Drone vs Tekton: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Drone and Tekton side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Drone
Container-native continuous delivery platform
Best for you if:
- • You want container-native CI/CD
Tekton
Cloud-native CI/CD for Kubernetes
Best for you if:
- • You want a fully free tool (Drone requires payment)
| At a Glance | Drone | Tekton |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan | Free 100% free |
Category | DevOps CI/CD | DevOps CI/CD |
Rating | 3.3/5 G2 2.8 · Capterra 4.3 13 reviews | 3.9/5 PeerSpot 3.9 37 reviews |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
Choose Drone or Tekton?
Choose Drone if
- You want container-native CI/CD
- You want self-hostable
Choose Tekton if
- You want a fully free tool (Drone requires payment)
- You want K8s native CI/CD
- You want good for pipelines
In-Depth Analysis
Drone
Container-native continuous delivery platform
Drone's pricing is exceptionally generous, offering a fully-featured, container-native CI/CD platform for free through its Open Source tier.
Strengths
- Pro: Container-native CI/CD
- Pro: Self-hostable
- Pro: YAML pipelines
- Pro: Light weight
- Pro: Good for Kubernetes
Weaknesses
- Con: Acquired by Harness
- Con: Community declining
- Con: Documentation dated
- Con: Features limited
- Con: Support uncertain
Key features
Tekton
Cloud-native CI/CD for Kubernetes
Tekton's pricing is exceptionally generous, as it is entirely open-source and free.
Strengths
- Pro: K8s native CI/CD
- Pro: Good for pipelines
- Pro: CNCF project
- Pro: Active development
- Pro: Flexible
Weaknesses
- Con: Complex setup
- Con: Learning curve
- Con: K8s required
- Con: Documentation gaps
- Con: Operational overhead
Key features
Plans and prices: Drone vs Tekton
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Drone |
| drone.io read Oct 8, 2026 |
| Tekton |
| tekton.dev read Sep 29, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Drone pricing and Tekton pricing.
Key Takeaways
Drone
- Choose if you want container-native continuous delivery platform
Tekton
- Choose if you want cloud-native CI/CD for Kubernetes
What the data shows
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
- User ratings rest on too few reviews to rank (3.3/5 from 13 reviews for Drone, 3.9/5 from 37 reviews for Tekton; we compare ratings only above 20 reviews on both sides).
- Both have a free plan.
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Drone and Tekton compare in 2026?
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair. User ratings rest on too few reviews to rank (3.3/5 from 13 reviews for Drone, 3.9/5 from 37 reviews for Tekton; we compare ratings only above 20 reviews on both sides). Both have a free plan.
What are Drone and Tekton used for?
Drone: Container-native continuous delivery platform. Tekton: Cloud-native CI/CD for Kubernetes.
What does Drone cost vs Tekton?
Drone has no public paid-plan price on file. Tekton is free. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 8, 2026.
What's the main difference between Drone and Tekton?
Drone's main strength: container-native CI/CD. Tekton's main strength: K8s native CI/CD.