Codemagic

Overview

Codemagic is a hosted CI/CD service centered on building, testing and releasing mobile apps. It suits mobile developers who want repository events, signing and store delivery in one workflow; its strongest appeal is the mobile release focus, while the standard plans’ 120-minute build cap can constrain long jobs.

Key features

Builds can start when code is pushed, a tag is created or a pull request is merged. Separate workflows for development, testing and production distribution make it possible to connect checks to code changes and keep release steps distinct. Self-hosted repositories can connect through HTTPS or SSH authentication.

Codemagic supports Flutter, React Native, native iOS and Android, Unity, Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile, .NET MAUI and Ionic. Built-in signing identity management and Apple Developer portal integration address important parts of Apple release preparation. Deployment can be automated to the Apple App Store, Google Play, Microsoft Store and Huawei App Gallery.

Integrations include GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, BrowserStack, AWS Device Farm, Firebase, Slack and SonarCloud, covering source hosting as well as testing, reporting and team workflows. Builds run in virtual machines that are destroyed after completion. Build data is cleaned when a build finishes, apart from artifacts available in build logs and for download. Sensitive data is stored in an access-limited Google Cloud bucket, encrypted at rest with AES-256 and transmitted using TLS 1.2 or HTTPS. Codemagic says its SOC 2 Type II report is available on request; it has not undergone an ISO 27001 audit.

Pricing

The free plan costs nothing and is aimed at an individual evaluating or running a small workload: it allows one team member, 500 build minutes refilled monthly, one parallel build, 30 days of build history and artifact storage, and 3GB cache per build. Its 120-minute duration cap means a single long build cannot use all the monthly allowance. Community support is included.

Pay as you go has a $0/month base cost and is billed monthly for the previous month’s usage. It removes the team-member limit but retains one parallel build and the 120-minute duration cap. Mac mini M2 builds cost $0.095/minute, Mac mini M4 costs $0.114/minute, and Linux X2 and Windows cost $0.045/minute. The 60 days of build history and artifact storage is twice the free plan’s window, but variable per-minute charges make this a better fit when usage is modest or irregular than when costs must be fixed.

Fixed price is billed yearly, with M2, M4 and M4 Max options shown at $3,990, $5,400 and $9,000 per year. It includes unlimited team members and build minutes, three parallel builds, one year of build history and artifact storage, and 10GB cache per build. That predictable capacity suits sustained team workloads, though jobs still face the 120-minute limit. Enterprise starts from $12,000 per year and adds custom build machines and duration, priority support, SSO, signed SLAs, NDAs and DPAs, alongside unlimited team members and build minutes and three parallel builds. It is the tier for organizations needing those controls and service terms; its price is a substantial commitment.

Platforms

The platform coverage is Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows, with API also included. The supported project frameworks make the strongest case for mobile teams, while Linux and Windows build-minute options extend the service beyond Apple and Android releases.

Who it's for

Codemagic is a good fit for individual developers and teams delivering apps across the supported mobile frameworks, especially when automated signing and store deployment can reduce release work. The free tier is useful for a solo, low-volume project; teams needing more people or concurrency will need a paid plan. Look elsewhere if builds routinely exceed two hours and custom duration is outside the Enterprise budget, or if formal ISO 27001 auditing is a requirement.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Mobile-specific signing and deployment span Apple, Google, Microsoft and Huawei stores, which brings key release steps into the same service as builds.
• Pro: Fixed-price plans include unlimited minutes and team members, useful for teams that need predictable capacity rather than per-minute billing.
• Pro: Self-hosted repository connections and a broad integration catalog accommodate varied development setups.
• Con: Free use is limited to one member and one parallel build, with 500 monthly minutes and a 120-minute job cap; it is not suited to a busy team.
• Con: The 120-minute limit remains on free, pay-as-you-go and fixed-price plans, so longer builds require Enterprise.
• Con: Enterprise starts from $12,000 per year, and the company has not undergone an ISO 27001 audit.

Alternatives

Appcircle is worth considering if a free mobile CI/CD plan’s stated 20 monthly builds and 30-minute maximum per build better match a small, bounded workload. Bitrise is another freemium option; its Hobby plan is for a one-person team running a small project a few times per month with community support.

GitHub Codespaces may suit readers looking for hosted development environments with free access and paid 2-core and 4-core compute options, rather than Codemagic’s mobile build-and-release focus. AppVeyor is an alternative for Windows-oriented workflows, with an open-source plan that includes unlimited public projects and one concurrent job.

Bitbucket Pipelines may fit teams that want CI/CD with Bitbucket’s free plan, which allows up to five users and 50 build minutes per month. Buildkite offers a free plan with up to five users and ten concurrent jobs, making it an option to weigh when concurrency matters.

CircleCI has a Performance plan starting at $15 a month, with 30,000 credits and five active users included free. Dagger offers an Individual plan with one user, one million monthly events, one month of run history and community support. For broader category browsing, see Mobile CI/CD Software, Continuous Integration Software, Continuous Delivery Software and Game Build Automation Software.

Verdict

Choose Codemagic if you build and ship mobile apps and want triggers, signing and store deployment in a single hosted CI/CD service. The free plan gives an individual a meaningful monthly allowance, and fixed-price tiers offer ample team and minute capacity. Look elsewhere if your jobs exceed the standard two-hour cap, if the free plan’s single seat and build lane are too restrictive, or if ISO 27001 certification is essential.