Is CircleCI or TeamCity better?

Neither clearly leads. CircleCI starts at Free and TeamCity at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, CircleCI or TeamCity?

CircleCI starts at Free and TeamCity at Free.

Does CircleCI or TeamCity run on more platforms?

CircleCI runs on Web. TeamCity runs on web, windows, mac, linux, api.

Can I use CircleCI for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is CircleCI best used for?

CircleCI is most often used for continuous integration pipelines for application code, parallel test execution across containers, docker-based builds with layer caching, deployment pipelines with approval gates. Of those, continuous integration pipelines for application code and parallel test execution across containers are not what TeamCity is typically brought in for.

What can CircleCI do that TeamCity cannot?

TeamCity covers Build Chains, Parallel Test Execution, VCS Integration, Build History & Analytics.

Testing · head to head

CircleCI vs TeamCity

CircleCI

Testing

The leading CI/CD platform

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

TeamCity

Software Development

JetBrains continuous integration and delivery server

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: CircleCI the free plan covers 6,000 build minutes and 5 active users a month; TeamCity detailed pricing requires visiting a calculator and isn't transparent on the main pricing page.
Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CircleCI and TeamCity actually diverge.

Attributes where CircleCI and TeamCity differ
Attribute	CircleCI	TeamCity
Pricing model	subscription	freemium
Platforms	Web	web, windows, mac, linux, api
Category	Testing	Software Development
Founded	2011	Unknown

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 CircleCI

Nothing recorded that TeamCity does not also cover.

Only in TeamCity

Build Chains
Parallel Test Execution
VCS Integration
Build History & Analytics
Docker & Kubernetes Support
Access Control

What people use each for

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

CircleCI

Continuous integration pipelines for application codenot TeamCity
Parallel test execution across containersnot TeamCity
Docker-based builds with layer cachingnot TeamCity
Deployment pipelines with approval gatesnot TeamCity
Self-hosted runners for private infrastructurenot TeamCity

TeamCity

Running build and test pipelines for enterprise software teamsnot CircleCI
Self-hosting CI/CD infrastructure behind a firewallnot CircleCI
Coordinating multi-stage build chains with dependenciesnot CircleCI
Scaling build capacity with additional agentsnot CircleCI

Where each one falls short

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

CircleCI

The free plan covers 6,000 build minutes and 5 active users a month
Active users are billed at $15 each beyond the included five, and an active user is anyone who commits to a project
Everything runs on credits, so compute, Docker layer caching at 200 credits a job and IP ranges at 450 credits per GB all draw from the same pool
Network and storage overage costs 420 credits per GB
Free credits expire monthly with no rollover, and paid credits expire after a year
Scale is annual billing only

TeamCity

Detailed pricing requires visiting a calculator and isn't transparent on the main pricing page.
Self-hosted setup and agent management require more operational overhead than fully managed CI/CD services.
Additional build agents and users are priced incrementally, which can add up for larger teams.
The UI and configuration model have a steeper learning curve compared to YAML-first CI tools.

Pricing, plan by plan

CircleCI

Free

FreeFree
- Up to 6,000 build minutes (small Docker resource class)
- Up to 5 active users per month
- 30,000 free credits per month
Performance$15/month
- 30,000 credits included monthly
- 5 active users included (additional users $15/month each)
- 80x concurrency
Scale$null/year
- Custom number of credits
- Customizable user limits
- Unlimited concurrency

TeamCity

Free

Free TierFree
- Includes 3 build agents
- 100 build configurations
- On-premises or Cloud
TeamCity Cloud / On-Premises$undefined/month
- Priced per additional build agent
- Additional users on Cloud plans
- Enterprise support options

Which should you pick?

Choose CircleCI if

You want to start without paying.

CircleCI review

Choose TeamCity if

You need build chains.
You want to start without paying.
You work on web, windows, mac, linux, api.
You also want parallel test execution.

TeamCity review

Questions people ask

Is CircleCI or TeamCity better?: Neither clearly leads. CircleCI starts at Free and TeamCity at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CircleCI or TeamCity?: CircleCI starts at Free and TeamCity at Free.
Does CircleCI or TeamCity run on more platforms?: CircleCI runs on Web. TeamCity runs on web, windows, mac, linux, api.
Can I use CircleCI for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is CircleCI best used for?: CircleCI is most often used for continuous integration pipelines for application code, parallel test execution across containers, docker-based builds with layer caching, deployment pipelines with approval gates. Of those, continuous integration pipelines for application code and parallel test execution across containers are not what TeamCity is typically brought in for.
What can CircleCI do that TeamCity cannot?: TeamCity covers Build Chains, Parallel Test Execution, VCS Integration, Build History & Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CircleCI: How much does CircleCI Performance plan cost?

CircleCI Performance plan costs $15 USD per month and includes 30,000 credits, 5 active users, 80x concurrency, 5 GB network, and 2 GB storage. Additional users beyond 5 cost $15 each per month.

Source

TeamCity: How much does TeamCity cost?

TeamCity offers a free download option but specific pricing for commercial use is not detailed on the website. Customers must contact JetBrains for licensing and pricing information.

Source

CircleCI: Can I purchase additional credits on CircleCI Performance plan?

Yes, additional credits are available at $15 for every 25,000 credits purchased. Paid credits roll over month to month and expire after one year; free plan credits expire monthly without rollover.

Source

TeamCity: Is TeamCity free to use?

TeamCity has a free option available for download, but full pricing and licensing details require contacting JetBrains directly.

Source

CircleCI: What is included in the CircleCI free plan?

The free plan includes up to 6,000 build minutes per month (small Docker resource class), 5 active users, 30,000 free credits monthly, 30x concurrency, 1 GB network, 2 GB storage, and community support. No credit card required.

Source

CircleCI: What are the Scale plan limits and pricing?

CircleCI Scale plan offers custom pricing billed annually with unlimited concurrency, 50 GB network, 200 GB storage, customizable credits and users, enterprise controls, and GPU environment access. Requires contacting sales for a quote.

Source

CircleCI vs TeamCity

CircleCI

TeamCity

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in CircleCI

Only in TeamCity

What people use each for

CircleCI

TeamCity

Where each one falls short

CircleCI

TeamCity

Pricing, plan by plan

CircleCI

TeamCity

Which should you pick?

Choose CircleCI if

Choose TeamCity if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on CircleCI

More on TeamCity

Keep looking

Other head to heads