Development Tools · head to head
Buildkite vs Bitbucket
Buildkite
Development Tools
CI/CD pipelines that run on your own compute
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Bitbucket
Development Tools
Git code management for professional teams
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Buildkite free plan caps at 5 users and 10 concurrent jobs, with 2,000 Linux vCPU minutes per month and 30 day build retention; Bitbucket limited build minutes compared to GitHub Actions - free tier capped at 50 minutes/month vs unlimited on GitHub
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Buildkite and Bitbucket actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Development Tools).
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Buildkite
No use cases recorded yet. See the Buildkite review.
Bitbucket
- Hosting Git repositories for a software teamnot Buildkite
- Running CI and deployments with Bitbucket Pipelinesnot Buildkite
- Code review with branch permissions and access controlsnot Buildkite
- Linking commits to Jira issues and updating their status automaticallynot Buildkite
- Security scanning through Snyk and partner integrationsnot Buildkite
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Buildkite
- Free plan caps at 5 users and 10 concurrent jobs, with 2,000 Linux vCPU minutes per month and 30 day build retention
- Pro plan is $30 per active user per month, capped at 50 users, with only 10 of the up to 250 concurrent agents included before extra usage
- Enterprise plan enforces a 30 user minimum even though pricing itself is custom
- Hosted compute beyond included minutes is metered at $0.004 per vCPU minute on Linux and $0.02 per vCPU minute on Mac
Bitbucket
- Limited build minutes compared to GitHub Actions - free tier capped at 50 minutes/month vs unlimited on GitHub
- Reliability issues with frequent outages reported by users
- No native way to execute Bitbucket Pipeline YAML files locally for testing
- Smaller ecosystem and community compared to GitHub
Pricing, plan by plan
Buildkite
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Buildkite review.
Bitbucket
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 5 users
- Unlimited repositories
- 1 GB storage
- Standard$3.65/month
- 2,500 pooled build minutes
- All Bitbucket features
- Premium$7.25/month
- 3,500 build minutes
- Merge checks
- IP allowlisting
Which should you pick?
Questions people ask
- Is Buildkite or Bitbucket better?
- Neither clearly leads. Buildkite starts at Free and Bitbucket at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Buildkite or Bitbucket?
- Buildkite starts at Free and Bitbucket at Free.
- Does Buildkite or Bitbucket run on more platforms?
- Buildkite runs on Web. Bitbucket runs on Web, Data Center.
- Can I use Buildkite for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Bitbucket: Does Bitbucket offer a free tier?
Yes. The Free plan supports up to 5 users with 1 GB of file storage for LFS, 50 build minutes per month, and unlimited public and private repositories. The plan can be upgraded anytime.
SourceBitbucket: Can I self-host Bitbucket?
Yes. Bitbucket Data Center is available for self-hosted deployments starting at $2,300 per year. It provides teams with complete control of their environments and disaster recovery capabilities.
SourceBitbucket: How many build minutes do I get with Bitbucket Pipelines?
Free plan includes 50 build minutes per month. Standard plan ($3.65/user/month) includes 2,500 pooled build minutes. Premium plan ($7.25/user/month) includes 3,500 build minutes. Additional minutes can be purchased in $10 packs for 1,000 minutes.
SourceBitbucket: Does Bitbucket integrate with Jira?
Yes. Bitbucket integrates natively with Jira, allowing you to track associated builds and deployments to Jira work items. It also integrates with Slack, Compass, and VS Code.
Source