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Renovate

What Renovate is
Renovate automates dependency maintenance by finding outdated packages and opening pull requests with updates. It supports more than 90 package managers across multiple languages and containers, including npm, Maven, NuGet, Python, Go, Docker, Terraform, and GitHub Actions. Pull requests can include package age, adoption, passing rates, and changelogs to help developers review proposed changes. The scheduling module scans repositories at configurable intervals, while webhooks can trigger jobs in response to repository events. A renovate.json file in the repository root controls settings such as which dependencies to update, scheduling, and grouping. Merge Confidence workflows let teams group and filter updates and can support merging updates rated high confidence. Renovate pull requests trigger CI/CD workflows so changes can be tested before merging. Repository platform support varies by edition and includes GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, Azure DevOps, AWS CodeCommit, Gitea, Forgejo, and Gerrit. Community and CLI editions are free; Enterprise is listed at $250 a year, billed per developer per year. Enterprise includes enterprise-scale automation, Merge Confidence ratings and workflows, and dedicated support. Cloud and self-hosted options are available, with API access on Community.
Who it suits
Renovate suits individual developers and small teams maintaining dependencies, as well as larger organizations managing complex dependency needs. It is especially relevant to teams that want automated update pull requests, configurable scans, and a route to test updates through CI/CD before merging.
What it does well
- Supports more than 90 package managers.
- Pull requests can include package age, adoption, passing rates, and changelogs.
- Configurable scheduling and repository-event webhooks are available.
- Supports cloud and self-hosted deployments.
- Free Community and CLI plans are available.
What to know first
- Repository platform availability varies by edition.
- Dedicated support is listed as an Enterprise feature.
- Enterprise is priced at $250 per developer per year.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mend Renovate Community | Cloud or self-hosted · job scheduling · API access · no support listed | Free |
| Mend Renovate CLI | self-hosted · open source · basic dependency management | Free |
| Mend Renovate Community Cloud | unlimited public and private repositories · 1 concurrent job · jobs every 4 hours · 3GB memory · 15GB disk · 30-minute timeout | Free |
| Mend Renovate Enterprise | per contributing developer per year; up to $250 · cloud or self-hosted · enterprise scale · Merge Confidence workflows · support | $250 a year |
As mend.io lists them, read 2 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Choose the Community plan for cloud or self-hosted use, or the CLI plan for self-hosted use.
- Configure operational settings in a renovate.json file at the repository root.
- Set which dependencies to update, when to scan, and how to group updates.
- Connect the repository using a platform supported by the chosen edition.
- Review Renovate pull requests and use the repository's CI/CD workflow to test updates before merging.
Verdict
Choose Renovate to automate package updates and review them through pull requests, with broad package-manager coverage and configurable repository scans. The free Community or CLI plan may suit individuals and small teams; larger organizations seeking Merge Confidence workflows and dedicated support can look to Enterprise.
Questions
Is Renovate free?
Yes. Mend Renovate Community and Mend Renovate CLI are listed as free.
How much does Mend Renovate Enterprise cost?
It is listed at $250 a year, billed per developer per year.
Can Renovate be self-hosted?
Yes. The CLI is self-hosted, and Community and Enterprise are available as cloud or self-hosted options.
Which package managers does Renovate support?
It supports more than 90, including npm, Maven, NuGet, Python, Go, Docker, Terraform, and GitHub Actions.
Which repository platforms can Renovate work with?
Listed platforms include GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, Azure DevOps, AWS CodeCommit, Gitea, Forgejo, and Gerrit. Availability varies by edition.
What does Enterprise include?
Enterprise includes enterprise-scale automation, Merge Confidence ratings and workflows, and dedicated support.
Facts from Renovate's own pages
- API access
- Community includes APIs for actions and basic information such as running jobs, listing jobs and viewing the job queue. · mend.io, 15 Oct 2026
- CI/CD
- Each Renovate pull request can trigger the repository's CI/CD workflow for testing before merge. · mend.io, 15 Oct 2026
- Community documentation complaint
- A January 2026 GitHub discussion reported that a documented default for allowedUnsafeExecutions did not match the current release and caused confusion. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Community edition
- Mend Renovate Community is a free stateful application with an embedded scheduler, webhook listener, priority queue and stored job history. · mend.io, 15 Oct 2026
- Company facts
- Gartner lists Mend.io as a private company founded in 2011, headquartered in Boston, with 201–500 employees. · gartner.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- Repository behavior is configured with a renovate.json file that can define update rules, schedules and grouping. · mend.io, 15 Oct 2026
- Data protection
- Mend says customer data is encrypted in transit and at rest and developer email addresses are pseudonymized. · mend.io, 15 Oct 2026
- Dependency coverage
- The product supports more than 90 package managers, including npm, Maven, NuGet, pip, Poetry, Go modules, Docker, Terraform and GitHub Actions. · mend.io, 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- The project publishes extensive configuration, platform, dashboard and self-hosting documentation on docs.renovatebot.com. · docs.renovatebot.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Enterprise capabilities
- Enterprise adds advanced security checks, effort insight, granular controls, Merge Confidence workflows and enterprise support. · mend.io, 15 Oct 2026
- Enterprise pricing basis
- Mend Renovate Enterprise is listed at up to $250 per developer per year. · mend.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Enterprise support
- The pricing page lists dedicated support from Mend’s team of experts as an Enterprise feature. · mend.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2017 · mend.io, 23 Sept 2026
- Headquarters
- Givatayim, Israel · mend.io, 23 Sept 2026
- Independent API profile
- API Evangelist describes Renovate as an open-source Mend-maintained bot covering more than 100 package managers. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- Mend describes the free CLI as suited to individual developers and small teams, and Enterprise as suited to larger organizations with complex dependency management needs. · mend.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Latest release observed
- GitHub lists Renovate 44.82.4, released September 12, 2026, with dashboard and documentation fixes. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: API changes
- A Gartner review says changes to APIs can force unwanted changes for customers consuming them. · gartner.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: documentation
- Gartner reviewers report that documentation can be difficult to follow or out of date. · gartner.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: transitive scanning
- Gartner reviewers say transitive dependency scanning can require substantial manual effort. · gartner.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Merge Confidence
- Merge Confidence lets teams group, filter and merge updates according to signals about error-free merges. · mend.io, 15 Oct 2026
- Monorepos
- Renovate detects and updates dependencies across multiple projects in a monorepository. · mend.io, 15 Oct 2026
- Notifications
- The product can notify users through email and chat integrations such as Slack. · mend.io, 15 Oct 2026
- Open-source licence
- The Renovate repository is published under the AGPL-3.0 licence. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
Where Renovate stands on Freedom251
- Pull Request Automation Tools#1 of 29
- Dependency Management Software#1 of 27
