Brandwave

How popular isCircleCI?

In September 2026, people searched for CircleCI by name about 18,300 times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 4.4% of all global CI/CD tool searches, placing CircleCI fourth out of nine tools. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about CI/CD tools, CircleCI appeared in all answers and was the fourth most recommended of the nine.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

CircleCI is the fourth most searched of 9 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. JenkinsShare of searches 48.3%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. GitHub ActionsShare of searches 22.1%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. Argo CDShare of searches 17.2%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  4. CircleCIShare of searches 4.4%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  5. TeamCityShare of searches 2.9%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –

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Top CI/CD tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, CircleCI appeared in all five answers. CircleCI is the fourth most recommended of the nine.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. GitHub Actions1st
  2. Jenkins2nd
  3. GitLab CI3rd
  4. CircleCI4th
  5. Argo CD5th
  6. Buildkite6th
  7. Travis CI7th
  8. TeamCity–
  9. Semaphore–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Jenkins5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • GitHub Actions5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • CircleCI5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • GitLab CI5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Argo CD3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Buildkite1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Travis CI1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • TeamCity0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Semaphore0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about CI/CD tools

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Which CI/CD tools compete with CircleCI?

CircleCI against CI/CD tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Argo CD, CircleCI, TeamCity, Buildkite. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthJenkinsGitHub ActionsArgo CDCircleCITeamCityBuildkiteGitLab CITravis CISemaphore
Oct 202551%19.4%17.2%3.8%3.1%1.4%3.1%0.91%0.14%
Nov 202551.3%19.5%17.3%3.8%3.1%1.4%2.5%0.92%0.14%
Dec 202553.5%20.2%14.7%4%2.6%1.4%2.6%0.78%0.14%
Jan 202651.6%19.6%17.4%3.9%2.5%1.4%2.5%0.92%0.13%
Feb 202650.8%19.3%17.1%3.8%2.5%3.1%2.5%0.74%0.13%
Mar 202646.7%26.2%15.7%3.5%2.8%1.9%2.3%0.83%0.14%
Apr 202649.6%22.7%16.7%3.7%2.4%2%2%0.73%0.1%
May 202649.5%22.6%16.6%3.7%2.4%2.4%2%0.58%0.09%
Jun 202646.9%21.6%19.3%4.3%2.8%1.9%2.3%0.68%0.12%
Jul 202648.6%22.4%17.4%3.6%2.9%2.4%2%0.58%0.12%
Aug 202645.9%25.6%16.4%3.4%3.4%2.8%1.8%0.55%0.18%
Sep 202648.3%22.1%17.2%4.4%2.9%2.4%1.9%0.58%0.15%

  1. 1.Jenkins

    48.3%

    Held 1st. 201K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +2.4 points.

  2. 2.GitHub Actions

    22.1%

    Held 2nd. 92.2K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -3.4 points.

  3. 3.Argo CD

    17.2%

    Held 3rd. 71.7K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  4. 4.CircleCI

    4.4%

    Held 4th. 18.3K estimated branded searches, +22% vs prior month. Share +1 points.

  5. 5.TeamCity

    2.9%

    Held 5th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  6. 6.Buildkite

    2.4%

    Held 6th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  7. 7.GitLab CI

    1.9%

    Held 7th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  8. 8.Travis CI

    0.58%

    Held 8th. 2.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.Semaphore

    0.15%

    Held 9th. 620 estimated branded searches, -20.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between CircleCI and its closest rivals

Every comparison with CircleCI

10 comparisons

How has branded search demand for CircleCI changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for CircleCI worldwide held steady, from 18.5K to 18.3K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, CircleCI’s share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide increased from 3.8% to 4.4%.

How did search popularity change for CI/CD tools worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Jenkins gained share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide, from 45.9% to 48.3%.

  2. In September 2026, CircleCI gained share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide, from 3.4% to 4.4%.

  3. In September 2026, Argo CD gained share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide, from 16.4% to 17.2%.

  4. In September 2026, GitHub Actions lost share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide, from 25.6% to 22.1%.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Buildkite worldwide rose 49.6% over 12 measured months, from 6.6K to 9.9K in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Travis CI worldwide fell 45.5% over 12 measured months, from 4.4K to 2.4K in September 2026.

How are CircleCI’s branded searches counted?

6 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using CircleCI’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • ci cd circleci
  • circleci
  • circleci app
  • circleci ci cd
  • circleci continuous integration
  • circleci software

Do you work for CircleCI? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does CircleCI compete?

CircleCI is ranked in two competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Build automation platforms5th of 71.5%Show ranking
CI/CD tools4th of 94.4%Shown above
Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is CircleCI your brand?

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