Jenkins is a self-hosted, highly customizable CI/CD platform with extensive plugin ecosystem, while GitHub Actions is a cloud-native CI/CD solution integrated directly into GitHub with simpler setup and lower operational overhead. Jenkins requires infrastructure management and expertise, whereas GitHub Actions offers faster onboarding with built-in GitHub integration.
Jenkins vs GitHub Actions — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Open-source automation server with extensive plugin ecosystem for CI/CD and infrastructure orchestration
Free CI/CD automation platform natively integrated with GitHub repositories.
Deployment Model. Setup Time (basic pipeline). Available Plugins/Actions. Infrastructure Costs (small team). Enterprise Support. GitHub Integration. Customization Flexibility
Choose Jenkins if you need maximum customization, already have on-premises infrastructure, use non-GitHub repositories, or require complex legacy integrations—it's the industry standard for enterprises with sophisticated CI/CD needs. Choose GitHub Actions if you're on GitHub, prioritize fast setup, want minimal ops overhead, or are a startup/small team—it offers superior out-of-the-box experience with 90% lower operational costs for typical small-to-medium teams.
Jenkins: $0 (self-hosted only) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: ~480-1440 minutes (8-24 hours setup) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 6000+ plugins | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Customer responsible | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Varies (depends on deployment) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Unlimited (self-hosted) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Any OS (plugin dependent) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: $5,000 (infrastructure) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Self-hosted only | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: No (requires external Git) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: No (plugin available) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 23,000+ stars | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 40-80 hours for full enterprise setup | GitHub Actions: 15 minutes to first workflow
Jenkins: 2000+ plugins | GitHub Actions: 10000+ actions
Jenkins: Unlimited (self-hosted) | GitHub Actions: 2000 minutes (GitHub-hosted runners)
Jenkins: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea, custom platforms | GitHub Actions: GitHub only (primary)
Jenkins: High - Groovy/Declarative DSL + extensive UI configuration | GitHub Actions: Low - Simple YAML syntax
Jenkins: Self-hosted only | GitHub Actions: Cloud-hosted and self-hosted
Jenkins: Unlimited (with distributed agents) | GitHub Actions: Limited by GitHub account quotas
Jenkins: $5000-$50000+ (optional support plans) | GitHub Actions: $231/user/year (GitHub Enterprise)
Jenkins: 120-180 minutes | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: $0 (self-hosted) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 20-40 hours/month | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Manual provisioning via plugins | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Legacy JSP (2010s); Blue Ocean React optional | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: On-prem, Docker, Kubernetes, VMs, air-gapped | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Responsibility of operator | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: $0 (free) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 4-8 hours | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Community only (24/7 forum) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 2 (Jenkinsfile + UI) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 5,000+ (GitHub) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 1,800+ plugins | GitHub Actions: 13,000+ actions
Monthly Infrastructure Cost (10-developer team)
Jenkins: $1,200 (server + maintenance) | GitHub Actions: $25 (usage-based + GitHub Team)
Jenkins: Unlimited (self-hosted) | GitHub Actions: 2,000 (private) / unlimited (public)
Jenkins: 3 weeks (Groovy DSL mastery) | GitHub Actions: 1 week (YAML basics)
Jenkins: Unlimited (on your infrastructure) | GitHub Actions: 20 (GitHub-hosted runners)
Jenkins: Medium (GitHub plugin + configuration) | GitHub Actions: Native (zero additional setup)
Jenkins: ~22,000 stars | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: No (requires agent/plugin configuration) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Imperative Groovy scripting | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: No (manual reconciliation) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: ~30-60 min (VM setup, Docker, plugins) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Any platform (VM, cloud, on-prem, serverless) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: ~200,000+ organizations | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 60-120 minutes | GitHub Actions: 2-3 minutes (GitHub integration native)
Jenkins: Via plugins/agents | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Biweekly (2 weeks) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Groovy DSL + YAML | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Kubernetes, VMs, bare metal, cloud-agnostic | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Manual/webhook-based | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Dedicated server + agents needed | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Imperative Groovy/XML (UI + code) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Not CNCF member | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Moderate (familiar CI/CD concepts) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 1,800+ plugins | GitHub Actions: N/A
Monthly Cost (5 Users, Mid-Volume Usage)
Jenkins: $50-150/month (server costs only) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 20-40 hours | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Groovy/XML (powerful but complex) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Unlimited (if self-hosted) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: ~23K GitHub stars, 20+ year history | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Full control (on-premises) | GitHub Actions: No (GitHub cloud default, Enterprise option)
Jenkins: ~45% market share | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Requires configuration | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: ~16 years (2010 launch) | GitHub Actions: 6 years (since 2019)
Jenkins: Secondary (JCasC/Jenkinsfile) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Setup Complexity (1-10, lower is easier)
Jenkins: 5/10 (standard server setup) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 1,800+ official plugins | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 512-2,048 MB | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: 30-60 seconds | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: Via plugin (Kubernetes plugin) | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: UI + Groovy DSL + Jenkinsfile | GitHub Actions: N/A
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 3,000 (public repos)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 1 (GitHub only)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 256 concurrent
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 5 minutes
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 20,000+ actions
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Standard support available
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Supported with basic controls
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 1-2 weeks
Free Monthly CI/CD Minutes (Private Repos)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 2,000 minutes
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 0.5 GB per project
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 11,000+ Actions
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: $200/month (Advanced Security tier)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Enterprise Server tier (paid only, $231+/month)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Issues, basic Boards, limited automation
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Integrated (GitHub-only)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 20 matrix configurations
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 5-15 minutes
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 2,000-3,000
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Not required
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: GitHub (primary), limited others
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 18,000+ actions
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Microsoft, GitHub, 60% of public repos
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Self-hosted runners available
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: $0 (free tier available)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 2,000 (private repos)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 360 (6 hours)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Native (built-in)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 5-10 (YAML config only)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 2,000 (unlimited for public repos)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 20 concurrent jobs
Configuration File Complexity (1-5 scale)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 4 (complex YAML, matrix builds)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: GitHub only
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 3,000 minutes
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 10,000+ verified actions
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 42% of CI/CD users (2024)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 5 minutes (native UI)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 3 (Linux, Windows, macOS)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 2,000 (public repos only)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: $0.008/minute
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Standard caching (1x baseline)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 15,000+ actions
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Not supported
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 2-3 minutes (native)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 2,000 minutes/month
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: $0.008 per minute
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Requires plugins
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 1-2 hours
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Free (2,000 min/month included)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 2,000 (public: unlimited)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: Via third-party actions (workaround)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 6 years (2019)
Monthly Cost (5 Private Repos, 100 builds/month)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: $14.40 (2,000 free min + 1,800 excess min × $0.008)
Default Concurrent Jobs (Free/Base Tier)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 10,000+ public actions
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 5GB (per repository)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: No (fully managed by GitHub)
Jenkins: N/A | GitHub Actions: 20 jobs maximum per repository
How to choose between Jenkins and GitHub Actions
Jenkins vs GitHub Actions — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Jenkins vs GitHub Actions. Contains 157 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Jenkins vs GitHub Actions — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Jenkins vs GitHub Actions.
Yes, Jenkins integrates with GitHub via the GitHub plugin, but requires manual setup including webhook configuration, token authentication, and plugin installation. GitHub Actions provides native integration with zero configuration—webhooks and repository access are automatic.
What's the total cost difference for a 10-developer team?
Jenkins costs approximately $1,200-1,500/month (server infrastructure, maintenance, 1-2 DevOps FTE labor). GitHub Actions costs $20-50/month (team plan + usage overages). Over 12 months, GitHub Actions saves $14,000-17,500. However, Jenkins has no per-user licensing, so costs flatten regardless of team growth beyond infrastructure.
Which supports more programming languages and frameworks?
Both support 50+ languages equally well (Python, Node.js, Java, Go, Rust, etc.). GitHub Actions has broader pre-built action ecosystem with specialized actions for 100+ tools (AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, Docker). Jenkins matches this only by combining multiple plugins, requiring more configuration.
Can I migrate from Jenkins to GitHub Actions?
Yes, migration is feasible but not automated. Basic Jenkins pipelines (Declarative) convert to GitHub Actions workflows in 2-4 hours per pipeline. Complex Groovy scripts or extensive custom plugins require 1-2 weeks of refactoring. Tools like actions/github-script can replicate some Jenkins logic, but deep customizations may not have direct equivalents.
Which is better for on-premises/private infrastructure?
Jenkins is purpose-built for on-premises and has no cloud dependency. GitHub Actions offers self-hosted runners (you manage the hardware), but requires GitHub.com/Enterprise Cloud connectivity and GitHub account management. For fully air-gapped systems, Jenkins is the only viable option.
How to Choose Between Jenkins and GitHub Actions
Deployment Model: Jenkins has Self-hosted only, while GitHub Actions has Cloud-hosted (GitHub.com) + self-hosted option.
Setup Time (basic pipeline): Jenkins has 4-8 hours, while GitHub Actions has 15-30 minutes.
Available Plugins/Actions: Jenkins has 1,800+ plugins, while GitHub Actions has 13,000+ actions (GitHub Marketplace).
Consider: Infrastructure Costs (small team)
Infrastructure Costs (small team): Jenkins has $500-2,000/month, while GitHub Actions has $0-50/month (free tier + overage).
Enterprise Support: Jenkins has Community + CloudBees (paid), while GitHub Actions has GitHub Premium Support.
GitHub Integration: Jenkins has Via plugins (additional setup), while GitHub Actions has Native, zero-config integration.
Customization Flexibility: Jenkins has Extensive (Groovy DSL, Java plugins), while GitHub Actions has Good (YAML + JavaScript/TypeScript).