.0, and GitLab's Community Edition is MIT for code outside its ee/ directory. GitHub Actions, CircleCI, Buildkite and Bitbucket Pipelines are hosted services. **Which CI can run on my own servers?** Jenkins and Woodpecker CI run on your servers. GitLab can be self-managed, and Buildkite runs jobs on agents you connect. **Does GitHub Actions work with other code hosts?** GitHub Actions works with GitHub repositories, and Bitbucket Pipelines works only with Bitbucket Cloud. Teams on other hosts should check each platform's supported sources.