Bitrise vs Jenkins
See how Jenkins stacks up against Bitrise at every stage of the mobile development lifecycle, so you can make the right choice for your team.
Which platform is best for mobile CI/CD?
Bitrise is a complete mobile DevOps platform with fully-managed cloud runners, preset workflows for iOS and Android, and integrated release management. Jenkins is flexible and open-source, but requires self-hosted infrastructure, plus extensive plugin management and custom scripting to handle mobile builds.
Setup
| Bitrise CI | Jenkins | |
|---|---|---|
| Project scanner |  Automatically detects project type and sets up basic config and workflow accordingly |  Some automatic configuration if an existing Jenkinsfile is detected |
| Integration with repo |  All major Git providers including GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, and Bitbucket | All major Git providers including GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps and Bitbucket |
| No-code UI | Drag-and-drop UI for setting up graph pipelines, workflows and configuring steps | Limited GUI available via Blue Ocean plugin (not part of core Jenkins and no longer being updated) |
| YAML config | Yes, as well as drag-and-drop UI | Pipelines are primarily defined using a Groovy-based syntax in a Jenkinsfile |
| Modular YAML config | Modularize any part of the YAML with simple include keyword | Modularity is implemented using Shared Libraries written in Groovy |
| Built-in steps and integrations | Extensive ecosystem of thousands of plugins, many no longer maintained | |
| Step/integration origin | 170+ official mobile focused steps Hundreds of mobile-focused community steps | Limited mobile-focus, most plugins are community and third-party, with some maintained by the Jenkins project |
| Fastlane integration | Natively built into Bitrise, steps available to reduce dependency on fastlane | Requires manual setup and configuration |
Build
| Bitrise CI | Jenkins | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting options | Cloud runners, private cloud runners, on-premise runners, on your AWS account | Typically self-hosted and self-managed, but can be manually extended to cloud services via plugins |
| Data center locations for Cloud runners | US (default), EU | No cloud runners offered |
| Build machines | macOS: up to 14 vCPU (M4 Pro) Granular sizing lets you select best price/performance machines for your use case | No cloud runners offered |
| Build environments | Virtualized Linux, macOS Mobile-focused stack including Apple and Android SDKs and simulators | Any environment can be set up, but everything has to be built from scratch and self-maintained |
| Latest Xcode update delay | Historically <24 hours (not an SLA) | Not applicable |
| Concurrent builds | Up 1,000+ concurrent VMs on Enterprise plans | Not determined by Jenkins, limit depends on underlying hardware resources of your build machines |
| Dependency caching | Tightly integrated, mobile-optimized key-based caches with prebuilt steps for all major mobile dependency managers including SPM, CocoaPods, Carthage, Gradle, Flutter, and npm/Yarn | Has to be manually set up using plugins like Job Cacher, or using the native caching behaviour of specific package or dependency managers |
| Remote build caching | Standalone colocated build caching for Bazel, Gradle and Xcode reduces build times by up to 90% (add-on product) | Not natively supported, possible through manual configuration of native build tool caching functionality, where available |
| Code signing (iOS and Android) | Fully automated via dedicated workflow steps and a secure portal for handling code signing assets | Can be achieved through extensive manual configuration of plugins and integrating with fastlane |
Testing
| Bitrise CI | Jenkins | |
|---|---|---|
| Device testing | Built-in steps for unit and UI testing via Firebase, run on real devices for iOS and emulators for Android | Integration with external device testing platforms supported via plugins |
| Test sharding | Fully automated in Bitrise, including shard optimization calculation | Natively supported through configuration in the Jenkinsfile, with shard optimization possible with plugins |
| Test reports | All test data is collected automatically and displayed on a centralized build page dashboard, plus report sharing via GitHub PR comments | Configuration and setup relies on plugins, test data from multiple plugins for different types of tests unlikely to be consolidated |
| Test artifacts, including screenshots | Available directly in Test Reports, artifacts/screenshots available in line with the associated test case | Can be retained with correct setup and config, not simple to access, requires setup and maintenance of plugins |
| Flaky test detection | Automatically flagged based on test retries, available in Test Reports | No native functionality, setting up and maintaining plugins is the only option in job page |
| Firebase Test Lab licence | Fully included, no additional cost | Not included |
Monitoring
Bitrise Insights | Jenkins | |
|---|---|---|
| Build monitoring | Standard key usage and performance metrics, plus mobile-focused metrics including flaky test and artifact storage metrics | Core basic stats available in Web UI dashboard. Blue Ocean plugin provides monitoring but has been in maintenance mode since 2021. Other plugins offer subsets of its functionality. |
| Test performance | Out-of-the-box test reporting for mobile app tests, including flaky test detection | Relies on external plugins |
| Bottleneck identification | Automatically highlights problematic workflows and tests and most impactful optimizations | Relies on external plugins, some manual analysis can be performed using the Pipeline Stage View |
| Git collaboration metrics | Standard metrics including cycle time and merge frequency for GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket Cloud | Relies on external plugins |
| Resource utilization | Standard overall infrastructure utilization metrics | Very limited native information, relies on external plugins |
| Custom dashboards | Built-in, pick from any available Insights metrics | External plugins required for meaningful results |
| Alerting | Advanced, metric-based alerts, including workflow duration, test failure rate and build queue time | Plugins and custom scripts required, standard approach is manual scripted addition to Jenkinsfile |
Release
Bitrise Release Management | Jenkins | |
|---|---|---|
| Automated app store deployment | User-friendly interface to automate submission to Apple App Store, TestFlight, and Google Play Console | Technically possible, but relies on combination of plugins, scripting, and external tools |
| Over-the-air (OTA) distribution | Distribute private and public install links to testers, bypassing the app stores | Technically possible, but relies on combination of plugins, scripting, and external tools |
| Tester groups | Automatically notify and distribute installable artifacts to testers | Technically possible, but relies on combination of plugins, scripting, and external tools |
| Phased rollouts | Simplified and managed within the platform UI | Via fastlane integration with manual setup and scripting |
| Unified release management dashboard | Native, mobile-first release dashboard | No equivalent concept |
| Release stages | Predefined steps for the release process, including Release Candidate, Testing, Approvals, and Release | Release phases can be manually defined and managed as custom stage directives within the Jenkinsfile |
| Built-in approval gates | Assignable approval tasks to enforce internal processes prior to publishing apps | Technically possible, but relies on combination of plugins, scripting, and external tools |
| Status notifications | Automated updates on release progress through Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc. | Plugins required |
| Role-based permissions | Define who can manage and approve app submissions (Release Manager, App Tester, Project Admin) | Technically possible, but relies on combination of plugins, scripting, and external tools |
| Release presets | Predefined configuration values for new releases, including release notes | No equivalent concept |
| Localized release notes | Built-in support | No equivalent concept |
| Release management API | High-level comprehensive API, functionality matches GUI | Platform API only, supports base platform functionality |
Support
Bitrise | Jenkins | |
|---|---|---|
| Support team | Specialized support for mobile DevOps from mobile CI/CD experts on selected plans | Not available, possible to purchase support packages from third-party consultants |
| Dedicated mobile expert Solution Architect | Available on selected plans | Not available |
Pricing
Bitrise Pro and Enterprise | Jenkins | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay-per-build pricing, longer build times don’t increase costs. | Free open source software, but doesn't include cost of self-hosting, maintenance, and lack of support |
| Predictability and budgeting | Pre-paid packages with set number of builds at fixed monthly or annual prices | Internal engineering resources required to manage, maintain and support the platform |
Security
Bitrise | Jenkins | |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 2 Type II Attestation | | |
| GDPR | | |
| ISO 27001 | Selected vendors and suppliers | |
Compliance is the responsibility of the organization implementing and managing the Jenkins server
"Keeping our machines running with Jenkins became a major burden. With Bitrise, stability is no longer a concern. The uptime has been fantastic, to the point where we don't even think about it any more. ”
Dennis Coldwell
Director of Engineering @ Redfin
Why mobile teams switch to Bitrise
Built for mobile, end to end
Connect your GitHub repos in minutes, and get native signing, simulators, device testing, and store submissions. All without stitching tools together.
Faster builds, less effort
Cut build times without weeks of configuration, with high‑spec Apple silicon runners and a unique co-located remote build cache.
Automated releases
Ship to the App Store and Google Play, distribute OTA betas, manage approvals and roles, and track release status, all from one simple dashboard
Painless code signing
Get secure, automated iOS and Android signing workflows, and remove one of the biggest recurring blockers for fast releases.
Easy bottleneck detection
Test reports and build insights let you quickly pinpoint flaky tests, slow steps, and queue bottlenecks, with alerts and dashboards ready-to-go on day one.
Predictable pricing
Build‑based pricing means fast builds are better for everyone, plus easier forecasting and flexible concurrency to support more complex apps.
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