14 Best Automated Deployment Tools of 2023

[Updated November 2023]

In an era defined by the rapid evolution of technology, the ability to efficiently and consistently deploy software is the linchpin of success for businesses worldwide. Welcome to our exploration of the 14 best automated deployment tools of 2023, where we embark on a journey to demystify the world of deployment automation.

Picture a scenario where deploying software to various environments, from development to production, happens seamlessly and without hiccups. This is the promise that automated deployment tools hold, a promise of increased productivity, fewer errors, and a faster time-to-market for your applications.

In this guide, we'll not only introduce you to the leading deployment automation solutions but also delve into the fundamental "why" behind automating deployments. We'll examine the key features, benefits, drawbacks, and pricing considerations for each tool, arming you with the insights you need to make informed decisions.

So, whether you're a seasoned DevOps engineer, a developer looking to streamline your workflow, or simply someone curious about the future of software deployment, join us on this journey as we explore the cutting-edge world of automated deployment tools in 2023.

Why automate deployments?

In modern software development, implementing automated database deployment tools is paramount. These tools, such as continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, streamline releasing and managing database changes, ensuring a more efficient and reliable deployment workflow. They have become essential for more agile and error-free software deployment processes.

Comparison Table

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Automated Deployment Tools: Overview

1. Jenkins

Jenkins is a popular open-source continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) platform. QA specialists use it to automate all aspects of the deployment process, from building and testing your code to deploying it to production.

Benefits and Features

• Open source and free to use
• Highly customizable
• Can be integrated with a wide range of other tools
• Supports a wide range of programming languages and deployment platforms
• Offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals

Drawbacks

• Can be complex to set up and configure
• Requires some knowledge of Java and scripting languages
• May not be suitable for small teams with limited resource

Pricing

Free and Open Source

2. TeamCity

TeamCity is a commercial CI/CD platform with many features. It is a good choice for medium to large organizations with complex software development and deployment needs.

Benefits and Features

• Powerful and feature-rich CI/CD platform
• Supports a wide range of programming languages and deployment platforms
• Offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals
• Provides detailed reports and analytics
• Offers enterprise-grade support

Drawbacks

• Commercial product with a paid subscription required
• Can be complex to set up and configure
• May not be suitable for small teams with limited resources

Pricing 

Cloud version starting at $45 per month

3. AWS CodeDeploy

AWS CodeDeploy is a managed CI/CD service from Amazon Web Services (AWS). It is a good choice for organizations already using AWS for their infrastructure and applications. AWS CodeDeploy can be used to automate the deployment of applications to various AWS services, including Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Amazon Elastic Beanstalk, and Amazon ECS.

Benefits and Features

• Managed CI/CD service from AWS
• Easy to set up and use
• Supports a variety of AWS services
• Offers a variety of deployment options
• Provides detailed reports and analytics

Drawbacks

• Only supports AWS services
• May not be suitable for organizations that are not using AWS for their infrastructure and applications

Pricing

Custom pricing available on their website - https://aws.amazon.com/codedeploy/pricing/

4. Google Cloud Deploy

Google Cloud Deploy is a managed CI/CD service from Google Cloud Platform (GCP). It is a good choice for organizations already using GCP for their infrastructure and applications. Google Cloud Deploy can be used to automate application deployment to various GCP services, including Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) and Google Compute Engine (GCE).

Benefits and Features

• Managed CI/CD service from GCP
• Easy to set up and use
• Supports a variety of GCP services
• Offers a variety of deployment options
• Provides detailed reports and analytics

Drawbacks

• Only supports GCP services
• May not be suitable for organizations that are not using GCP for their infrastructure and applications

Pricing

Free for the first pipeline, and each additional pipeline costs $5 per month

5. Ansible

Ansible is a powerful configuration management and automation tool. QAs use it to automate the deployment of applications to any type of infrastructure, including physical servers, virtual machines, and cloud servers. Ansible is a good choice for organizations that need a flexible and powerful deployment solution.

Benefits and Features

• Open source and free to use
• Powerful and flexible configuration management and automation tool
• Supports a wide range of operating systems and platforms
• Offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process, including playbooks, roles, and variables

Drawbacks

• Requires some knowledge of YAML and Ansible playbooks
• Can be complex to set up and configure

Pricing

Free and open source

6. Octopus Deploy

Octopus Deploy is a commercial CI/CD platform designed for enterprise organizations. It offers a wide range of features to help you automate your deployment process, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals.

Benefits and Features

• Comprehensive set of features for automating the deployment process
• Easy to use and manage
• Flexible and scalable
• Integrates with a wide range of other tools
• Offers enterprise-grade support

Drawbacks

• Commercial product with a paid subscription required
• Can be complex to set up and configure
• May not be suitable for small teams with limited resources

Pricing

Starting at $10 flat fee per month

7. Bamboo

Bamboo is a commercial CI/CD platform from Atlassian. It is a good choice for teams of all sizes. Bamboo offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals.

Benefits and Features

• Supports a wide range of programming languages and deployment platforms
• Offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals
• Provides detailed reports and analytics
• Offers enterprise-grade support

Drawbacks

• Commercial product with a paid subscription required
• Can be complex to set up and configure
• May not be suitable for small teams with limited resources

Pricing

Data center with 1 remote agent starts ar $1200

8. PDQ Deploy

PDQ Deploy is a commercial patch management and deployment solution for Windows devices. It is a good choice for organizations that need to automate the deployment of patches and updates to Windows devices.

Benefits and Features

• Easy to use and set up
• Offers a variety of features to help you manage your Windows devices, including patch management, remote control, and software deployment
• Provides detailed reports and analytics

Drawbacks

• Commercial product with a paid subscription required
• Only supports Windows devices

Pricing

Pricing available upon request

9. CircleCI

CircleCI is a commercial CI/CD platform designed for cloud-native applications. It is a good choice for teams of all sizes. CircleCI offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals.

Benefits and Features

• Supports a wide range of programming languages and deployment platforms
• Offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals
• Provides detailed reports and analytics
• Offers enterprise-grade support

Drawbacks

• Commercial product with a paid subscription required
• Can be complex to set up and configure
• May not be suitable for small teams with limited resources

Pricing

Free and paid plans. Paid plans start at $15 per month

10. GitLab CI

GitLab CI is a built-in CI/CD pipeline that is part of the GitLab code hosting platform. It is a good choice for teams that are already using GitLab for code hosting.

Benefits and Features

• Built-in CI/CD pipeline that is part of the GitLab code hosting platform
• Easy to use and set up
• Supports a wide range of programming languages and deployment platforms
• Offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals

Drawbacks

• Only available to teams using GitLab for code hosting
• May not be as powerful or feature-rich as some other CI/CD tools

Pricing

Paid and free plans

11. GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions is a built-in CI/CD pipeline that is part of the GitHub code hosting platform. It is a good choice for teams that are already using GitHub for code hosting. GitHub Actions is easy to use and offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process.

Benefits and Features

• Built-in CI/CD pipeline that is part of the GitHub code hosting platform
• Easy to use and set up
• Supports a wide range of programming languages and deployment platforms
• Offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals

Drawbacks

• Only available to teams using GitHub for code hosting
• May not be as powerful or feature-rich as some other CI/CD tools

Pricing

Free for public repositories. Private repositories billing by the minute

12. Travis CI

Travis CI is a commercial CI/CD platform for open source projects. It is a good choice for teams that are developing open source software. Travis CI is easy to use and offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process.

Benefits and Features

• Easy to use and set up
• Supports a wide range of programming languages and deployment platforms
• Offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals

Drawbacks

• Commercial product with a paid subscription required for private repositories
• May not be as powerful or feature-rich as some other CI/CD tools

Pricing

Starting at $64 per month

13. JFrog (formerly Shippable)

JFrog is a commercial CI/CD platform for enterprise organizations. It offers a wide range of features to help you automate your deployment process, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals. JFrog is a good choice for organizations with complex software development and deployment needs.

Benefits and Features

• Powerful and feature-rich CI/CD platform
• Supports a wide range of programming languages and deployment platforms
• Offers a variety of features to help you automate your deployment process, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals
• Provides detailed reports and analytics
• Offers enterprise-grade support

Drawbacks

• Commercial product with a paid subscription required
• Can be complex to set up and configure
• May not be suitable for small teams with limited resources

Pricing

Starting at $150 per month, unlimited users

14. Deploybot

Deploybot is a commercial CI/CD platform for mobile applications. It is a good choice for teams that are developing mobile applications. Deploybot offers a variety of features to help you automate the deployment of your mobile applications to production.

Benefits and Features

• Easy to use and set up
• Supports a variety of mobile platforms, including iOS, Android, and Windows Phone
• Offers a variety of features to help you automate the deployment of your mobile applications to production, including build pipelines, deployment templates, and approvals
• Provides detailed reports and analytics

Drawbacks

• Commercial product with a paid subscription required
• Only supports mobile platforms
• May not be suitable for organizations that are not developing mobile applications

Pricing

Free and paid plans. Paid plans starting at $25 per month

FAQ about Automated Deployment Tools

What is automated server deployment?

Automated server deployment systematically provides, configures, and manages servers and infrastructure resources without manual intervention. It leverages automation tools and scripts to ensure consistent server setups across development, testing, and production environments. This approach reduces the risk of configuration errors and speeds up server provisioning, allowing organizations to respond rapidly to changing demands. Automated server deployment is a fundamental component of modern DevOps practices, enabling teams to manage infrastructure as code and maintain infrastructure consistency throughout the software development lifecycle.

What is an automated deployment pipeline?

An automated deployment pipeline is a set of automated processes that facilitate software applications' continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD). It encompasses the entire software delivery lifecycle, from code changes to production deployment. The pipeline typically consists of stages such as code compilation, testing, packaging, and deployment. Automated deployment pipelines ensure that changes to the codebase are systematically tested and validated before being automatically deployed to various environments. By automating these processes, teams can achieve faster release cycles, reduced manual intervention, and improved software quality, ultimately enabling efficient and reliable software delivery.