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Mobile Development · head to head

Appcircle vs Depot

Appcircle logo

Appcircle

Mobile Development

Mobile CI/CD platform for building, testing, and publishing apps

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Depot logo

Depot

Developer Tools

Cloud-based builds and CI runs 55x faster with less cost

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Appcircle the free Starter plan caps builds at 20 per month and 30 minutes per build, limiting use for active teams.; Depot developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development
  • They diverge on capability: Appcircle covers Mobile Build Automation, Depot covers Depot CI.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Appcircle and Depot actually diverge.

Attributes where Appcircle and Depot differ
AttributeAppcircleDepot
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Platformsweb, ios, android, apiCloud, GitHub, CLI
CategoryMobile DevelopmentDeveloper Tools
FoundedUnknown2022

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Appcircle

  • Mobile Build Automation
  • Signing Identity Management
  • Testing Distribution
  • Store Publishing Automation
  • CodePush Updates
  • Enterprise App Store
  • Microsoft Intune Integration

Only in Depot

  • Depot CI
  • Container builds
  • GitHub Actions runners
  • Distributed caching
  • Build API
  • Depot Registry
  • Cross-platform builds
  • SSH debugging

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Appcircle

  • Automating mobile app builds and signing for iOS and Androidnot Depot
  • Distributing test builds to QA and beta testersnot Depot
  • Pushing over-the-air updates without app store reviewnot Depot
  • Hosting an internal enterprise app storenot Depot
  • Self-hosting mobile CI/CD behind a firewallnot Depot

Depot

  • Accelerating Docker builds for container-based developmentnot Appcircle
  • Replacing GitHub Actions runners with faster infrastructurenot Appcircle
  • Distributing cache across Monorepo buildsnot Appcircle
  • Debugging failed CI builds interactively with SSHnot Appcircle

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Appcircle

  • The free Starter plan caps builds at 20 per month and 30 minutes per build, limiting use for active teams.
  • Corporate/on-premises pricing is not published and requires contacting sales.
  • Billing is annual with bank transfer terms, which is less flexible than monthly self-serve billing.
  • Focused specifically on mobile, so it lacks the general-purpose CI/CD features of broader platforms.

Depot

  • Developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development
  • Startup plan at $200/mo is expensive for smaller teams
  • Business plan requires custom pricing consultation
  • macOS M2 runners not available on Developer plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Appcircle

Free
  • StarterFree
    • 1 concurrent build
    • 30 minutes max build time
    • 20 builds per month
  • Corporate$undefined/month
    • Customizable limits across all modules
    • Public, private cloud, or on-premises deployment
    • SSO/LDAP support

Depot

Free
  • Developer$20/month
    • 1 user
    • 500 Docker build minutes per month
    • 2,000 Depot CI minutes per month
  • Startup$200/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 5,000 Docker build minutes per month
    • 20,000 Depot CI minutes per month
  • Business$undefined/custom
    • Custom pricing
    • Unlimited users
    • Custom monthly compute

Which should you pick?

Choose Appcircle if

  • You need mobile build automation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, ios, android, api.
  • You also want signing identity management.
Appcircle review

Choose Depot if

  • You need depot ci.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, GitHub, CLI.
  • You also want container builds.
Depot review

Questions people ask

Is Appcircle or Depot better?
Neither clearly leads. Appcircle starts at Free and Depot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Appcircle or Depot?
Appcircle starts at Free and Depot at Free.
Does Appcircle or Depot run on more platforms?
Appcircle runs on web, ios, android, api. Depot runs on Cloud, GitHub, CLI.
Can I use Appcircle for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Appcircle best used for?
Appcircle is most often used for automating mobile app builds and signing for ios and android, distributing test builds to qa and beta testers, pushing over-the-air updates without app store review, hosting an internal enterprise app store. Of those, automating mobile app builds and signing for ios and android and distributing test builds to qa and beta testers are not what Depot is typically brought in for.
What can Appcircle do that Depot cannot?
Appcircle covers Mobile Build Automation, Signing Identity Management, Testing Distribution, Store Publishing Automation. Depot covers Depot CI, Container builds, GitHub Actions runners, Distributed caching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Appcircle: What does Appcircle cost?

Appcircle offers an always-free Starter plan with limited monthly builds, and a Corporate plan with tailored, customizable limits priced through annual licensing.

Source
Depot: How much faster are Depot runners compared to GitHub Actions?

Depot runners offer 30% faster CPUs and 10x faster networking than standard GitHub-hosted runners, enabling builds to complete significantly faster.

Source
Appcircle: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

The free Starter plan includes 1 concurrent build, 30-minute max build time, 20 builds per month, 1,000 CodePush updates, and 100 Testing Distribution downloads per month.

Source
Depot: What is included in the Developer plan?

Developer plan ($20/month) includes 500 Docker build minutes, 2,000 Depot CI minutes, 2,000 GitHub Actions minutes, 25 GB storage, unlimited concurrency, and community support.

Source
Appcircle: How is billing handled on paid plans?

Corporate plans use an annual licensing model with bank transfer payments due within 30 days of invoicing, and usage against limits can be tracked in the billing dashboard.

Source
Depot: Can I use Depot with my own AWS account?

Yes, Depot Managed allows deployment within customer AWS accounts. This is available to interested customers; contact sales for details.

Source
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