Brandwave

Azure Pipelines vs CircleCI:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, CircleCI had more branded searches than Azure Pipelines among CI/CD tools in New Zealand. CircleCI had about 70 branded searches, while Azure Pipelines had 40. CircleCI made up 11.9% of all CI/CD tool searches we track, and Azure Pipelines accounted for 6.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about CI/CD tools, Azure Pipelines appeared in three of the five answers and CircleCI in two. Azure Pipelines and CircleCI were each mentioned first in two of the four answers that named either.

Among CI/CD tools in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

CircleCI, about 75% more searches than Azure Pipelines

CircleCI 70 searchesAzure Pipelines 40 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Azure Pipelines, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, CircleCI in 2

Azure Pipelines in 3 of 5CircleCI in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Each is named first in 2 of 4 answers.

Azure Pipelines first in 2CircleCI 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, Azure Pipelines was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. CircleCI was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Azure Pipelines and CircleCI were each listed first in two of the four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. GitHub Actions1st
  2. GitLab CI2nd
  3. Jenkins3rd
  4. Azure Pipelines4th
  5. Bitbucket Pipelines5th
  6. CircleCI6th
  7. Buildkite7th

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
  • Jenkins5 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
  • Bitbucket Pipelines4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Azure Pipelines3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • CircleCI2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Buildkite1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about CI/CD tools

5 answers

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

Is Azure Pipelines or CircleCI more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Azure Pipelines and CircleCI by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven CI/CD tools we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Azure Pipelines and CircleCI among CI/CD tools in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for CircleCI, Azure Pipelines. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGitHub ActionsBuildkiteCircleCIAzure PipelinesJenkinsGitLab CIBitbucket Pipelines
Oct 202553.2%11.3%11.3%8.1%4.8%6.5%4.8%
Nov 202551.6%12.5%14.1%6.3%6.3%4.7%4.7%
Dec 202555.9%15.3%8.5%6.8%5.1%6.8%1.7%
Jan 202650.9%9.4%11.3%7.5%11.3%7.5%1.9%
Feb 202647.6%16.7%8.3%4.8%14.3%6%2.4%
Mar 202642.6%12.8%9.6%5.3%20.2%7.4%2.1%
Apr 202644.6%14.9%8.1%4.1%18.9%5.4%4.1%
May 202642.1%18.4%9.2%5.3%15.8%6.6%2.6%
Jun 202650%13.6%10.6%6.1%10.6%6.1%3%
Jul 202646.5%15.5%9.9%4.2%14.1%7%2.8%
Aug 202646%19.5%12.6%5.7%10.3%3.4%2.3%
Sep 202645.8%20.3%11.9%6.8%6.8%5.1%3.4%

How has the Azure Pipelines and CircleCI comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • CircleCI was ahead of Azure Pipelines in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Azure Pipelines’ share of searches among CI/CD tools in New Zealand moved from 8.1% to 6.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 50 to 40.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, CircleCI’s share of searches among CI/CD tools in New Zealand moved from 11.3% to 11.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 70.

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

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Azure Pipelines overtook Jenkins to rank 4th among CI/CD tools in New Zealand, with 6.8% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, CircleCI lost share of searches among CI/CD tools in New Zealand, from 12.6% to 11.9%.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Azure Pipelines’ and CircleCI’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.

Azure Pipelines

1 branded search term

  • azure pipelines

CircleCI

3 branded search terms

  • circleci
  • circleci ci cd
  • circleci continuous integration

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among CI/CD tools

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