Semaphore

semaphoreci.com
DevOps
Weekend Project

AI-driven CI/CD platform for the entire software delivery workflow

How to Replace Semaphore

Overview

Semaphore is a cloud-based continuous integration and continuous delivery platform that automates code integration, building, testing, and deployment. It cuts build times by up to 50% and reduces flaky test failures with built-in test automation and AI-powered failure analysis.

Features

34 features across 13 categories

AI(1)

AI-driven Failure AnalysisAI

Speed up failure analysis and resolution with AI

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Access Control(4)

Advanced Roles & Audit LogsPremium

Enterprise-level role management and comprehensive audit logging

Granular Deployment Permissions

Give deployment permissions to a restricted set of accounts

Project Roles

Customize permissions for each project or inherit them from the repository

User Groups

Create custom groups for easier access management

Also in: Kubernetes Dashboard, Lacework, LastPass

Core CI/CD(4)

Continuous Integration & Pipelines

Automate code integration, building, and testing with fast feedback cycles

Deployments & Automation

Automate delivery to staging or production environments with manual approval options

Monorepos

Support for monorepo architecture and workflows

Multi-stage Build Pipelines

Optimize for fast feedback by combining parallel jobs with sequential pipeline stages

Deployment(4)

Deployment Targets

Streamline deployment process with secure access management and deployment tracking

Parameterized Deployments

Define custom forms to parameterize CD pipelines

Predictable Delivery

Consistent PR to Production with Promotions, Approvals, and environment level controls

Self-hosted Agents

Run CI/CD on your own infrastructure with self-hosted agents

Also in: Kubernetes Dashboard, Hugging Face, Bitwarden

Developer Experience(2)

Developer Toolkit

Tools and utilities for developers to streamline CI/CD workflows

Visual Workflow Editor

Visual interface for designing CI/CD pipelines

Integration(4)

Docker Support

Native Docker support with caching mechanisms to accelerate pipelines

MCP ServerPremium

New feature for enhanced integration capabilities

REST API & CLI Control

Control CI/CD pipelines through REST API and command-line interface

SCIM/SAML Support

Integrate with favorite access management service

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Monitoring(1)

Metrics & Observability

Track pipeline performance, build frequency, and reliability over time

Performance(3)

Autoscaling Infrastructure

Dynamically scale infrastructure to match demand

Cloud Bursting

Burst to cloud resources when needed on Hybrid plan

Fast Pipelines

Up to 2x faster builds on optimized bare-metal servers with visual workflow editor that cuts team-to-first-green by up to 60%

Also in: Jira Service Management, Hugging Face, WordPress.com

Quality Assurance(3)

Flaky Tests Dashboard

Identify and analyze inconsistent tests and understand their impact on workflows

Pre-flight ChecksPremium

Set up additional jobs that are required to run prior to any workflow

Reliable Execution

Stable, reproducible test runs that pass more often on the first try, reducing re-runs

Reporting(4)

Custom Reports

Build custom reports at runtime using Markdown

Project Metrics

Track performance, build frequency, and reliability of each pipeline over time

Test Dashboard

View all tests across all builds on a unified dashboard

Test Reports

View all tests across all builds on a unified dashboard

Security(2)

Audit Logs

Record any activity and streamline logs to an external location

Security & Compliance

SCIM/SAML support, audit logs, and compliance-friendly data separation

Storage(1)

Artifacts

Save files to reuse them across pipelines or as permanent records

Support(1)

Premium Onboarding & SupportPremium

Dedicated account manager and premium support services

Pricing

Community Edition

Free
  • Self-hosted CI/CD
  • Unlimited users
  • Unlimited concurrency
  • Multi-stage Build Pipelines
  • Artifacts
  • Project Metrics
  • Test Dashboard
  • Custom Reports
  • Flaky Tests Dashboard
  • Deployment Targets
  • Parameterized Deployments
  • Project Roles
  • Community support

Cloud

Popular
starts at $0.0075/min for runners usage
  • Fully managed, zero infra overhead
  • Unlimited users & concurrency
  • REST API & CLI control
  • Multi-stage Build Pipelines
  • Artifacts (30/100 GB)
  • Project Metrics
  • Test Dashboard
  • Custom Reports
  • Flaky Tests Dashboard
  • Deployment Targets
  • Parameterized Deployments
  • Project Roles

Hybrid

$9/user/month + usage
  • Use own compute or hardware
  • SaaS UI + billing
  • Cloud bursting
  • Compliance-friendly data separation
  • Unlimited users & concurrency
  • Unlimited self-hosted runners
  • On-demand runners at $0.0075/min
  • Multi-stage Build Pipelines
  • Artifacts (30/100 GB)
  • Project Metrics
  • Test Dashboard
  • Custom Reports
  • Flaky Tests Dashboard
  • Deployment Targets
  • Parameterized Deployments
  • Project Roles
  • Granular Deployment Permissions

Enterprise

Custom
  • Advanced roles & audit logs
  • Unlimited self-hosted agents
  • Premium onboarding & support
  • Cloud or Self-hosted deployment
  • Unlimited users & concurrency
  • Unlimited artifacts (200/1000 GB)
  • Multi-stage Build Pipelines
  • Artifacts
  • Project Metrics
  • Test Dashboard
  • Custom Reports
  • Flaky Tests Dashboard
  • Deployment Targets
  • Parameterized Deployments
  • Pre-flight Checks
  • Project Roles
  • Granular Deployment Permissions
  • SCIM/SAML Support
  • User Groups
  • Audit Logs
  • Invoice payment option
  • Premium support with SLAs

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Semaphore

Monthly$9/mo
Yearly$108/yr
5-Year Total$540

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~3 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 Year
SaaS
$108
DIY
$240
3 Years
SaaS
$324
DIY
$720
5 Years
SaaS
$540
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 34 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Semaphore alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 34 features.

Buy Semaphore

Better Value
Monthly cost$90/mo
3-year total$3,240
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$24,000
Maintenance$360/mo
3-year total$36,960
Dev time~2 months

Buying Semaphore saves ~$33,720 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 34 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

5 known integrations

DockerGit Version ControlKubernetesSAMLSCIM