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Developer Tools · head to head

Harness vs Octopus Deploy

Harness logo

Harness

Developer Tools

Software delivery platform across CI, CD, security testing and cost management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Octopus Deploy logo

Octopus Deploy

Developer Tools

Continuous delivery and runbook automation for releases

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Harness essentials and Enterprise pricing requires sales contact; no published rates; Octopus Deploy free tier caps at 10 projects, 10 tenants, 10 machines, 10 users, 5 concurrent tasks and 1 space
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harness and Octopus Deploy actually diverge.

Attributes where Harness and Octopus Deploy differ
AttributeHarnessOctopus Deploy
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Developer Tools).

What people use each for

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

Harness

  • Deploying apps to AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud with rollbacksnot Octopus Deploy
  • Integrating security scanners throughout build pipelines before productionnot Octopus Deploy
  • Automating cloud cost reduction and tracking unit-level expensesnot Octopus Deploy
  • Enabling developers to provision infrastructure without operations bottlenecksnot Octopus Deploy
  • Assessing deployment frequency and lead time productivity metricsnot Octopus Deploy

Octopus Deploy

  • Automating software deployments across development, testing, productionnot Harness
  • Automating emergency tasks like website failover and incident responsenot Harness
  • Managing multi-tenant deployments without duplicating configurationnot Harness
  • Tracking DORA metrics and enforcing deployment approval gatesnot Harness

Where each one falls short

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

Harness

  • Essentials and Enterprise pricing requires sales contact; no published rates
  • DevOps Essentials has no on-premises deployment option
  • Internal Developer Portal requires minimum 20 developer licenses
  • Pipeline execution history retention 6 months (Essentials) vs 25 months as add-on (Enterprise)

Octopus Deploy

  • Free tier caps at 10 projects, 10 tenants, 10 machines, 10 users, 5 concurrent tasks and 1 space
  • Annual billing is the only option for both Octopus Cloud and Octopus Server; there is no monthly plan
  • Professional cloud tier is $4,330 per year and Enterprise cloud is $24,600 per year, with tenants and machines sold as add-ons beyond the free allotment

Pricing, plan by plan

Harness

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Starter platform for software delivery lifecycle
    • Open source options available (Harness Open Source, Litmus Chaos)
  • Essentials$null/month
    • Growing organizations with small to mid-size teams
    • Packaged DevOps Essentials bundle
    • Continuous software delivery capabilities
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Large-scale organizations
    • Pick any modules based on needs
    • Advanced features

Octopus Deploy

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10 projects
    • 10 tenants
    • 10 machines
  • Professional (Cloud)$4330/year
    • Up to 100 projects
    • Unlimited spaces and users
    • Tenants and machines available as add-ons
  • Professional (Server)$2080/year
    • Up to 100 projects
    • Unlimited spaces and users
    • Tenants and machines available as add-ons
  • Enterprise (Cloud)$24600/year
    • 100+ projects supported
    • Unlimited spaces and users
    • 20 concurrent tasks

Which should you pick?

Choose Harness if

  • You want to start without paying.
Harness review

Choose Octopus Deploy if

  • You want to start without paying.
Octopus Deploy review

Questions people ask

Is Harness or Octopus Deploy better?
Neither clearly leads. Harness starts at Free and Octopus Deploy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harness or Octopus Deploy?
Harness starts at Free and Octopus Deploy at Free.
Does Harness or Octopus Deploy run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Harness for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Harness best used for?
Harness is most often used for deploying apps to aws, azure, and google cloud with rollbacks, integrating security scanners throughout build pipelines before production, automating cloud cost reduction and tracking unit-level expenses, enabling developers to provision infrastructure without operations bottlenecks. Of those, deploying apps to aws, azure, and google cloud with rollbacks and integrating security scanners throughout build pipelines before production are not what Octopus Deploy is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Harness: Is there a free Harness plan?

Yes, Harness offers a free plan for individual developers and small teams with open source options including Harness Open Source and Litmus Chaos.

Source
Octopus Deploy: How much does Octopus Deploy cost?

Octopus Deploy offers a free tier at $0/year with limits on projects (10), users (10), and tenants (10). Professional plans start at $2,080/year for self-hosted or $4,330/year for cloud hosting.

Source
Harness: What are Harness's paid pricing tiers?

Harness offers Essentials for growing teams and Enterprise for large-scale organizations. Both require contacting sales for custom pricing. Pricing is based on modules and features selected.

Source
Octopus Deploy: What does the free Octopus Deploy tier include?

The free tier includes 10 projects, 10 tenants, 10 machines, 10 users, 5 concurrent tasks, 1TB file storage, 100GB database storage, and community support only.

Source
Harness: Can Harness be deployed on-premises?

Enterprise plans include self-managed platform deployment option. DevOps Essentials bundle does not offer on-premises deployment.

Source
Octopus Deploy: Can I try Octopus Deploy for free before purchasing?

Yes, a free tier is available with unlimited duration but capped usage, plus a 30-day free trial with full Enterprise features is offered to evaluate the platform.

Source
Octopus Deploy: What are the Enterprise pricing differences between Cloud and Server hosting?

Enterprise Cloud hosting costs $24,600/year and includes 20 concurrent tasks and 24/7 support. Enterprise Server self-hosted costs $15,600/year with flexible concurrent task configuration and 24/7 support.

Source
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