Best Tools for Developers 2026

Updated: February 2026

Essential development tools, IDEs, and utilities for software engineers. Code faster and ship better software. We've curated 15 tools specifically suited for developers.

Key Takeaways

  • Earthly is our #1 pick for ci/cd for developers in 2026.
  • We analyzed 15 ci/cd for developers tools to create this ranking.
  • 12 tools offer free plans, perfect for getting started.

15 CI/CD Tools for Developers

1
Earthly logo

Earthly

Automate engineering standards enforcement across every tool, team, and deployment.

Paid
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2
Lage logo

Lage

Optimize monorepo builds by never building the same code twice.

Free
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3
Aviator logo

Aviator

AI-powered platform for collaborative coding, intelligent code review, and SDLC automation.

Freemium
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Phase logo

Phase

Open-source platform to secure and deploy application secrets from development to production.

Freemium
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Rush logo

Rush

Simplifies monorepo management for JavaScript projects with many packages.

Free
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Configu logo

Configu

Streamline, test, and automate application configurations across all environments.

Freemium
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pgroll logo

pgroll

Perform zero-downtime, reversible schema migrations for PostgreSQL with ease.

Free
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Atlas logo

Atlas

Manage your database schema as code with GitOps-native CI/CD for secure and compliant database management.

Freemium
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Drone CI logo

Drone CI

Automate software testing and delivery with a self-service Continuous Integration platform.

Freemium
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Depot logo

Depot

Accelerate Docker image builds and GitHub Actions workflows with powerful remote compute and caching.

Paid
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Best CI/CD for Other Use Cases

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best ci/cd tool for developers?

Based on our analysis, Earthly is the top choice for developers, with a score of /100.

Are there free ci/cd tools for developers?

Yes! Lage, Aviator, Bytebase offer free plans suitable for developers.