TeamCity
www.jetbrains.com- Category
- Developer Tools
- Rank
- No. 2205Tools index
Previous survey · No. 2098 ·
- Listed in
- #10 Automate delivery
- Pricing
- Freemium
- Type
- TOOL
- Use case
- Deployment & Operations
- Date
About
JetBrains build and delivery automation with self-hosted Server and managed Cloud options. Professional includes limited agent, build-configuration and pipeline allowances; Cloud pricing combines active committers and usage credits. Running build agents still requires appropriate environments and credential handling.
At a glance
TeamCity coordinates software builds and tests on worker machines called build agents. It is worth evaluating when you need control over build environments and dependencies, and can justify operating that system or paying for its hosted version. The free on-premises edition can be useful for a small team, but free licensing does not supply machines, backups or administration. If your existing build service already meets the job, the free tier alone is a weak reason to migrate.
Good fit
Teams with custom toolchains or several dependent build stages that need a shared queue, results and artifacts. A pipeline groups work into jobs that can use different agents; a build configuration offers deeper control over steps running on one agent, and chains connect those configurations. That distinction helps match the setup to the workflow. Cloud can host the server while you choose hosted workers or your own agents for environments the standard images do not provide.
Consider something else when
You want automation without maintaining any build environment, or assume three agent licences mean three free cloud machines. On-premises agents still run on infrastructure you supply. Source code, repository credentials, logs and artifacts also become part of a system you must administer. Builds sharing an agent are not automatically isolated from one another; the security documentation recommends separation for work with different trust levels. Do not treat a friendly pipeline editor as a sandbox boundary.
Start here
For an evaluation in an environment where builds are authorized, choose Cloud or an isolated on-premises setup first. The current on-premises guide requires Java 21 for the server; the language versions used by build steps are a separate matter. Its first-project tutorial uses the plus button, a project, Pipeline and Connect new repository, then a build step and a result with logs and tests. Start with a disposable sample and confirm the expected test and artifact outputs before connecting production credentials. This assessment read that workflow; it did not install a server or start a build.
Cost and requirements
On 31 October 2026, Professional licensing includes three build-agent slots, up to 100 build configurations and 10 pipelines, including archived ones. Extra agent licences increase the configuration allowance; Enterprise removes those configuration limits but still has agent licensing. Cloud subscriptions instead combine committer slots, build credits, storage and transfer. Hosted-agent runtime spends credits, while self-hosted capacity uses concurrent-build slots plus your own infrastructure costs. Compare a representative month of commits, runtime and artifacts rather than the headline price alone.
Limits to know
Cloud committer counting is based on people authoring ten or more changes in a 30-day window, not everyone who can view results. Reaching a slot limit can prevent new builds for that committer. On-premises licence maintenance also determines which newer versions are covered; an uncovered upgrade or expired trial can leave the system over Professional limits and pause its queue. Security settings, disposable agents and credential discipline remain operational work. Build reliability, upgrade experience, support and the REST API were not tested here.
Sources checked 2026-10-31. Source-based assessment.
- www.jetbrains.com/help/teamcity/licensing-policy.html
- www.jetbrains.com/help/teamcity/cloud/teamcity-cloud-subscription-and-licensing.html
- www.jetbrains.com/help/teamcity/quick-setup-guide.html
- www.jetbrains.com/help/teamcity/configure-and-run-your-first-build.html
- www.jetbrains.com/help/teamcity/security-notes.html
- www.jetbrains.com/help/teamcity/untrusted-builds.html
Why it made the leaderboard
A candidate for teams that need reusable build workflows and control over agent environments. The free server licence does not supply free infrastructure or automatic isolation between builds.
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