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Developer Tools · head to head

Jenkins vs KnowBe4

Jenkins logo

Jenkins

Developer Tools

A self-hosted automation server that can build almost anything, through a plugin ecosystem that is also its main liability.

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit JenkinsFull review
KnowBe4 logo

KnowBe4

Cybersecurity

From
$1/month
Free plan
No
Visit KnowBe4Full review

The short version

  • Jenkins is free; KnowBe4 starts at $1/mo.
  • Only Jenkins lists plugin ecosystem; only KnowBe4 lists security awareness training.
  • Where KnowBe4 falls short: published prices assume a three year term, so the quoted per seat rate depends on a long commitment.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Jenkins and KnowBe4 actually diverge.

Attributes where Jenkins and KnowBe4 differ
AttributeJenkinsKnowBe4
Starting priceFree$1/month
Pricing modelOpen-sourceSubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, macOS, Self-hostedWeb, iOS, Android, Email
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity
Founded20112010

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 Jenkins

  • Plugin ecosystem
  • Distributed agents
  • Declarative and scripted pipelines
  • Shared libraries
  • Configuration as Code
  • Credentials management
  • Self-hosted anywhere
  • Multibranch and organisation folders

Only in KnowBe4

  • Security awareness training
  • Phishing simulation
  • Risk assessments
  • Compliance training
  • Incident reporting
  • API access
  • Custom policies
  • Behavior analytics

What people use each for

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

Jenkins

  • Builds that must touch physical hardware, such as embedded devices, test rigs or signing modules attached to a specific machinenot KnowBe4
  • Air-gapped or heavily regulated environments where a hosted CI runner cannot be used at allnot KnowBe4
  • Toolchains that hosted CI does not support, including node-locked commercial licences for EDA, CAD or simulation softwarenot KnowBe4
  • Organisations with years of existing Jenkins pipelines where the migration cost currently outweighs the operational cost of stayingnot KnowBe4

KnowBe4

  • Security awareness training and simulated phishing for staffnot Jenkins
  • Tracking employee susceptibility to phishing over timenot Jenkins

Where each one falls short

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

Jenkins

  • The controller is stateful and, in the open source distribution, has no high availability: build history, configuration and plugin state live on one filesystem, so every plugin upgrade and core update is downtime for every team using it, and a controller disk failure is a restore-from-backup event
  • Capability comes from around 1,900 community plugins of very uneven maintenance, and the Jenkins security team regularly publishes advisories for plugins whose maintainer has gone; in some cases the advisory itself states that no fix is available and the only remedy is to stop using it
  • Plugin upgrades are coupled: one plugin can require a newer core or a newer version of another plugin, so applying a single security fix cascades into a coordinated upgrade of a dozen components on a timetable you did not choose
  • Pipelines are Groovy running under a sandbox and a continuation-passing-style transformation, so ordinary Groovy constructs sometimes fail in non-obvious ways, and the debugging skill you build transfers to no other CI system
  • It is free to licence and expensive to run: somebody must own the controller, the agents, the Java version, the credentials store and the plugin upgrade cycle, and that recurring staff cost is the usual reason organisations move to hosted CI even when Jenkins works
  • Leaving is costly by construction, because shared libraries, plugin-specific pipeline steps and accumulated freestyle jobs have no mechanical translation into GitHub Actions or GitLab CI, so the migration is a rewrite whose price grows every year you defer it

KnowBe4

  • Published prices assume a three year term, so the quoted per seat rate depends on a long commitment
  • Pricing is banded by seat count, and the lowest band of 25 to 50 seats pays the highest rate
  • Accounts above 1,000 seats have no published price and require a custom quote
  • Third party integrations, Compliance Plus and PhishER Plus are all separately priced per seat add ons
  • The Foundation tier carries 200 training modules against more than 1,000 on Advanced, so content volume is the main gate

Pricing, plan by plan

Jenkins

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Unlimited builds
    • 1000+ plugins
    • Self-hosted
  • CloudBees CIOn request
    • Enterprise features
    • High availability
    • Role-based access

KnowBe4

$1/month
  • Basic$1/mo
    • Per user
    • Training modules
    • Phishing templates
  • Advanced$2/mo
    • All Basic features
    • Advanced phishing
    • Risk assessments
  • Pro$3/mo
    • All Advanced features
    • API access
    • Custom content

Which should you pick?

Choose Jenkins if

  • You need plugin ecosystem.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted.
  • You also want distributed agents.
Jenkins review

Choose KnowBe4 if

  • You need security awareness training.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Email.
  • You also want phishing simulation.
KnowBe4 review

Questions people ask

Is Jenkins or KnowBe4 better?
Neither clearly leads. Jenkins starts at Free and KnowBe4 at $1/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Jenkins or KnowBe4?
Jenkins has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Jenkins and $1/month for KnowBe4.
Does Jenkins or KnowBe4 run on more platforms?
Jenkins runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted. KnowBe4 runs on Web, iOS, Android, Email.
Can I use Jenkins for free?
Yes. Jenkins has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. KnowBe4 starts at $1/month.
What is Jenkins best used for?
Jenkins is most often used for builds that must touch physical hardware, such as embedded devices, test rigs or signing modules attached to a specific machine, air-gapped or heavily regulated environments where a hosted ci runner cannot be used at all, toolchains that hosted ci does not support, including node-locked commercial licences for eda, cad or simulation software, organisations with years of existing jenkins pipelines where the migration cost currently outweighs the operational cost of staying. Of those, builds that must touch physical hardware, such as embedded devices, test rigs or signing modules attached to a specific machine and air-gapped or heavily regulated environments where a hosted ci runner cannot be used at all are not what KnowBe4 is typically brought in for.
What can Jenkins do that KnowBe4 cannot?
Jenkins covers Plugin ecosystem, Distributed agents, Declarative and scripted pipelines, Shared libraries. KnowBe4 covers Security awareness training, Phishing simulation, Risk assessments, Compliance training.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Jenkins: Why choose Jenkins over GitHub Actions or GitLab CI?

When the build needs something hosted runners cannot give you: physical hardware, an air-gapped network, a node-locked commercial tool licence, or an unusual platform. If none of those apply, hosted CI is usually less work to own.

KnowBe4: What does KnowBe4 cost per employee?

KnowBe4 charges per seat per month on a subscription basis. For 51-100 employees, SAT Foundation costs $2.13/month per seat and SAT Advanced costs $3.40/month per seat. Prices decrease with larger employee counts.

Source
Jenkins: Can Jenkins run in high availability?

Not in the open source distribution, which runs a single active controller. High availability and active-active controllers are features of CloudBees' commercial products. Open source deployments mitigate it with fast restores and, sometimes, multiple independent controllers.

KnowBe4: Does KnowBe4 offer a free trial?

KnowBe4 does not offer a full free version, but free tools are available separately including assessments and simulators.

Source
Jenkins: How risky are the plugins?

This is the main operational risk. Many plugins have a single volunteer maintainer, and Jenkins publishes security advisories for unmaintained plugins where no fix exists. Auditing which plugins you depend on and who maintains them should be a periodic task, not a one-off.

KnowBe4: Are there add-on costs beyond the base plan?

Yes, optional add-ons include Third-Party Integrations ($1.10-$1.20/seat/month), Compliance Plus ($0.82-$0.93/seat/month), PhishER Plus ($1.15-$1.50/seat/month), and Student Edition ($0.17/seat/month).

Source
Jenkins: Do I need to know Groovy?

For declarative pipelines you can go a long way without it. Anything involving shared libraries, conditional logic or custom steps is Groovy, and it runs in a sandboxed, transformed environment where standard Groovy idioms sometimes behave unexpectedly.

KnowBe4: What currencies does KnowBe4 accept?

KnowBe4 accepts pricing in USD, AUD, BRL, CAD, EUR, GBP, SGD, and ZAR.

Source
Jenkins: What does it cost?

The software is free under the MIT licence. The cost is infrastructure and staff time to run controllers, agents and upgrades, plus a CloudBees subscription if you want high availability, support or centralised management of many controllers.

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