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AWS CodePipeline vs CircleCI comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 11, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

AWS CodePipeline
Ranking in Build Automation
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
CircleCI
Ranking in Build Automation
13th
Average Rating
6.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
AI Software Development (203rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Build Automation category, the mindshare of AWS CodePipeline is 3.2%, down from 6.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of CircleCI is 3.5%, up from 3.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Build Automation Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
AWS CodePipeline3.2%
CircleCI3.5%
Other93.3%
Build Automation
 

Featured Reviews

JR
Head of Development at Abyss
Employs advanced deployment strategies and manages CI/CD workflow efficiently
Blue-green deployment has been incredibly beneficial for handling complex deployments in AWS CodePipeline. It allows me to test changes in an isolated environment before deploying them to the entire user base. Additionally, the CI/CD support provided by AWS simplifies the integration process by adding YAML files to projects, enabling AWS to manage the entire CI/CD workflow.
RishooMittal - PeerSpot reviewer
Managing Technical Consultant - Solution Architect at NTT DATA
Automated pipelines have accelerated deployments and dashboards now reveal clear pricing and security gaps
I think CircleCI can improve in terms of pricing and needs to bring more unique selling points to stay competitive as there are many other cloud solutions such as GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps that offer similar execution and deployment services.I believe CircleCI should leverage the growing trend of AI by offering an out-of-the-box AI-driven dynamic YAML file creation feature using natural language processing. Instead of having users define pipelines manually, users could simply use natural language to define their needs and let the AI generate the YAML configuration automatically. Implementing a multi-agent architecture could also enhance usability. I rated CircleCI six out of ten because I think they need more transparency in pricing, as there are instances of unclear network data transfer and storage costs related to caching and workspaces. Additionally, there are sporadic platform security incidents that need addressing, and pipelines require good protection. Secret rotation should also be prioritized. There are occasionally long-running workflows that can be difficult to debug, and improvements could be made in job startup times and cache management.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"AWS CodePipeline has valuable integration features."
"The product is a one-stop solution that you can use to integrate, deploy and host your application."
"In AWS, the Cloud DevOps is a managed service from CodeCommit and this has removed the need for a lot of manual steps."
"The notification and approval approach in the production environment are very useful."
"It helps develop CI/CD implementations with centralized management of code building, deployment, and version control."
"The most valuable feature of AWS CodePipeline is the flexibility of the configuration."
"Different applications can be enhanced with AWS CodePipeline"
"The product is cost-effective and integrates well with the AWS environment."
"CircleCI has positively impacted my organization by allowing us to build quicker and do things quicker."
"The automation workflow in CircleCI related to third-party applications is very good and allows standardization of applications."
"The ability to automate the build process in a seamless way and run workflows effortlessly. It supports parallel builds so it can scale well. Also, it covers the basics of any build and integration tool, including email notifications (especially when tests are fixed), project insights, etc."
"CircleCI has positively impacted the organization, as it has been used for many years and serves as the main source for application deployment."
"It's a stable product."
"Enables us to detect exactly which build failed and why, and to push multiple builds to our production environment at a very fast rate."
"CircleCI has positively impacted my organization by bringing in faster deployments, which means we can release faster, receive quicker feedback, and enhance collaboration and communication across the entire team."
"Some of the most valuable features include container-based builds, integration with Bit Bucket and being able to store artifacts."
 

Cons

"In AWS CodePipeline, we can only use certain tools for which AWS provisions plugins."
"AWS CodePipeline functions well, but there's room for improvement in providing technical support to regular customers who haven't purchased developer support. I mean, having it available for everyone, even if it's not a 24-hour service. It would be more useful if specific support hours were available for assistance."
"From my perspective, some in-built capabilities could be enhanced."
"AWS CodePipeline works effectively, and I haven't identified any specific areas needing improvement as it has been quite satisfying in terms of deployment needs."
"It would be a much better tool if it could be made compatible with other cloud services as well since this is an area the product currently lacks."
"If there are many dependancies involved in the setup, it may take a long time."
"One downside in AWS is that when you attempt to push a change in, it misses that part, or it could be because some variables are not set correctly."
"The documentation for AWS CodePipeline is lacking and makes it difficult to find information due to its complexity. It would be helpful to have examples in the documentation for different project types like Laravel or Django."
"Billing is a mess."
"Integration with Microsoft Azure is one area for improvement. Azure is growing in its user base, and supports various cloud infrastructure components such as Service Fabric, App Service, etc. Some of Azure’s deployment models (like Kudu) require a steep learning curve, but if CircleCI would come up with such features (deployment to App Service) out of the box, it would be amazing."
"The solution’s pricing could be better."
"There needs to be some improvement in the user interface of CircleCI."
"A return on investment with CircleCI has not been observed, and no relevant metrics such as time saved or fewer employees needed can be shared."
"I rated CircleCI six out of ten because I think they need more transparency in pricing, as there are instances of unclear network data transfer and storage costs related to caching and workspaces."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the product's pricing a five out of ten."
"The pricing of this solution is dependent upon your needs including how many jobs you daily and how many times the developer will be changing codes and completing deployments."
"The product is quite expensive compared to other solutions."
"AWS offers free business or enterprise support services."
"The price of the product depends on how many times you run it. The tool offers a pay-as-you-go model."
"AWS CodePipeline is quite affordable. I've been running around four pipelines and the cost is around one dollar per month. It rarely exceeds two dollars."
"Compared to other cloud services, AWS CodePipeline falls a bit more on the pricey side. I see that the price of the product has been increasing for the past few years."
"The pricing is manageable."
"The price of CircleCI could be less expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
University
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise6
 

Questions from the Community

Which AWS solution would you choose - CodeStar or CodePipeline?
Both AWS solutions deliver solid options, with uniquely different features. AWS CodeStar allows for quick development, building, and deployments of apps. It also provides web application and web se...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS CodePipeline?
AWS CodePipeline's pricing is reasonable, and it is not too expensive. I estimated it costs around $5 monthly. On a scale from one to ten, where one is very cheap and ten is very expensive, I would...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CircleCI?
There is not much experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing because that is managed by the legal team.
What needs improvement with CircleCI?
I think CircleCI can improve in terms of pricing and needs to bring more unique selling points to stay competitive as there are many other cloud solutions such as GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps th...
What advice do you have for others considering CircleCI?
I really appreciate the good speed, which is faster and definitely the most important feature for me.To ensure that security and compliance requirements are met while using CircleCI, we utilize res...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

CodePipeline
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers
Shopify, Zenefits, Concur Technologies, CyberAgent
Find out what your peers are saying about AWS CodePipeline vs. CircleCI and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
882,333 professionals have used our research since 2012.