CircleCI vs Jenkins:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Jenkins had more branded searches than CircleCI among CI/CD tools worldwide. Jenkins had about 201,000 branded searches, while CircleCI had 18,300. Jenkins made up 48.3% of all CI/CD tool searches we track, and CircleCI accounted for 4.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about CI/CD tools, both CircleCI and Jenkins appeared in all five answers. Jenkins was mentioned before CircleCI in every answer.
Who do people search for more?
Jenkins, about 11 searches for every 1 for CircleCI
Who does AI mention more?
Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.
Who does AI recommend more?
Jenkins, named ahead of CircleCI in every answer
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Top CI/CD tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both CircleCI and Jenkins showed up in all five answers. Jenkins was listed before CircleCI in every answer.
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
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
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”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.
Is CircleCI or Jenkins more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for CircleCI and Jenkins by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine CI/CD tools we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Jenkins, CircleCI. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Jenkins | GitHub Actions | Argo CD | CircleCI | TeamCity | Buildkite | GitLab CI | Travis CI | Semaphore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 51% | 19.4% | 17.2% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 1.4% | 3.1% | 0.91% | 0.14% |
| Nov 2025 | 51.3% | 19.5% | 17.3% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 1.4% | 2.5% | 0.92% | 0.14% |
| Dec 2025 | 53.5% | 20.2% | 14.7% | 4% | 2.6% | 1.4% | 2.6% | 0.78% | 0.14% |
| Jan 2026 | 51.6% | 19.6% | 17.4% | 3.9% | 2.5% | 1.4% | 2.5% | 0.92% | 0.13% |
| Feb 2026 | 50.8% | 19.3% | 17.1% | 3.8% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 2.5% | 0.74% | 0.13% |
| Mar 2026 | 46.7% | 26.2% | 15.7% | 3.5% | 2.8% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 0.83% | 0.14% |
| Apr 2026 | 49.6% | 22.7% | 16.7% | 3.7% | 2.4% | 2% | 2% | 0.73% | 0.1% |
| May 2026 | 49.5% | 22.6% | 16.6% | 3.7% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2% | 0.58% | 0.09% |
| Jun 2026 | 46.9% | 21.6% | 19.3% | 4.3% | 2.8% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 0.68% | 0.12% |
| Jul 2026 | 48.6% | 22.4% | 17.4% | 3.6% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 2% | 0.58% | 0.12% |
| Aug 2026 | 45.9% | 25.6% | 16.4% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 1.8% | 0.55% | 0.18% |
| Sep 2026 | 48.3% | 22.1% | 17.2% | 4.4% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 1.9% | 0.58% | 0.15% |
How has the CircleCI and Jenkins comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Jenkins was ahead of CircleCI in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, CircleCI’s share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide moved from 3.8% to 4.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.5K to 18.3K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Jenkins’ share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide moved from 51% to 48.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 246K to 201K.
How did search popularity change for CI/CD tools worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Jenkins gained share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide, from 45.9% to 48.3%.
In September 2026, CircleCI gained share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide, from 3.4% to 4.4%.
How are branded searches counted?
7 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using CircleCI’s and Jenkins’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
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