CircleCI vs Travis CI

by Gralio Mar 11, 2025

CircleCI and Travis CI are both CI/CD platforms catering to software development teams. CircleCI is a more feature-rich and versatile solution with broader integrations, while Travis CI offers a simpler, GitHub-focused approach. CircleCI is better for teams needing advanced features and flexibility, whereas Travis CI suits those prioritizing ease of use and tight GitHub integration.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 723 reviews and 60 websites, saving 4 hours, 31 minutes of reading.

CircleCI

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Travis CI

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About

CircleCI helps your developers release software faster and with fewer errors. It automates the building, testing, and deployment of software, so your teams can focus on creating great products. CircleCI supports various programming languages and integrates with popular developer tools. It's used by companies of all sizes to improve software quality and speed up delivery.

Travis CI is a cloud-based platform that helps software developers test and deploy their code automatically. It works with projects of all sizes and integrates with popular cloud platforms. Using simple instructions, developers can set up automatic testing in multiple environments. Travis CI is known for its ease of use, speed, and trusted reputation among developers. It's particularly helpful for catching errors early in the development process and speeding up software releases.

Summary

Main difference

CircleCI offers broader integrations and more comprehensive features for diverse development needs, while Travis CI excels in its simplicity and tight GitHub integration, making it ideal for GitHub-centric workflows.

Relative strengths of CircleCI (compared to Travis CI)

Wider range of integrations with various developer tools and cloud platforms.
More comprehensive features, including robust pipeline configuration and Kubernetes integration.
Stronger support for diverse programming languages and build environments.

Relative weaknesses of CircleCI (compared to Travis CI)

Can be more complex to set up and manage than Travis CI.
Pricing can be less transparent and potentially more expensive.
Occasional connectivity issues reported by some users.

What companies are using CircleCI and Travis CI?

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Who should use CircleCI VS. Travis CI

CircleCI automates software building, testing, and deployment, enabling faster releases and fewer errors. Users praise its ease of use, speed, and cloud integration capabilities. However, some have reported connectivity issues and billing complexities. Best for teams prioritizing streamlined workflows and rapid software delivery.

Travis CI is a cloud-based CI/CD platform streamlining software testing and deployment. Its ease of use and GitHub integration are praised by users, while others mention slow builds and unreliable customer service. Ideal for developers seeking automated testing and deployment.

Ideal for small, medium, and large businesses seeking to enhance software quality and delivery speed.
An excellent fit for the Software, IT, and Telecommunications industry, suitable for various other sectors.

Best for medium to large companies (100+ employees).
Excellent fit for software development teams.

CircleCI and Travis CI features

Supported

Partially supported

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Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Language Support

Supported

CircleCI supports many languages for CI/CD workflows, including Ruby, Python, Java, C++, and JavaScript.

Supported

Travis CI supports a wide range of languages including Ruby, Python, JavaScript, Java, and C++ making it versatile.
Simple CI/CD pipelines

Supported

CircleCI offers simple CI/CD pipelines with parallel and multi-environment builds, using a precise YAML syntax.

Supported

Travis CI uses .travis.yml for build configurations, supporting quick test and deployment definitions. It scales pipelines with parallel and matrix builds, offering a precise syntax for developers.
Configuration as Code

Supported

CircleCI uses a YAML configuration file for all testing automation, enhancing developer experience.

Supported

Travis CI uses a `.travis.yml` file for build configurations, supporting the Configuration as Code paradigm with version control and flexibility.
Automated testing

Supported

CircleCI fully supports automated testing within its CI/CD pipelines.

Supported

Travis CI supports automated testing, a core feature, by automatically building and testing code changes.
Kubernetes integration

Supported

CircleCI integrates with Kubernetes to automate build, test, and deployment processes.

Partially supported

Travis CI supports Kubernetes integration through custom scripts, enabling users to build, push images, and deploy to Kubernetes clusters. Native integration is not available.
Cloud integrations

Supported

CircleCI integrates with cloud providers like AWS and Azure.

Partially supported

Travis CI supports cloud integrations with AWS and Heroku, but Azure support isn't clearly detailed. It can deploy applications to AWS and Heroku.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

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Customer Service

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Ease of Use

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Reliability and Performance

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Ease of Implementation

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Scalability

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CircleCI and Travis CI Pricing

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See full Pricing page

Travis CI offers flexible pricing options including usage-based and unlimited plans. They provide a free trial for their usage-based plan. For specific pricing details for the unlimited plan and the self-hosted server option, users need to contact sales.

Plans

See full Pricing page

CircleCI and Travis CI review insights

Users love

Simple to use and integrate with other technologies.
Great documentation.
Fast and speeds up releases.
Cloud plans empower the solution.
User-friendly through configuration of YAML files.

Easy integration with GitHub; streamlines automation of builds and deployments.
Good support for a variety of languages and cloud platforms (AWS, Heroku, etc.)
Clear and concise build error messages aid quick issue resolution.
Simplified CI workflow setup.
The ability to automate the entire process of building, testing, and deploying software
It can be easily connected to a GitHub repository, making it easy to automate builds and deployments and guarantee the quality of the code with tests.
Travis CI mainly helps us quickly build and deploy applications without the overhead to maintain build servers and agents.
I like the ease to setup the CI for automating the deployments in the different applications
Excellent cloud-based solution for CI/CD without having to self manage the build server and build agent

Users dislike

Occasional connectivity issues.
Nonsense 137 OOM and infrastructure failure which result in build failures.
Support engineers do not thoroughly read and understand issues.
Billing is a mess and a nightmare!
No transparency on how many build minutes and credits are spent each day.
Difficult to track usage and burndown of subscription and total outstanding refill amounts.

Frequent builds stuck or slow, causing delays.
Customer service is often slow, unhelpful, or non-responsive.
Confusing pricing, especially after the move to .com; OSS credits are unreliable.
Difficult to debug builds without access to a live SSH terminal.
Limited customization options compared to Jenkins.
Not so reliable service with constant downtimes for many months.
Setting up auto deploy is hard; takes more than 20 attempts to deploy sometimes.
Travis broke their promise of supporting Open Source with free CI service.
Has no support for nested virtualization.
Not as extensible and customizable because of its limited plugins.
The UI has not evolved for years.
For users who start trial credits end quite fast above all if they use macOS servers

CircleCI and Travis CI Ratings

G2

4.4/5

(502)
Glassdoor

3.3/5

(143)

G2

4.5/5

(92)
Capterra

4.1/5

(129)

Company health

Employee growth

31% decrease in the last year

15% decrease in the last year

Web traffic

2% decrease in the last quarter

156% increase in the last quarter

Financing

February 2021 - $315M

No data

How do CircleCI's and Travis CI's Kubernetes integrations differ?

CircleCI offers tighter Kubernetes integration, allowing deployments directly to Kubernetes clusters and incorporating Kubernetes configurations within its CI/CD pipelines. Travis CI's Kubernetes integration is less direct, typically relying on scripting and deployment tools within the CI environment to interact with Kubernetes. This makes CircleCI potentially more streamlined for Kubernetes-native deployments.

Which product offers better integration with GitHub for automated deployments?

Both CircleCI and Travis CI offer integrations with GitHub for automated deployments. However, user reviews for Travis CI frequently cite its easy GitHub integration as a key strength, while CircleCI reviews do not emphasize this aspect as prominently. Therefore, Travis CI appears to offer a slightly better GitHub integration experience for automated deployments based on user feedback.

What are the advantages of CircleCI?

CircleCI offers broader industry support, especially in areas like Healthcare, E-commerce, Retail, and Media, compared to Travis CI's more limited focus. Users praise CircleCI for its ease of use, speed, and cloud integration capabilities, while also highlighting its useful documentation. While both platforms offer automated testing and CI/CD pipelines, CircleCI provides more seamless integration with Kubernetes.

What are the disadvantages of CircleCI?

CircleCI suffers from occasional connectivity issues and infrastructure failures leading to build failures. Users have also reported difficulties tracking usage and managing billing, citing lack of transparency regarding build minutes and credits. Support responsiveness and issue resolution have also been criticized.

Alternatives to CircleCI and Travis CI

Bitrise

Bitrise is a cloud-based platform built specifically to help mobile app development teams build, test, and release apps faster and more reliably. It provides automated tools to manage the entire process, from integrating code changes to deploying finished apps to app stores. It focuses on simplifying and speeding up mobile-specific tasks like building different versions of an app for iOS and Android and running automated tests on those platforms. Bitrise is known for being easy to use, even for teams without deep technical expertise, and it's trusted by many well-known mobile app companies.

GitLab

GitLab is an all-in-one platform designed to help software development teams work together and build software faster. It streamlines the entire process, from planning and coding to testing, security checks, and deployment. This means your teams can focus on building great software without juggling multiple tools. GitLab is flexible and can be used in your own data center or in the cloud, making it adaptable to your company's needs.

AWS Developer Tools

AWS Developer Tools is a collection of services designed to help developers build, test, and deploy software applications on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform. It offers a wide array of tools including code editors, continuous integration and delivery services, infrastructure automation, and monitoring tools. AWS Developer Tools focuses on making the software development process faster and more efficient regardless of company size or industry. Its promise is to provide a comprehensive suite of services that support the entire software development lifecycle.

CloudBees

CloudBees helps your software teams deliver products faster and more reliably. It provides a central platform for managing and automating software development, from writing code to releasing updates. CloudBees is especially popular with larger companies and is known for its expertise in "Jenkins", a widely used open-source tool for automating software development tasks. By streamlining and automating these processes, CloudBees helps companies release software with fewer errors and in a more controlled and secure manner.

Jenkins

Jenkins is a free and customizable tool that helps businesses automate the building, testing, and deployment of software. Through its extensive plugin library, Jenkins integrates with a wide range of development tools, making it suitable for diverse projects and teams.

GitHub

GitHub is a website and cloud-based service that helps developers store and manage their code. It's like Google Docs for software development, where teams can work together on projects, track changes, and prevent errors. GitHub is known for its user-friendly interface and is used by companies of all sizes to build and maintain software.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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