Drone vs TeamCity
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted ci/cd & build options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Drone | TeamCity |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 38,428 | — |
| First released | 2014 | 2006 |
| Replaces | Jenkins, CircleCI | Jenkins, CircleCI |
What are Drone and TeamCity?
Drone
Drone is a container-based continuous integration and delivery platform that runs each pipeline step in an isolated container. It targets teams wanting CI defined entirely in code. It is deployed via Docker.
- Pipelines defined as code
- Every step runs in a container
- Many Git provider integrations
- Plugin ecosystem
TeamCity
TeamCity is a build management and continuous integration server from JetBrains. The Professional edition is free for self-hosting smaller teams and supports many build runners and VCS systems.
- Smart build configuration
- Build chains and dependencies
- Rich VCS integration
- Detailed test reporting
Drone vs TeamCity: key differences
Drone is written in Go, while TeamCity is built with Java. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Drone versus Proprietary for TeamCity. Drone is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for TeamCity. TeamCity is the more established project (first released 2006), while Drone arrived in 2014.
Why pick each one
Choose Drone if…
- Clean container model
- Configuration as code
- Scales with runners
Watch out for
- Now under commercial steward
- Spurred the Woodpecker fork
Choose TeamCity if…
- Released under the Proprietary license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Drone or TeamCity better?
Neither is universally better. Drone has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Drone and TeamCity free and open-source?
Yes. Drone is licensed under Apache-2.0 and TeamCity under Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Drone and TeamCity with Docker?
Drone: yes. TeamCity: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Drone or TeamCity?
Drone has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for TeamCity. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.