Travis CI vs Jenkins

by Gralio Mar 07, 2025

Travis CI and Jenkins offer distinct approaches to CI/CD. Travis CI prioritizes simplicity and GitHub integration, while Jenkins excels in customization and flexibility. Travis CI suits projects already invested in the GitHub ecosystem, while Jenkins is better for teams requiring bespoke integrations and control over their CI/CD environment.

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This comparison was created by analysing 1268 reviews and 60 websites, saving 7 hours, 32 minutes of reading.

Travis CI

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Jenkins

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About

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.

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.

Summary

Main difference

Travis CI is a cloud-based CI/CD platform known for its ease of use and GitHub integration, making it ideal for projects heavily reliant on GitHub. Jenkins is a self-hosted, open-source automation server offering extensive customization through its vast plugin library, appealing to teams needing greater control and flexibility.

Relative strengths of Travis CI (compared to Jenkins)

Easy setup and integration with GitHub, simplifying automated builds and deployments.
Wide language support and cloud platform integrations (AWS, Heroku), catering to diverse project needs.
Clear build error messages, facilitating faster debugging and issue resolution.

Relative weaknesses of Travis CI (compared to Jenkins)

Limited customization compared to Jenkins, restricting flexibility for complex workflows.
Potential reliability issues and slow builds, impacting development speed.
Confusing pricing model, especially for open-source projects, creating budget uncertainty.

What companies are using Travis CI and Jenkins?

No data

Who should use Travis CI VS. Jenkins

Travis CI is a cloud-based CI/CD platform that automates software testing and deployment. Users praise its GitHub integration, multi-language support, and clear error messages. However, some dislike unreliable builds, slow customer service, and confusing pricing. It's best for development teams using GitHub and seeking streamlined automation.

Jenkins is a free and open-source automation server that helps development teams automate building, testing, and deploying software. Users love its extensive plugin ecosystem and customizability but find the initial setup complex and the interface outdated. Jenkins is ideal for teams looking for a powerful, flexible automation solution.

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

Ideal for software teams of all sizes seeking to automate development processes.
Best suited for the Software, IT, & Telecommunications industry.

Travis CI and Jenkins features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

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

Language Support

Supported

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

Supported

Jenkins supports many languages, including Ruby, Python, Java, and likely C++ and JavaScript via plugins.
Simple CI/CD pipelines

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.

Supported

Jenkins supports defining and scaling CI/CD pipelines with a developer-friendly syntax.
Configuration as Code

Supported

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

Supported

Jenkins supports Configuration as Code via the Jenkins Configuration as Code (JCasC) plugin.
Automated testing

Supported

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

Supported

Jenkins fully supports running automated tests within CI/CD pipelines.
Kubernetes integration

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.

Supported

Jenkins supports Kubernetes integration for efficient CI/CD processes.
Pipeline configuration

Supported

Travis CI allows defining custom CI/CD pipelines using .travis.yml configuration file.

Supported

Jenkins users can create custom CI/CD pipelines using Jenkinsfile which describes pipeline steps.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

No data

-0.33

Rather negative sentiment
Customer Service

No data

No data
Ease of Use

No data

-0.14

Neutral sentiment
Reliability and Performance

No data

+0.7

Strongly positive sentiment
Ease of Implementation

No data

-0.67

Rather negative sentiment
Scalability

No data

+0.5

Rather positive sentiment

Travis CI and Jenkins Pricing

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

No data

User sentiment

Rather negative

-0.33

We couldn't find a pricing page for Jenkins.

Travis CI and Jenkins review insights

1268 reviews analysed from and

Users love

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

Extensive plugin ecosystem allows for integration with a wide range of tools and technologies.
Highly customizable and adaptable to various development environments and workflows.
Automates the entire software development lifecycle, including building, testing, and deployment.
Strong community support and extensive documentation make it easier to find solutions.

Users dislike

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

Initial setup can be complex and time-consuming, especially for large-scale projects.
The user interface feels outdated and can be cumbersome to navigate at times.
Managing and updating a large number of plugins can be cumbersome.
Some plugins are outdated or poorly maintained, leading to compatibility issues.

Travis CI and Jenkins Ratings

G2

4.5/5

(92)
Capterra

4.1/5

(129)

G2

4.4/5

(496)
Capterra

4.5/5

(555)

Company health

Employee growth

15% decrease in the last year

10% decrease in the last year

Web traffic

156% increase in the last quarter

38% increase in the last quarter

Financing

No data

How do Travis CI's limited customization options compare to Jenkins' plugin ecosystem?

Travis CI's limited customization options are a direct contrast to Jenkins' extensive plugin ecosystem. While Travis CI offers a simplified, streamlined approach with less configuration overhead, Jenkins allows for extensive customization and integration with a vast array of tools through its plugins. This makes Jenkins more adaptable to diverse and complex development environments, whereas Travis CI's simplicity may be restrictive for users with specific integration or workflow requirements.

Which product offers easier setup for automated deployments, Travis CI or Jenkins?

While both Travis CI and Jenkins offer automated deployments, Travis CI generally provides easier setup, especially for projects already hosted on GitHub. Its configuration-as-code approach with the `.travis.yml` file simplifies defining build and deployment pipelines. Although Jenkins offers greater customization through its plugin system, this also increases the complexity of its initial setup and configuration.

What are the advantages of Travis CI?

Travis CI's advantages include ease of use, speed, and seamless GitHub integration, simplifying automated builds and deployments. It supports a wide range of programming languages and cloud platforms, offering flexibility for developers. Clear error messages facilitate quick debugging, and the streamlined CI workflow setup reduces overhead.

What are the disadvantages of Travis CI?

Travis CI has several disadvantages. Users report frequent build delays due to stuck or slow builds, unhelpful customer service, and confusing pricing, especially for open-source projects. Debugging builds can be challenging due to the lack of a live SSH terminal, and customization options are limited compared to alternatives like Jenkins. Furthermore, users cite reliability issues and difficulties with auto-deployment.

Alternatives to Travis CI and Jenkins

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.

Azure Pipelines

Azure Pipelines is a cloud-based service that automates software building and deployment. It allows developers to test code automatically, ensuring higher quality and faster releases. Azure Pipelines integrates with various programming languages and tools, making it suitable for diverse development teams and projects.

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.

Azure DevOps Server

Azure DevOps Server is a comprehensive, on-premises toolset designed to streamline software development. It enables your teams to manage code, track work progress, and automate software releases. With built-in features for version control, code reviews, continuous integration, and continuous delivery, it offers a centralized platform for managing your entire software development lifecycle. Geared towards enterprise-level needs, it seamlessly integrates with popular development tools.

CircleCI

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.

Razorops

Razorops is a cloud-based software automation tool designed for software development teams. It helps companies build, test, and deliver software updates quickly and reliably. Razorops streamlines the entire process from a developer's code change to the final product update, offering a faster and more efficient way to manage software releases. It is suitable for teams of all sizes and focuses on making software development smoother and more predictable.

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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