CI/CD tools:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, Jenkins was the most searched CI/CD tool worldwide, accounting for 50.8% of all searches among the eight tools we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI and CircleCI showed up in every answer. GitHub Actions was recommended most often, coming first in three out of five responses.
JenkinsShare of searches 50.8%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
GitHub ActionsShare of searches 22.9%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
Argo CDShare of searches 18.1%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
TeamCityShare of searches 3.1%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
BuildkiteShare of searches 2.5%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
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Top CI/CD tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI and CircleCI appeared every time. GitHub Actions was recommended most often, coming first in three out of five answers. Jenkins was second, and GitLab CI was third. TeamCity, which ranked fourth in searches, was not mentioned at all.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
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
GitLab CI5 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- 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
See every answer about CI/CD tools
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which CI/CD tool should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best CI/CD tools?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best CI/CD tool for software delivery?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“ci/cd tools”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“continuous integration tools”
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 do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each CI/CD tool by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight CI/CD tools we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Argo CD, TeamCity, Buildkite, GitLab CI. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Jenkins | GitHub Actions | Argo CD | TeamCity | Buildkite | GitLab CI | Travis CI | CircleCI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 53.5% | 19.7% | 18% | 3.2% | 1.4% | 3.2% | 0.96% | 0.03% |
| Nov 2025 | 53.8% | 19.8% | 18.1% | 3.2% | 1.4% | 2.6% | 0.96% | 0.02% |
| Dec 2025 | 56.1% | 20.6% | 15.4% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 2.8% | 0.82% | 0.03% |
| Jan 2026 | 54.1% | 19.9% | 18.2% | 2.7% | 1.5% | 2.7% | 0.97% | 0.02% |
| Feb 2026 | 53.3% | 19.6% | 17.9% | 2.6% | 3.2% | 2.6% | 0.78% | 0.02% |
| Mar 2026 | 48.7% | 26.7% | 16.4% | 2.9% | 2% | 2.4% | 0.87% | 0.02% |
| Apr 2026 | 51.9% | 23.2% | 17.4% | 2.6% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 0.76% | 0.02% |
| May 2026 | 51.7% | 23.1% | 17.4% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 0.61% | 0.01% |
| Jun 2026 | 49.4% | 22.2% | 20.3% | 3% | 2% | 2.4% | 0.71% | 0.02% |
| Jul 2026 | 50.8% | 22.9% | 18.1% | 3.1% | 2.5% | 2% | 0.61% | 0.02% |
| Aug 2026 | 47.8% | 26.2% | 17.1% | 3.5% | 2.9% | 1.9% | 0.57% | 0.02% |
| Sep 2026 | 50.8% | 22.9% | 18.1% | 3.1% | 2.5% | 2% | 0.61% | 0.01% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 50.8% | 201K | 0% | +3 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 22.9% | 90.5K | -17.7% | -3.3 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 18.1% | 71.7K | 0% | +1.1 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 3.1% | 12.1K | -18.2% | -0.5 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 2.5% | 9.9K | -18.2% | -0.4 points | |
| 6, held 6th | 2% | 8.1K | 0% | +0.1 points | |
| 7, held 7th | 0.61% | 2.4K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 8, held 8th | 0.01% | 50 | -44.4% | 0 points |
1.
Jenkins50.8%
Held 1st. 201K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +3 points.
22.9%
Held 2nd. 90.5K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -3.3 points.
3.
Argo CD18.1%
Held 3rd. 71.7K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.1 points.
4.
TeamCity3.1%
Held 4th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.
2.5%
Held 5th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
2%
Held 6th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
0.61%
Held 7th. 2.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
8.
CircleCI0.01%
Held 8th. 50 estimated branded searches, -44.4% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among CI/CD tools worldwide?
8 brands
In September 2026, Jenkins was the most searched among CI/CD tools worldwide, with an estimated 201K branded searches, 50.8% of all searches for the eight we track. GitHub Actions is in 2nd place, 27.9 percentage points behind at 22.9%.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jenkins | 53.5% → 50.8% | 56.1%Dec 2025 | 47.8%Aug 2026 | 1st |
| GitHub Actions | 19.7% → 22.9% | 26.7%Mar 2026 | 19.6%Feb 2026 | 2nd |
| Argo CD | 18% → 18.1% | 20.3%Jun 2026 | 15.4%Dec 2025 | 3rd |
| TeamCity | 3.2% → 3.1% | 3.5%Aug 2026 | 2.5%May 2026 | 5th → 4th |
| Buildkite | 1.4% → 2.5% | 3.2%Feb 2026 | 1.4%Oct 2025 | 6th → 5th |
| GitLab CI | 3.2% → 2% | 3.2%Oct 2025 | 1.9%Aug 2026 | 4th → 6th |
| Travis CI | 0.96% → 0.61% | 0.97%Jan 2026 | 0.57%Aug 2026 | 7th |
| CircleCI | 0.03% → 0.01% | 0.03%Oct 2025 | 0.01%May 2026 | 8th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Jenkins’ share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide decreased from 53.5% to 50.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitHub Actions’ share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide increased from 19.7% to 22.9%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Buildkite’s share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide increased from 1.4% to 2.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitLab CI’s share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide decreased from 3.2% to 2%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Jenkins’ share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide peaked at 56.1% in December 2025 and was lowest at 47.8% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitHub Actions’ share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide peaked at 26.7% in March 2026 and was lowest at 19.6% in February 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Argo CD’s share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide peaked at 20.3% in June 2026 and was lowest at 15.4% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Buildkite’s share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide peaked at 3.2% in February 2026 and was lowest at 1.4% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitLab CI’s share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide peaked at 3.2% in October 2025 and was lowest at 1.9% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, TeamCity rose from 5th to 4th among CI/CD tools worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Buildkite rose from 6th to 5th among CI/CD tools worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitLab CI fell from 4th to 6th among CI/CD tools worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Argo CD, Travis CI and CircleCI held steady: their share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for CI/CD tools worldwide in September 2026?
8 changes
In September 2026, Jenkins gained share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide, from 47.8% to 50.8%.
In September 2026, Argo CD gained share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide, from 17.1% to 18.1%.
In September 2026, GitHub Actions lost share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide, from 26.2% to 22.9%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Buildkite worldwide rose 50% over 12 measured months, from 6.6K to 9.9K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for CircleCI worldwide fell 64.3% over 12 measured months, from 140 to 50 in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Travis CI worldwide fell 45.5% over 12 measured months, from 4.4K to 2.4K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for GitLab CI worldwide fell 45.3% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 8.1K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for TeamCity worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 12.1K in September 2026.
Compare popularity between leading brands
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- GitHub Actions vs Buildkite: compare popularity
- Argo CD vs TeamCity: compare popularity
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- TeamCity vs Buildkite: compare popularity
- Compare any of these brands
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