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CircleCI vs Buildkite vs AppVeyor Comparison

Last updated:

CircleCI

4.3(988 reviews)

Starting at $39 /Month

  • Free Trial
  • Large Enterprises
  • Medium Business

CircleCI is a hosted continuous integration service for building and testing software. It supports multiple languages. CircleCI includes direct project management, traceability, code reviewing, test automation, build sta…

Buildkite

4.5(36 reviews)

Starting at $15 /User/Month

  • Free Trial
  • Large Enterprises
  • Medium Business

Continuous Integration Software that provides real-time, browser based access and visibility into the build pipeline allowing user to inspect, test and debug the software in real time. Create a build pipeline with webhoo…

AppVeyor

4.4(46 reviews)

Starting at $29

  • Free Trial
  • Large Enterprises
  • Medium Business

AppVeyor allows user to set up a fully automated continuous integration/deployment process on Windows. It supports multiple configurations, allows user to build projects in Visual Studio or on the command line, run unit…

Buildkite leads on user satisfaction with a 4.5-star rating across 36 reviews.

CircleCI vs Buildkite vs AppVeyor — at a glance

FeatureCircleCIBuildkiteAppVeyor
Rating4.3 / 54.5 / 54.4 / 5
Reviews9883646
Starting price$39 /Month$15 /User/Month$29
Free trial Yes Yes Yes
Free version No No No
Best forLarge Enterprises, Medium Business, Small BusinessLarge Enterprises, Medium Business, Small BusinessLarge Enterprises, Medium Business, Small Business
CategoryContinuous Integration SoftwareContinuous Integration SoftwareContinuous Integration Software
PlatformsSaaS/Web/Cloud, Mobile - Android, Mobile - iOS, Installed - Windows, Installed - MacSaaS/Web/CloudSaaS/Web/Cloud
APIAvailableAvailable
Support modes24/7 (Live rep), Business Hours, OnlineOnlineOnline
CertificationsSOC 2, GDPR, ISO 27001SOC 2, GDPRGDPR
Data residencyGlobalGlobalUS

Key differences between CircleCI and Buildkite

  • Pricing: CircleCI starts at $39 /Month, while Buildkite starts at $15 /User/Month.
  • User satisfaction: Buildkite scores higher with a 4.5-star average.
  • Deployment: CircleCI supports SaaS/Web/Cloud, Mobile - Android, Mobile - iOS, Installed - Windows, Installed - Mac; Buildkite supports SaaS/Web/Cloud.

Compare CircleCI vs Buildkite vs AppVeyor — and walk away knowing which one fits.

01

Which tool fits your team best

02

Which is actually cheaper for your team size

03

Where each product wins, per real buyers

Most Continuous Integration Software tools look identical on paper. This comparison cuts to the differences that matter — pricing structure, team fit, and what real buyers found after signing up.

CircleCI - Continuous Integration Software
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Buildkite - Continuous Integration Software
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AppVeyor - Continuous Integration Software
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Biggest differences

Start here before you go deeper into features.

CircleCI

Best for small to medium teams needing user-friendly, flexible CI/CD pipelines.

Choose if
  • You want easy pipeline creation with YAML and excellent documentation support.
  • You need real-time project insights including job branches and commit history.
  • You value SSH access to build machines for direct debugging during builds.
Consider alternatives if
  • Your enterprise requires advanced audit and compliance features.
  • You need highly customizable or complex pipeline configurations beyond medium complexity.

Buildkite

Best for scalable, customizable CI pipelines with hybrid self-hosted and SaaS model.

Choose if
  • You need flexible, non-disruptive plugin development within your CI workflow.
  • Your team requires real-time browser-based build visibility and debugging.
  • You want a hybrid solution combining self-hosting security with SaaS efficiency.
Consider alternatives if
  • Your organization demands extensive customer support and onboarding assistance.
  • You have a small team without dedicated DevOps or engineering resources.

AppVeyor

Best for streamlined Windows-based CI/CD with strong Visual Studio integration.

Choose if
  • You develop primarily on Windows and need seamless Visual Studio support.
  • You want a hosted CI service that requires minimal infrastructure management.
  • Your team values easy setup and clear documentation for quick pipeline configuration.
Consider alternatives if
  • You require cross-platform CI/CD support beyond Windows environments.
  • You need high-speed concurrent builds on free or low-tier plans.

CircleCI: Best for small to medium teams needing user-friendly, flexible CI/CD pipelines. Buildkite: Best for scalable, customizable CI pipelines with hybrid self-hosted and SaaS model.

Description

CircleCI is a hosted continuous integration service for building and testing software. It supports multiple languages. CircleCI includes direct project management, traceability, code ... Read More about CircleCI

Continuous Integration Software that provides real-time, browser based access and visibility into the build pipeline allowing user to inspect, test and debug the software in real time. ... Read More about Buildkite

AppVeyor allows user to set up a fully automated continuous integration/deployment process on Windows. It supports multiple configurations, allows user to build projects in Visual Studio or ... Read More about AppVeyor

Entry Level Pricing

  • Starts from $39
  • Starts from $15
  • Starts from $29

Free Trial Availability

Spotsaas Score

What's this? ↗

9.8/10

8.8/10

8.8/10

User Ratings

Based on verified Spotsaas reviews

4.5

(36)

4.4

(46)

Best Company Size

Small BusinessMedium Business
51-500 employees500+ employees
Small BusinessMedium Business
Get pricing help
Get pricing help
Get pricing help

Software Demo

Demo

No software demo available

Buildkite has not given any software demo yet

If you're the owner of this profile, add your demo.Contact us

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Step 1 of 4

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How do CircleCI, Buildkite and AppVeyor Compare on Features?

Total Features

6 Features

5 Features

7 Features

Unique Features

No unique features

No unique features

No unique features

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Compare CircleCI, Buildkite and AppVeyor on pricing

Review starting price, plan structure, and free-trial access side by side so you can see which option fits your budget and buying process.

Pricing Option

        Starting From

        • $39
        • $15
        • $29

        Pricing Plans

        • Not Available
        • Not Available

        Pricing Page

        CircleCI pricing
        Buildkite pricing
        AppVeyor pricing

        Other Details

        Organization Types supported

        • Large Enterprises
        • Freelancers
        • Small Business
        • Individuals
        • Medium Business
        • Large Enterprises
        • Freelancers
        • Small Business
        • Individuals
        • Medium Business
        • Large Enterprises
        • Freelancers
        • Small Business
        • Individuals
        • Medium Business

        Platforms Supported

        • Browser Based (Cloud)
        • Mobile - iOS
        • Installed - Windows
        • Mobile - Android
        • Installed - Mac
        • Browser Based (Cloud)
        • Browser Based (Cloud)
        • Mobile - iOS
        • Installed - Windows
        • Mobile - Android
        • Installed - Mac
        • Browser Based (Cloud)
        • Browser Based (Cloud)
        • Mobile - iOS
        • Installed - Windows
        • Mobile - Android
        • Installed - Mac
        • Browser Based (Cloud)

        Modes of support

        • 24/7 (Live rep)
        • Business Hours
        • Online
        • 24/7 (Live rep)
        • Business Hours
        • Online
        • 24/7 (Live rep)
        • Business Hours
        • Online

        API Support

        • Available
        • Not Available
        • Available
        Get help choosing
        Get help choosing
        Get help choosing

        Security & Compliance

        Certifications, data handling, and security controls for IT and compliance evaluators.

        SOC 2

        ✓ Yes
        ✓ Yes

        HIPAA

        ✗ No
        ✗ No
        ✗ No

        GDPR

        ✓ Yes
        ✓ Yes
        ✓ Yes

        ISO 27001

        ✓ Yes
        ✗ No

        Single Sign-On (SSO)

        ✓ Yes
        ✓ Yes
        ✓ Yes

        Multi-Factor Auth (MFA)

        ✓ Yes
        ✓ Yes
        ✓ Yes

        Data Encryption

        ✓ Yes
        ✓ Yes
        ✓ Yes

        Audit Logs

        ✓ Yes
        ✓ Yes

        Data Residency

        🌐 Global
        🌐 Global
        🇺🇸 US

        CircleCI vs Buildkite User Reviews & Rating Comparison

        User Ratings

        Rating Distribution

        187

        84

        12

        0

        0

        22

        2

        0

        0

        0

        16

        7

        1

        0

        0

        Spotsaas Editor’s POV generated by AI

        Buyer sentiment

        Overall positive sentiment highlights CircleCI's ease of use, insightful interface, and effective integration, tempered by concerns over pricing clarity and occasional performance issues.

        What buyers like

        • Ease of use
        • Insightful workflow and commit tracking
        • Robust documentation and integration

        Common complaints

        • Complex initial setup
        • Inconsistent test execution and slow servers

        Buyer sentiment

        Overall positive sentiment highlighting ease of customization, plugin flexibility, and integration capabilities, tempered by concerns over occasional outages and limited support.

        What buyers like

        • Ease of customization
        • Plugin architecture
        • Integration flexibility

        Common complaints

        • Service reliability
        • Customer support limitations

        Buyer sentiment

        Users appreciate AppVeyor's ease of setup and Windows integration but note limitations in speed and platform support.

        What buyers like

        • Ease of setup
        • Windows platform integration
        • Hosted service convenience

        Common complaints

        • Build speed limitations
        • Platform restrictions

        Pros and Cons

        • User-friendly interface with unique insights into workflows and commit history

        • Free tier with substantial credits and SSH access to build machines for debugging

        • Easy pipeline creation using YAML files and excellent documentation

        • Audit features are less robust compared to enterprise-grade alternatives

        • Docker layer cache credits can run out quickly, impacting build speed

        • Easy and non-disruptive plugin building with strong support

        • User-friendly interface with intuitive customization and secure secret management

        • Flexible integration with existing tools and customizable resource management

        • Occasional service outages impacting reliability

        • Limited customer service support requiring workarounds

        • Automates testing and notifications, improving project quality and efficiency

        • Clear documentation enabling easy setup for Windows projects

        • Hosted service removes need to manage infrastructure

        • Slower build speeds on free plans due to lack of concurrent jobs

        • Limited to Windows platform, lacking cross-platform support

        Positive Reviews

        No reviews available for the product

        No reviews available for the product

        No reviews available for the product

        List of Customers

        Customers

        No Customers information available.

        No Customers information available.

        Facebook

        Facebook

        Microsoft

        Microsoft

        Google

        Google

        Media and Screenshots

        Screenshots

        screenshots

        3 Screenshots

        1 Screenshots

        Test 1

        4 Screenshots

        Videos

        video-0

        3 Videos

        No videos available.

        video-0

        2 Videos

        Alternatives

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        Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].

        Frequently asked questions

        Which is better, CircleCI or Buildkite?
        Buildkite edges out the other on user ratings (4.5 vs 4.3). That said, the best pick depends on your use case — use the comparison tables above to evaluate each dimension.
        Do CircleCI and Buildkite offer a free trial?
        Yes, both CircleCI and Buildkite offer a free trial.
        What is the starting price of CircleCI vs Buildkite?
        CircleCI starts at $39 /Month. Buildkite starts at $15 /User/Month.
        What are the top alternatives to CircleCI?
        Top alternatives to CircleCI include Codeship, Semaphore, GitLab, Bamboo, AutoRABIT CI.
        What are the top alternatives to Buildkite?
        Top alternatives to Buildkite include Codeship, GitLab, CircleCI, Bamboo, AutoRABIT CI.

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