Hey friend! As an avid technology geek, I‘m excited to dive into the fascinating world of Mobile DevOps with you.
Adopting a solid Mobile DevOps strategy is crucial for any company looking to compete in the rapid-fire mobile landscape nowadays. The statistics speak for themselves:
- Global mobile app downloads surpassed 230 billion in 2021, a 5% YoY increase (App Annie)
- Time to market can be reduced by up to 75% using Mobile DevOps practices (Forrester)
- Teams using CI/CD deploy 200x more frequently with 96% fewer failures (Puppet 2021 State of DevOps Report)
But before we dig into the leading platforms, let‘s quickly level-set on what Mobile DevOps is, why it matters, and how it can supercharge your mobile app development and delivery.
What is Mobile DevOps and Why Does it Matter?
Mobile DevOps combines development (Dev) and operations (Ops) to enable continuous development, testing, integration and deployment of mobile apps.
The core goals of Mobile DevOps are to:
- Increase collaboration between developers, QA, and ops teams
- Enable rapid, incremental development cycles
- Automate building, testing and release processes
- Get real-time visibility into app performance
This is accomplished through practices like:
Continuous integration – Automatically building, testing and validating code changes frequently, even multiple times per day. This catches issues early.
Continuous delivery – Automating the release process so validated code can be rapidly and reliably released to users.
Monitoring – Getting live visibility into mobile app performance and usage metrics. This allows quickly identifying and fixing problems.
So why does this matter? What benefits can you expect from adopting Mobile DevOps?
Key Benefits
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Faster time-to-market – New features and fixes can be developed and released much more quickly.
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Higher quality – Continuous testing means bugs are caught early. Monitoring provides insight to continuously improve quality.
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Increased productivity – Automation frees up developers from manual tasks so they can focus on writing code.
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Reduced risk – Small, incremental code changes are thoroughly tested before release, reducing chance of problems.
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Greater collaboration – Shared visibility and workflows bring together developers, QA and ops teams.
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Proactive app management – Monitoring provides the visibility to detect and address issues before users complain.
According to Forrester, leading companies implementing Mobile DevOps practices have seen:
- 75% faster time to market for mobile app updates
- 60% improvement in mobile app quality
- 48% increase in mobile app developer productivity
Clear benefits – but how do you actually implement Mobile DevOps? A critical component is having an automated, scalable platform for developing, testing and releasing mobile apps.
Next, we‘ll explore the top platforms available to turn Mobile DevOps from theory into reality!
Top 8 Mobile DevOps Platforms for Faster App Development
Here are the leading platforms available right now for automating your mobile app development, testing and delivery. For each, I‘ll provide an overview of key capabilities, pros and cons, and ideal use cases.
1. Bitrise
Bitrise is a mobile-first, continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) platform supporting both native (iOS, Android) and cross-platform (React Native, Flutter, Ionic) mobile app development.
Founded in 2015, Bitrise is a pioneer in the Mobile DevOps space. Over 6000 teams around the world trust Bitrise to automate their mobile app development pipelines.
Key Capabilities
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Support for all major source control systems including GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure Repos.
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Automatic provisioning and configuration of build environments. No need to manually manage build machines.
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Customizable build workflows created by linking over 600 pre-configured Steps together.
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Deep integrations with third-party tools like Apple App Store Connect, Google Play Console, Slack, Jira and more.
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Real-time logging and insights into all builds and deployments.
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Automatic screening for crashes, performance issues and user feedback from the deployed app.
Pros
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Highly flexible workflows using modular Steps enables extensive customization.
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Dedicated, auto-scaled macOS build machines for reliable and fast iOS building.
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Generous free tier makes it easy to get started.
Cons
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Workflow configuration can seem complex at first compared to some competitors.
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Free tier limits you to 5 team members.
With over 600 integrations and unparalleled workflow flexibility, Bitrise is a top choice for teams that want a fully customizable mobile CI/CD solution. The open source Steps library enables integrating with virtually any tool or service imaginable.
Over 50,000 apps deploy with Bitrise monthly, including large enterprises like PayPal, Outdoor Voices, Philips Hue, and Transferwise.
2. Appcircle
Appcircle is an end-to-end DevOps platform purpose-built for mobile apps. It aims to unify everything you need to build, test, monitor, and release mobile apps onto a single, easy-to-use platform.
Founded in 2015 in Finland, Appcircle is focused 100% on mobile DevOps automation. Over 300 customers use Appcircle to streamline their mobile pipelines, including Wolt, Kone, Elisa, and Bolt.
Key Capabilities
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Drag-and-drop workflow designer to easily create CI/CD pipelines tailored to your unique needs.
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Library of pre-configured tasks covering common mobile operations like app store deployments.
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Automatic visual reporting including screenshots and videos of tests.
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Real-time logging and monitoring of mobile app performance.
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Distribution management for pre-release testing on groups of users.
Pros
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Simple workflow configuration enables quick time-to-value.
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Built-in tasks cover many common mobile DevOps scenarios.
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Generous free tier to get started.
Cons
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Less flexible workflow customization compared to some competitors.
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Currently only supports GitHub and GitLab for source control.
Appcircle is perfect for teams wanting an easy-to-use, unified platform purpose-built for mobile CI/CD automation. With pre-packaged functionality tailored to mobile, you can launch DevOps initiatives quickly.
3. CircleCI
CircleCI is an extremely popular general-purpose continuous integration and delivery platform used by over 25,000 customers globally. While not mobile-specific, CircleCI caters flexibly to mobile engineering teams thanks to customizable workflows and broad language support.
Key Capabilities
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Flexible YAML-based configuration formats to customize workflows.
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Automatic parallelization to reduce build time by running tests concurrently.
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Powerful caching capabilities optimize build performance.
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Docker support enables replicating production environments locally.
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Over 1000 out-of-the-box integrations with tools like AppCenter, TestFairy, SonarQube and more.
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Public cloud hosted option or private installation on your infrastructure.
Pros
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Highly customizable workflows for modeling complex pipelines.
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Intelligent caching results in blazing fast performance.
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Massive ecosystem of integrations.
Cons
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Not as mobile-specialized "out of the box" as some competitors.
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YAML workflow configuration syntax has a learning curve.
Thanks to extremely robust configuration options and top-tier performance, CircleCI works great for teams with advanced needs or those already using CircleCI for back-end services. CircleCI is used by mobile leaders like Cash App, Noom, Headspace, and Branch.
4. Google Cloud Build
Part of Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Cloud Build provides fully-managed, serverless CI/CD services. While not strictly a Mobile DevOps solution, it flexibly supports building mobile applications while excelling at cloud-native development.
Key Capabilities
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Tight integration with Google Cloud services like Artifact Registry, Storage, and Service Accounts.
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YAML/JSON-based build config syntax.
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Custom build environments using pre-built or custom Docker images.
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Build caching with snapshots to optimize performance.
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70+ pre-installed build tools and languages including Java, Node.js, Python, Go, .NET and more.
Pros
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Deep integration with Google Cloud services streamlines end-to-end workflows.
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Leverages Google infrastructure for fast, scalable builds.
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Generous free tier – 120 build minutes per day.
Cons
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Not purpose-built for mobile DevOps.
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YAML build config syntax has a learning curve.
For teams deeply invested in Google Cloud, Cloud Build provides a straightforward path to CI/CD thanks to turnkey integration with Container Registry, Storage, and other services.
While not optimized for mobile-specific testing, it works very well for cloud-native mobile backends and services. Top brands like Snap, PayPal, and Square leverage it in their stacks.
5. AWS CodeBuild
Part of Amazon Web Services, CodeBuild is a fully-managed build automation service. It complies source code, runs tests, and produces ready-to-deploy artifacts.
While not a pure Mobile DevOps solution, CodeBuild flexibly supports mobile thanks to broad language and testing support.
Key Capabilities
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Tight integration with AWS services like S3, Elastic Container Registry, and IAM.
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Build workflows defined in YAML/JSON.
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Custom build environments created from Docker images.
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Intelligent caching to optimize build performance.
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Pre-built support for languages like Java, Python, Go, Node.js and more.
Pros
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Easy integration for teams already using AWS.
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Usage-based pricing – no minimum fees or upfront costs.
Cons
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Not purpose-built for mobile testing.
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iOS support requires running expensive Mac-based instances.
CodeBuild is a solid option for teams already invested in AWS that want to add CI/CD capabilities with minimal effort. It really shines for cloud-based and serverless mobile backends, but iOS testing requires running Mac build instances.
Here is a comparison of CodeBuild‘s pricing for Android vs iOS builds:
| OS | Virtual CPU | RAM (GB) | Price Per Minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android | 2 | 7.5 | $0.05 |
| macOS | 4 | 15 | $0.20 |
As shown, iOS builds on Mac machines are 4X more expensive due to higher spec requirements.
6. Nevercode
Nevercode is a CI/CD platform focused specifically on automating testing and release of mobile apps.
Headquartered in Poland, Nevercode launched in 2016 and is now used by over 500 customers including Opera, Yandex, British Gas, and Trainline.
Key Capabilities
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Support for native iOS, Android, React Native and Flutter mobile apps.
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Real device testing lab with hundreds of unique device models.
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Automated UI testing across real devices.
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Manual testing features like screenshot annotation.
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Integrations with issue trackers, chat tools, code repositories, and more.
Pros
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Specialized for mobile – covers testing automation extremely well.
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Generous free tier to get started.
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Simple workflow configuration.
Cons
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Less advanced workflow customization compared to some competitors.
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Smaller ecosystem of 3rd party integrations.
For mobile teams focused squarely on test automation and wanting a straightforward, mobile-centric platform, Nevercode is a top contender. The combination of ease-of-use and mobile focus helps you launch testing initiatives quickly.
7. Fastlane
Fastlane is a popular open source platform for iOS and Android DevOps automation. While not a complete end-to-end solution, Fastlane excels at tackling critical mobile-centric use cases like:
- App store deployments
- Managing certificates and provisioning profiles
- Automating screenshots and metadata generation
- Managing beta testing and releases
The core Fastlane tools were created in 2014 at Twitter by developers frustrated with disjointed mobile build tools. Fastlane was open sourced in 2016 and is now used by over 200,000 developers globally.
Key Capabilities
- Simplifies many rote aspects of mobile DevOps.
- Tailored native support for both iOS and Android workflows.
- Extensive plugin ecosystem with over 170 plugins available.
- Integrates into existing CI/CD systems like Jenkins, CircleCI, Travis CI and more.
Pros
- Open source and 100% free.
- Specialized for automating mundane mobile tasks.
- Plugin architecture enables customization.
Cons
- Not a complete end-to-end CI/CD system out of the box.
- Fragmented documentation between core tools and plugins.
Fastlane is a superb option tailored for integrating into existing native app projects or CI/CD pipelines. By abstracting away mundane tasks, it frees up developers to focus on writing features. Fastlane is trusted by leading apps like Uber, Twitter, Shopify, and Reddit.
8. Visual Studio App Center
Visual Studio App Center from Microsoft brings together a comprehensive suite of services for continuously building, testing, releasing and monitoring mobile and desktop apps in one integrated platform.
App Center natively supports iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and React Native. Top customers include Adobe, Runtastic, Alaska Airlines, and Call of Duty Mobile.
Key Capabilities
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Unified solution covering the full mobile DevOps lifecycle: builds, testing, distribution.
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Built-in analytics and crash reporting for monitoring apps.
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Over-the-air (OTA) updates to instantly push hotfixes.
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Tight third-party integrations with GitHub, Slack, Azure DevOps and more.
Pros
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End-to-end solution covering CI/CD and monitoring.
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Generous free tier to get started.
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Built-in app monitoring.
Cons
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Somewhat limited configuration compared to competitors.
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Analytics require SDK instrumentation.
App Center is an excellent "one stop shop" for teams wanting an integrated solution covering the full spectrum of mobile DevOps and monitoring. Thanks to the generous free tier, it‘s easy to get started.
Key Factors for Choosing the Right Platform
Now that we‘ve surveyed the landscape of leading options, let‘s discuss key factors to consider when selecting a Mobile DevOps platform for your needs:
Languages and Frameworks
Ensure any platform you evaluation provides first-class support for your tech stack including languages (Java, Swift, Kotlin, Dart) and mobile frameworks (React Native, Flutter, Ionic).
Customizability vs Simplicity
Determine whether your team needs an extremely flexible solution with custom workflows, or prefers a turnkey platform with built-in best practices.
Mobile Focus
Some platforms like Nevercode and Appcircle focus squarely on mobile, while others like CircleCI take a general CI/CD approach. Assess how critical mobile-centric features are for your needs.
Integrations
Carefully evaluate which specific third-party integrations like code repositories (GitHub, GitLab), artifact registries, analytics, notifications, and ticketing systems are essential to your workflow.
Budget
Platform pricing and free tiers vary widely, so compare costs across solutions. If on a tight budget, an open source or free offering like Fastlane may be the best fit.
On-Premise Support
If your company requires on-premise, self-hosted options for security or compliance reasons, confirm the platform offers this.
Of course, every team and product has unique needs. Take the time to carefully weigh your specific requirements, constraints, and priorities to determine the ideal platform for enabling your Mobile DevOps aspirations!
Accelerate Your Mobile App Development with DevOps
Hopefully this guide has illuminated that implementing a robust Mobile DevOps strategy is critical to competing in today‘s demanding mobile landscape. The platforms reviewed represent the top solutions for automating, optimizing and streamlining your development, testing and delivery processes.
While individual capabilities vary, any of these solutions can provide the fundamental CI/CD, monitoring and collaboration benefits needed to achieve faster release cycles, higher quality, lower risk and better app performance.
Choosing a platform well-aligned to your team‘s needs puts you on the fast track to DevOps success. So don‘t get left behind! Take the time to define your processes, requirements, and constraints. Then leverage one of these cutting-edge platforms to transform Mobile DevOps from theory into reality.
Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to chat more about how to prime your mobile app pipeline.
