Comparison

release-please vs semantic-release

On the evidence we track, semantic-release leads this comparison with a composite score of 59/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
release-please52
★semantic-release59
Score
vioscaleAI score
release-please52 / 100medium · 60%
semantic-release59 / 100medium · 60%
Pricing
Free tier
release-please✓
semantic-release✓
Model
release-pleaseopen_source
semantic-releaseopen_source
Price level
release-pleasefree
semantic-releasefree
Transparent
release-please✓
semantic-release–
Integrations
Count
release-please2
semantic-release4
Adoption
Dependent repos
release-please65
semantic-release135,472
Github stars
release-please7,629
semantic-release24,103
Activity
Commits last 30d
release-please5
semantic-release4
Release
Cadence days
release-please5
semantic-release2
History
release-please20 items
semantic-release20 items
License
Spdx
release-pleaseApache-2.0
semantic-releaseMIT
Language
Primary
release-pleaseTypeScript
semantic-releaseJavaScript
Market
Availability
release-pleaseAvailable worldwide
semantic-release–
Content
Faq
release-please4 items
semantic-release6 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for changelog tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capabilities
Conventional commits support
release-please✓
semantic-release✓
Semver automation
release-please✓
semantic-release✓
Public hosted page
release-please-
semantic-release-
Embeddable widget
release-please-
semantic-release-
Custom domain whitelabel
release-please-
semantic-release-
Audience segmentation
release-please-
semantic-release-
Monorepo support
release-please✓
semantic-release-
Ci cd integration
release-please✓
semantic-release✓
AI assisted drafting
release-please-
semantic-release-
View analytics
release-please-
semantic-release-
Open source self host
release-please✓
semantic-release✓

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

release-please

A tool that automates release management by parsing git commit history, generating changelogs, creating release pull requests, and publishing GitHub releases based on semantic versioning conventions.

Independently observed

semantic-release

Leader

A tool that analyzes commit history to automatically determine the next semantic version, generate release notes, and publish packages to package managers, supporting any language or package manager.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

release-please

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

semantic-release

Leader
Open source
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
CLI
release-please✓
semantic-release✓
Deployment
Self-hosted
release-please✓
semantic-release✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

In common (1)
  • GitHub Actions

release-please

2 total - 1 not shared
  • GitHub
Independently observed

semantic-release

Leader
4 total - 3 not shared
  • npm
  • commitizen
  • commitlint
Independently observed
Still deciding?

release-please or semantic-release: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.