Is Jenkins or TeamCity better?

Neither clearly leads. Jenkins 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, Jenkins or TeamCity?

Jenkins starts at Free and TeamCity at Free.

Does Jenkins or TeamCity run on more platforms?

Jenkins runs on Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker. TeamCity runs on web, windows, mac, linux, api.

Can I use Jenkins for free?

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

What is Jenkins best used for?

Jenkins is most often used for ci/cd pipelines, automated testing, build automation, deployment automation. Of those, ci/cd pipelines and automated testing are not what TeamCity is typically brought in for.

What can Jenkins do that TeamCity cannot?

Jenkins covers Continuous integration, Continuous delivery, Pipeline as code, Distributed builds. TeamCity covers Build Chains, Parallel Test Execution, VCS Integration, Build History & Analytics.

Software · head to head

Jenkins vs TeamCity

Jenkins

Software

The leading open source automation server

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

TeamCity

Software

JetBrains continuous integration and delivery server

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Jenkins described by the vendor as the leading open source automation server and a community-driven project, with no commercial edition or license fee; TeamCity detailed pricing requires visiting a calculator and isn't transparent on the main pricing page.
They diverge on capability: Jenkins covers Continuous integration, TeamCity covers Build Chains.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Jenkins and TeamCity actually diverge.

Attributes where Jenkins and TeamCity differ
Attribute	Jenkins	TeamCity
Pricing model	open-source	freemium
Platforms	Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker	web, windows, mac, linux, api
Founded	2011	Unknown

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

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

Continuous integration
Continuous delivery
Pipeline as code
Distributed builds
Plugin ecosystem
REST API
CLI tools
Build triggers

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.

Jenkins

CI/CD pipelinesnot TeamCity
Automated testingnot TeamCity
Build automationnot TeamCity
Deployment automationnot TeamCity
Infrastructure as codenot TeamCity

TeamCity

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

Where each one falls short

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

Jenkins

Described by the vendor as the leading open source automation server and a community-driven project, with no commercial edition or license fee

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

Jenkins

Free

Open SourceFree
- Unlimited builds
- 1000+ plugins
- Self-hosted
CloudBees CI$undefined/month
- Enterprise features
- High availability
- Role-based access

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 Jenkins if

You need continuous integration.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker.
You also want continuous delivery.

Jenkins 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 Jenkins or TeamCity better?: Neither clearly leads. Jenkins 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, Jenkins or TeamCity?: Jenkins starts at Free and TeamCity at Free.
Does Jenkins or TeamCity run on more platforms?: Jenkins runs on Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker. TeamCity runs on web, windows, mac, linux, api.
Can I use Jenkins for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Jenkins best used for?: Jenkins is most often used for ci/cd pipelines, automated testing, build automation, deployment automation. Of those, ci/cd pipelines and automated testing are not what TeamCity is typically brought in for.
What can Jenkins do that TeamCity cannot?: Jenkins covers Continuous integration, Continuous delivery, Pipeline as code, Distributed builds. TeamCity covers Build Chains, Parallel Test Execution, VCS Integration, Build History & Analytics.

Jenkins vs TeamCity

Jenkins

TeamCity

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Jenkins

Only in TeamCity

What people use each for

Jenkins

TeamCity

Where each one falls short

Jenkins

TeamCity

Pricing, plan by plan

Jenkins

TeamCity

Which should you pick?

Choose Jenkins if

Choose TeamCity if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on Jenkins

More on TeamCity

Keep looking

Other head to heads