Jenkins
8 Best On-Prem Jenkins Alternatives for Continuous Integration
So you’re looking for an on-premise replacement for Jenkins? Or are you looking to avoid Jenkins and need a self-managed Continuous Integration tool?
There are lots and lots of Jenkins Alternatives to choose from, but if you’re only looking for…
- Continuous Integration (CI) (no deployment/CD)
- On-premise or Self-Managed (not cloud/SaaS)
… there aren’t nearly as many options available. We found eight alternatives that meet these requirements: BuildMaster, TeamCity, Bamboo, Buddy, UrbanCode, GitLab, GitHub, Azure DevOps. We’ll talk about how they stack up.
Pricing Comparison
Jenkins is free. So the biggest consideration when teams are looking to replace Jenkins is the cost. All Jenkins alternatives cost something for medium teams and larger, but some offer free versions for small teams.
| Team Size | ||||
| Small | Medium | Large | Enterprise | |
| BuildMaster | Free | $4,495 | $9,745 | $29,995 |
| TeamCity | Free | $5,999 | $12,999 | $21,999 |
| Bamboo | $10 | $14,500 | $29,100 | $72,700 |
| Buddy | $8,400 | $16,800 | $42,000 | Custom Quote |
| Urbancode | Custom Quote (IBM does not provide pricing information) | |||
| GitLab | Free | $14,500 | $29,100 | $150,000 |
| GitHub | $5,040 | $12,600 | $25,200 | $63,000 |
| Azure DevOps | $23,280 | $58,200 | $116,400 | $291,000 |
Team size is based on Users (1-19 20-49, 50-99, 100-250+) and Remote Agents (1-9, 10-24, 25-99, 100-250+). For more details see [full article].
Features Comparison
CI is very mature, and when it comes to features, all of the tools on this list do largely the same thing. Features to look out for when considering an alternative could be:
- Jenkins adaptability
- Flexibility/Compatibility to your current CI practices
- Parallel, multi-stage build, and test plans
- Build Triggers based on commits or schedules
- Agents to run builds on other servers
Alternatively, CI/CD tools are designed to handle everything from source control to production. Most tools require you to use their pipelines and need to fully replace Jenkins to work. For those looking to automate more of their process and adopt a CI/CD tool, check out our guide and comparison here.
How to Evaluate
Pricing will most likely be the deciding factor when choosing between all these alternatives since most have nearly identical functions and will almost certainly meet your CI needs. It’s important to note however, the cost isn’t just the sticker price of the software. Because these alternatives are self-managed and on-premise, you need to also evaluate maintenance (installation, upgrades) in the total cost.
Find a tool that will work for your CI practices today and tomorrow by simply downloading and trying. Most of the alternatives have a free option so you can try them before you buy and learn which one is a good fit for your IT organization.
We think BuildMaster is a great starting point. It’s free, easy to set up, and has both Windows and Docker installation available.
