Brandwave

GitHub Actions vs Jenkins:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Jenkins had more branded searches than GitHub Actions among CI/CD tools worldwide. Jenkins had about 201,000 branded searches, while GitHub Actions had 90,500. Jenkins made up 50.8% of all CI/CD tool searches we track, and GitHub Actions accounted for 22.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about CI/CD tools, both GitHub Actions and Jenkins appeared in all five answers. GitHub Actions was mentioned before Jenkins in three out of five answers.

Among CI/CD tools worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Jenkins, about 2 searches for every 1 for GitHub Actions

Jenkins 201K searchesGitHub Actions 90.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

GitHub Actions in 5 of 5Jenkins in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

GitHub Actions, named ahead of Jenkins in 3 of 5 answers

GitHub Actions first in 3Jenkins first in 2

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Top CI/CD tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both GitHub Actions and Jenkins showed up in all five answers. GitHub Actions was listed before Jenkins in three of them.

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–

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

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.

Is GitHub Actions or Jenkins more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for GitHub Actions and Jenkins 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.

GitHub Actions and Jenkins among CI/CD tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Jenkins, GitHub Actions. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthJenkinsGitHub ActionsArgo CDTeamCityBuildkiteGitLab CITravis CICircleCI
Oct 202553.5%19.7%18%3.2%1.4%3.2%0.96%0.03%
Nov 202553.8%19.8%18.1%3.2%1.4%2.6%0.96%0.02%
Dec 202556.1%20.6%15.4%2.8%1.5%2.8%0.82%0.03%
Jan 202654.1%19.9%18.2%2.7%1.5%2.7%0.97%0.02%
Feb 202653.3%19.6%17.9%2.6%3.2%2.6%0.78%0.02%
Mar 202648.7%26.7%16.4%2.9%2%2.4%0.87%0.02%
Apr 202651.9%23.2%17.4%2.6%2.1%2.1%0.76%0.02%
May 202651.7%23.1%17.4%2.5%2.5%2.1%0.61%0.01%
Jun 202649.4%22.2%20.3%3%2%2.4%0.71%0.02%
Jul 202650.8%22.9%18.1%3.1%2.5%2%0.61%0.02%
Aug 202647.8%26.2%17.1%3.5%2.9%1.9%0.57%0.02%
Sep 202650.8%22.9%18.1%3.1%2.5%2%0.61%0.01%

How has the GitHub Actions and Jenkins comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Jenkins was ahead of GitHub Actions in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitHub Actions’ share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide moved from 19.7% to 22.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 90.5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Jenkins’ share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide moved from 53.5% to 50.8%, 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

  1. In September 2026, Jenkins gained share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide, from 47.8% to 50.8%.

  2. In September 2026, GitHub Actions lost share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide, from 26.2% to 22.9%.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using GitHub Actions’ 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.

GitHub Actions

1 branded search term

  • github actions

Jenkins

1 branded search term

  • jenkins

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among CI/CD tools

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