Brandwave

GitHub Actions vs Release Please:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, GitHub Actions had more branded searches than Release Please among release automation tools worldwide. GitHub Actions had about 90,500 branded searches, while Release Please had 4,400. GitHub Actions made up 39.8% of all release automation tool searches we track, and Release Please accounted for 1.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about release automation tools, GitHub Actions appeared in all five answers and Release Please in two. GitHub Actions was mentioned before Release Please in three out of five answers.

Among release automation tools worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

GitHub Actions, about 21 searches for every 1 for Release Please

GitHub Actions 90.5K searchesRelease Please 4.4K searches

Who does AI mention more?

GitHub Actions, mentioned in every answer we collected

GitHub Actions in 5 of 5Release Please in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

GitHub Actions, named ahead of Release Please in 3 of 5 answers

GitHub Actions first in 3Release Please first in 2

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Top release automation tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, GitHub Actions appeared in all five answers. Release Please was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. GitHub Actions was listed before Release Please in three out of five answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. GitHub Actions1st
  2. GitLab2nd
  3. Release Please3rd
  4. semantic-release4th
  5. Argo CD5th
  6. Harness6th
  7. Changesets7th
  8. Octopus Deploy8th
  9. Spinnaker9th
  10. LaunchDarkly–
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • GitHub Actions5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • GitLab5 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
  • Octopus Deploy3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Harness3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Release Please2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • semantic-release2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Changesets2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Spinnaker1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • LaunchDarkly0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about release automation 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 21, 2026.

Is GitHub Actions or Release Please more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for GitHub Actions and Release Please by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 release automation tools we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

GitHub Actions and Release Please among release automation tools worldwide, by month

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

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGitHub ActionsArgo CDLaunchDarklyGitLabOctopus DeployRelease Pleasesemantic-releaseChangesetsCodefreshHarnessSpinnaker
Oct 202534.4%31.4%18.8%4.6%4.6%1.4%3.1%0.91%0.72%0.03%0.02%
Nov 202537.3%34.1%13.6%5%4.1%1.5%2.7%0.99%0.66%0.04%0.02%
Dec 202540.9%30.5%15%4.5%3%1.3%3%1.1%0.72%0.03%0.02%
Jan 202636.5%33.3%16.3%4.9%3.3%1.5%2.7%0.97%0.64%0.04%0.02%
Feb 202636.3%33.2%16.3%4.9%3.3%1.8%2.7%0.96%0.64%0.04%0.02%
Mar 202645.1%27.7%13.5%4.9%3.3%1.8%2.2%0.8%0.54%0.03%0.02%
Apr 202641.3%31.1%15.2%3.7%3%1.7%2.5%0.9%0.6%0.03%0.02%
May 202642.8%32.2%12.9%3.9%3.2%1.7%2.1%0.74%0.51%0.04%0.02%
Jun 202637%33.8%16.5%4%3.3%1.8%2.2%0.78%0.53%0.04%0.02%
Jul 202639.4%31.2%17.6%3.5%2.9%1.9%1.9%0.83%0.57%0.05%0.02%
Aug 202645.6%29.7%13.7%2.7%3.4%1.8%1.8%0.79%0.41%0.05%0.02%
Sep 202639.8%31.5%17.8%2.9%2.9%1.9%1.9%0.7%0.44%0.04%0.03%

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

3 findings

How did search popularity change for release automation tools worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, GitHub Actions lost share of searches among release automation tools worldwide, from 45.6% to 39.8%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Release Please worldwide rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 3.6K to 4.4K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using GitHub Actions’ and Release Please’s 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

Release Please

1 branded search term

  • release please

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among release automation tools

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