10 best continuous deployment tools in 2025 (includes app & automation deployment tools)

Continuous deployment tools can help your team automatically push code to production once your continuous integration (CI) pipeline has passed all the checks.

I’ve seen how important this is, especially if you’re constantly building containerized apps, using GitOps, or shipping to production regularly. And we both know how important it is to have the right continuous deployment tool if you want to ship faster and reduce risk.

That’s why I’ve put together this list of 10 continuous deployment tools that teams are actively using and trusting in 2025. It includes everything from all-in-one CI/CD platforms to tools focused purely on release and automation.

I also provide you with enough information on what to look out for before choosing a continuous deployment tool.

Let’s get into it.

Continuous deployment tools, or CD tools for short, are the tools that help push your changes to production automatically once your Continuous Integration (CI) pipeline has passed all the required checks.

So, if you had to manually handle all this before, like manual approvals, it saves your team the time to do all that. Meaning your team can move faster and not worry about your workflows being inconsistent.

Now, a lot of people mistake continuous deployment tools with continuous delivery tools, but they’re different. Ask me how? Continuous delivery tools will prepare your builds for release, but won’t deploy them without someone manually triggering the release. The difference is that continuous deployment tools take out that final manual step. I hope you get the difference now.

Moving forward, you should know that continuous deployment tools are helpful if your team ships often, works with GitOps, or manages containerized services at scale.

Okay, let’s move forward and talk about the things you should note before choosing a continuous deployment tool.

Before you make up your mind on which tool to go for among the many continuous deployment tools out there. You need to be sure that the Continuous deployment tool matches your team’s workflows, infrastructure, and deployment standards. So, let me save you the cost and time.

Ask yourself these questions:

If you store infrastructure definitions and application configuration (like environment variables, deployment files, or Helm charts) in Git, the tools should be able to sync with Git as the source of truth.

How GitOps syncing works on Northflank: Git changes trigger deployments, run templates, and update environments automatically

For example, platforms like Northflank support GitOps through templates, release flows, and preview environments. You can do things like:

• Trigger deployments and scale operations by pushing Git.
• Automatically run templates when a commit updates a Git-tracked file.
• Use Git triggers to control which commits kick off a release or run.
• Reuse templates across environments with argument overrides (e.g., for secrets or region-specific configuration).

So, with such tools like this, you don’t have to do any form of manual syncing or click-through. Once connected, the changes flow from Git to your infrastructure. Easy peasy.

Yes, your deployments can fail. I’m sure you’re not surprised. So, make sure that the tool you select can detect issues and help you revert quickly. That might involve redeploying the previous container image, rolling back a Git tag, or using an older artifact.

Rollback support in Northflank: Easily revert to previous releases using container images, Git tags, or artifacts

Now, platforms like Northflank can help in these cases because they support automated rollback flows. When a release fails, you can return the pipeline to a previous working state by re-running an older release or restoring a release flow configuration. This includes reverting builds, services, and even custom container registry images. So, it doesn’t require carrying out manual resets.

You know that your deployments usually need secrets (like API tokens) and configuration values (like feature flags or database URLs). And that means you need to go for a tool that can inject all these securely and separately per environment.

Securely manage secrets, environment variables, and config in Northflank via UI, API, or secret files, then inject at runtime across environments.

For example, a CD tool like Northflank lets you manage secrets, environment variables, and configuration in the UI or API, then, it injects them at runtime.

To cut the long story short, you can:

• Set secrets and environment variables per resource and share them across environments using secret groups
• Use the editor to manage values in a table, JSON, or .env format
• Upload secret files to quickly inject multiple values
• Link database secrets and connection info to deployments
• Inject values as runtime variables or build-time arguments, and control how they’re inherited

So it means your team can stay secure while working the way they prefer, either visually or in code.

If you deploy to more than one environment, like most teams, I mean, if you have preview environments for testing branches, staging for QA, and production for your users, and the deployment tool you're currently using can't help you manage those environments, I understand.

You’ll end up having to copy configuration, repeat secrets, or worse, have to debug production bugs that slipped through because staging wasn't identical.

If you can relate to that, then you should look for a continuous deployment tool that treats environments as a core feature, not something you have to piece together with folders and scripts.

Northflank makes it easy to manage preview, staging, and production environments with scoped secrets, release flows, and automated rules

Some tools do a decent job here, but Northflank stands out with native environment support, including:

• Preview environments that spin up automatically from Git branches or PRs, with ephemeral lifecycles
• Dynamic subdomains and wildcard routing for easy URL access to each environment
• Scheduling rules for when preview environments should be created or torn down, so that you don’t waste resources
• Scoped secrets and config using groups and tags, so that you can reuse values safely across staging and prod
• Release flows that define how changes move through environments, with manual or automated triggers

So, it basically gives you consistency across environments while letting you make any changes you want, like secrets, lifecycle rules, and naming patterns. That’s the sort of tool you should be looking for.

If the continuous deployment tool is difficult to set up or debug, it can cause a blocker and delay your team. That’s why you should look for a continuous deployment tool that has user-friendly documentation, an easy-to-use User Interface (UI), and multiple ways to interact with the platform. For instance, if your team prefers to use the UI, the CLI, or the API, they should be able to.

Northflank supports multiple ways to interact with deployments—UI, CLI, API, and Git-based workflows

A couple of platforms offer this, but one notable one is Northflank, and that’s because you have access to:

• A visual UI for managing release flows, rollback actions, and pipeline statuses
• Git-based workflows via Git triggers, branch rules, and commit filters
• A fully interactive CLI that prompts you for inputs and supports named contexts for different teams
• A REST API and JavaScript SDK for programmatically managing services, builds, jobs, and backups
• Support for resource definitions via JSON/YAML when using the CLI for automation or scripting

So, this means that your team has enough options and can easily get comfortable with using the platform.

If something breaks in production and you have no idea what caused it, that’s usually a nightmare, and I can imagine. I’m sure you’ll want logs for every deployment, full visibility into your build steps, and a clear connection between the commit, the container image, and the environment it’s running in.

And that’s the primary reason why you need a continuous deployment tool that can provide traceability without any additional setup. I understand that you need to be able to say precisely what commit is live, how it got there, and what happened along the way.

Trace deployments in Northflank, from commit to build to container, with full logs, metrics, and visibility

Some platforms give you a partial view, but Northflank does a good job here because it gives you:

• Deployment logs streamed live or viewed historically, right from the UI or CLI
• Full build history tied to Git commits so that you can trace every container
• Container logs from all services and jobs, with advanced search and filters
• Metrics dashboards for interpreting container health and performance
• Shell access to running containers for quick investigation

All this means you don’t have to burn the midnight candle looking for where a bug came from; you can follow the trail from commit to build to container and see what’s happening live.

If your team works in a regulated environment or has strict data policies, you’ll most likely need a self-hosted deployment setup. But if not, cloud platforms are much easier to get started with and maintain because you don’t need to handle cluster provisioning, networking, or ongoing infrastructure maintenance.

Choose between managed cloud or BYOC with Northflank, same UI, CLI, and API across both

Some platforms make you pick one or the other, but others give you flexibility. For example, Northflank is cloud-native, but also supports Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC). So you can:

• Run on Northflank’s managed cloud across global regions like Europe, the US, or Asia
• Or deploy directly into your AWS, Azure, GCP, Civo, or Oracle account using the same UI, CLI, and API

This lets you keep control of cloud spend, data residency, and regional preferences, without giving up the platform experience. You still get auto-upgrades, cost controls, and scalable infrastructure.

Northflank has also been used to self-host popular tools like:

• Temporal
• DeepSeek R1
• Reflex
• SuperTokens
• n8n
• PostHog
• vLLM

So if your team wants to run open source tools in your own cloud, that’s one option you can keep in mind.

Now that we’ve looked at what makes a continuous deployment platform flexible, cloud vs self-hosted, CLI vs UI, traceability and environment management, let’s look at some of the tools that support these use cases best.

We’re going to break down what each tool is best for, who it’s built for, and what kind of deployment setups it supports. If you’re choosing your next CD tool, this should help narrow things down.

Northflank is a container-native platform with built-in CI/CD, supporting Git-based deploys, static IPs, and BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud). You get full visibility across builds, deployments, environments, and logs without needing third-party plugins or YAML complexity.

Highlights:

• Built-in CI/CD pipelines
• Git-based deploys with branch rules and commit filters
• Dynamic preview environments
• Static IP support
• Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC) and managed cloud hosting
• Built-in secrets, config groups, and scheduling
• Fully managed Kubernetes under the hood

Pricing: Free tier available, usage-based pricing after that (See pricing details)

Use case: Teams that want deployment, logs, CI/CD, and cloud hosting in one place

Go with this if you want CI/CD and deployment in one place, without setting up separate runners, plugins, or infrastructure. You also get BYOC, static IPs, and runtime logs out of the box.

Octopus Deploy is known for its visual release management and environment-scoped configuration. It’s a good fit for teams that want to automate releases without going deep into code.

Highlights:

• Visual release orchestration and approvals
• Scoped variables and secrets
• Manual and automatic triggers
• Built-in support for Kubernetes, VMs, and cloud providers

Pricing: Starts at $360 USD / year

Use case: Teams looking for GUI-based release automation with structured environments

Go with this if you need GUI-based release automation.

A classic open-source tool with enormous flexibility, but it comes at the cost of setup and ongoing maintenance. Jenkins gives you full control over your deployment pipeline, but you’ll need to handle scaling, plugins, and updates yourself.

Highlights:

• Open-source and self-hosted
• Plugin ecosystem for every use case
• Declarative pipelines with Jenkinsfile
• Wide language and tool integration support

Pricing: Free (self-hosted), but infra and plugin costs may apply

Use case: Teams that want maximum control and are comfortable managing infrastructure

Go with this if you need full control and don’t mind managing infra.

Bitbucket Pipelines is a great choice if your repos already live on Bitbucket Cloud. It provides lightweight CI/CD integrated directly with the Bitbucket UI and uses YAML-based configuration for builds and deployments.

Highlights:

• Integrated with Bitbucket Cloud
• Config-as-code via bitbucket-pipelines.yml
• Deployment environments and variables
• Docker support

Pricing: Free for up to 5 users (50 minutes per month, $10 per 1,000 additional build minutes, per month & 10 deployment environments)

Use case: Bitbucket-centric teams looking for tightly integrated CI/CD

Go with this if you’re already using Bitbucket Cloud.

GitLab offers an end-to-end DevOps suite, encompassing source control, security, and deployments. Its CI/CD capabilities are tightly integrated with GitLab projects, making it ideal for teams following GitOps or DevSecOps practices.

Highlights:

• Built-in CI/CD in GitLab
• Supports GitOps and Kubernetes deployments
• Runners for scalable builds
• Auto DevOps support for automation

Pricing: Free tier available, premium plans start at $29/user/month

Use case: Teams looking for a complete Git-based DevSecOps toolchain

Go with this if you want full DevSecOps in one tool.

Azure DevOps supports a full set of tools for planning, building, testing, and deploying applications. It integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft tools and services and is built for large teams in enterprise environments.

Highlights:

• Pipelines for CI/CD with YAML or classic editor
• Azure Repos, Boards, Artifacts, and Test Plans
• Built-in environment approvals and gates
• Integration with Microsoft 365 and Azure services

Pricing: Free for up to 5 users, paid plans start at $6/user/month

Use case: Enterprises working inside the Microsoft ecosystem

Go with this if you’re fully in the Microsoft ecosystem.

AWS CodeDeploy is part of AWS's deployment suite, letting you automate updates to EC2, Lambda, and on-prem servers. It’s tightly integrated with AWS IAM, CloudWatch, and ECS.

Highlights:

• Automates deployments to EC2, Lambda, and ECS
• Supports blue/green and in-place deployments
• Integrates with AWS IAM, CodePipeline, CloudWatch
• Fine-grained access control

Pricing: Free for AWS Lambda, usage-based pricing for EC2

Use case: Teams operating mostly within AWS infrastructure

Go with this if you’re deep into AWS.

CircleCI is built for fast, cloud-native CI/CD with smart caching, parallelism, and Docker support. It’s popular for its performance and flexibility, especially for larger teams with complex pipelines.

Highlights:

• Docker-native builds
• Caching and parallelism for speed
• GitHub and Bitbucket integration
• Hosted and self-hosted options

Pricing: Free for 6,000 build minutes/month; paid plans from $15/month

Use case: Teams that want high-performance pipelines with advanced config

Go with this if you need fast parallelized pipelines.

Argo CD is a GitOps-style deployment tool for Kubernetes. It continuously monitors Git repositories and syncs the desired state to your Kubernetes clusters. It’s declarative, scalable, and built with Kubernetes in mind.

Highlights:

• GitOps-driven deployments
• Visual diffing and sync status
• Role-based access and audit logs
• Supports Helm, Kustomize, and plain YAML

Pricing: Free and open-source

Use case: Teams managing Kubernetes with Git as the source of truth

Go with this if you're managing Kubernetes with GitOps.

Flux CD is a lightweight GitOps operator that pairs well with Helm and Kustomize. It’s suited for smaller teams or those who want GitOps without extra overhead.

Highlights:

• GitOps deployments for Kubernetes
• Native Helm support
• Built-in reconciliation loops
• Lightweight and Kubernetes-native

Pricing: Free and open-source

Use case: Lean Kubernetes teams looking for lightweight GitOps tooling

Go with this if you want a lean GitOps setup.

I’ll help you answer some common questions often asked when it comes to continuous deployment tools:

1. Which tool is used for continuous deployment?

Tools like Northflank, Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, and Argo CD are widely used for continuous deployment, depending on your stack and infrastructure.

2. What is the most used CI tool?

Jenkins remains one of the most used CI tools due to its long history and large plugin ecosystem.

3. Is Jenkins a continuous deployment tool?

Yes, Jenkins can be configured for continuous deployment, though it often requires plugins and manual setup.

4. Which is a CI tool?

Examples of CI tools include Jenkins, GitHub Actions, CircleCI, GitLab CI/CD, and Bitbucket Pipelines.

5. Is GitHub a CI CD tool?

GitHub itself isn’t, but GitHub Actions is a built-in CI/CD service you can use for automating builds and deployments.

6. Is Kubernetes a CI/CD tool?

No, Kubernetes is a container orchestration platform. But it’s often paired with CI/CD tools like Argo CD or Flux for deployment.

7. Is Docker a CI CD tool?

Docker isn’t a CI/CD tool, it’s used for containerizing applications. But many CI/CD tools use Docker in their pipelines.

8. What is the difference between Jenkins and GitHub Actions?

Jenkins is a self-hosted, plugin-driven CI/CD tool, while GitHub Actions is a cloud-based CI/CD system built into GitHub with tighter repository integration.

9. Can Jenkins do continuous deployment?

Yes, Jenkins supports continuous deployment, but you’ll need to configure the pipeline and manage the infrastructure yourself.

10. Is Octopus a CI CD tool?

Octopus is primarily a CD tool focused on release automation, and it pairs well with CI tools like TeamCity or GitHub Actions.

I’d like to conclude by saying that the right continuous deployment tool all comes down to your team’s workflow, complexity, and level of control.

If your team prefers a tightly scoped tool that plugs into an existing pipeline, then something like Argo CD or Octopus might work well. But if you’re starting fresh or want to avoid piecing together multiple tools for CI, CD, and runtime, it makes sense to look at platforms that simplify the setup.

You can test a few options side by side. Try running a sample service and see how easy it is to debug a failed deployment. Check how each tool handles secrets, environments, and logs. That hands-on comparison often tells you more than docs alone.

You can also try a CD platform like Northflank that gives you CI, CD, and runtime in a single workflow, without needing to manually integrate different tools. As mentioned earlier, you get access to a full suite of deployment features from one dashboard. Give it a try and see how it compares to your current setup.