Spinnaker 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.
Not the right match-up?
| Feature | Spinnaker | TeamCity |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary |
| Language | Java | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | kubernetes, helm | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,762 | — |
| First released | 2015 | 2006 |
| Replaces | Harness | Jenkins, CircleCI |
Why pick each one
Choose Spinnaker if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 9.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Java
Choose TeamCity if…
- Released under the Proprietary license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Spinnaker or TeamCity better?
Neither is universally better. Spinnaker has the larger community, while TeamCity is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Spinnaker and TeamCity free and open-source?
Yes. Spinnaker is licensed under Apache-2.0 and TeamCity under Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Spinnaker and TeamCity with Docker?
Spinnaker: check the project docs for container support. TeamCity: yes.