The best fastlane alternatives, compared honestly
fastlane is still the standard for automating mobile build, signing and store submission — free, open source and battle-tested. But it is a Ruby library you run inside a CI: dependency friction, flaky code signing on CI, and a slow merge pace push teams to look for something less hands-on. There are really two answers.
The best fastlane alternative depends on which problem you're solving:
- Keep fastlane, ditch the DIY CI → Buddy — run your existing lanes (native Fastlane + macOS VM actions) in a visual pipeline that also builds your web and backend.
- Replace it, mobile-first → Codemagic — the closest managed swap, hosted macOS runners, great for Flutter.
- Biggest mobile platform → Bitrise; React Native/Expo → Expo EAS.
- All-Apple team → Xcode Cloud (iOS/macOS only).
Why teams look elsewhere
What pushes teams off fastlane
Not a pricing scandal — fastlane is free. These are the technical-friction reasons teams outgrow it or want to wrap it in something friendlier.
Ruby dependency friction
fastlane needs Ruby, and conflicts between system Ruby, rbenv/rvm, Bundler and gem versions bite on fresh CI machines — made worse by the ongoing Ruby 3.x → 4.0 transition the project is still tracking.
Code signing flakiness in CI
The classic "there are no local code signing identities found" on CI that builds fine locally, and match picking the wrong certificate when several exist — well-documented, recurring pain.
Setup & upkeep burden
A working iOS setup — certs, provisioning, App Store Connect API key — can take a day or two the first time, and lanes need ongoing maintenance as store requirements shift.
You still need a CI and a Mac
fastlane automates the steps, not the runners. iOS builds require macOS, so you're still on the hook for Mac hardware or paid macOS CI minutes on top.
Slow merge pace
Issues open almost daily and many PRs sit unmerged. Fine for a stable tool; frustrating when you're waiting on a fix for a new App Store or Play Store requirement.
Everything lives in Ruby
The pipeline is code in a Fastfile — great for versioning, a wall for teammates who don't write Ruby and just want to see and edit the pipeline.
The shortlist
7 fastlane alternatives worth trying
Ranked by need, not by a single winner. Buddy leads the "keep fastlane, run it properly" lane; the mobile specialists lead the "replace fastlane entirely" lane.
Visual CI/CD with a native Fastlane action and a macOS VM action, so your existing lanes run for Android and iOS without hand-rolled YAML — on one platform that also builds your web app and backend. Honest limit: it's not a mobile device farm; you bring the macOS runner for iOS.
Mobile-first CI/CD with hosted macOS (M4) runners and strong Flutter/React Native support; a UI editor plus YAML. Minutes and concurrency costs scale with build volume.
The largest dedicated mobile DevOps platform — 300+ Steps, device access, enterprise features. Mature and mobile-only; gets expensive at scale.
Cloud builds, over-the-air updates and store submission in one CLI — the modern default for RN/Expo. Expo-centric, with per-build and MAU-based usage costs.
Apple's own CI, built into Xcode and App Store Connect, with zero-config signing and TestFlight. iOS/macOS only — no Android — and tied to Apple's flow.
Mobile CI/CD with enterprise app distribution and a self-hosted option — appealing to regulated teams. Smaller ecosystem than Bitrise or Codemagic.
Hosted macOS runners and a huge marketplace; most teams run fastlane inside Actions. You still hand-write and maintain the lanes, and macOS minutes are the priciest of the majors.
Side by side
fastlane alternatives compared
fastlane is included as the baseline. "Runs fastlane" matters if you want to keep your existing lanes rather than rewrite them.
| Platform | Type | iOS builds | Android | Runs fastlane | Pricing model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buddy | General visual CI/CD | via macOS VM action | ✓ native action | ✓ native action | Free €0 · Pro €29/mo | Keep fastlane, own the build |
| fastlane | OSS automation library | ✓ (your Mac + CI) | ✓ | — it is fastlane | Free (MIT) | Scripting the release yourself |
| Codemagic | Mobile-first CI/CD | ✓ M4 runners | ✓ | ✓ | 500 free min · $0.045/min+ | Smoothest managed swap |
| Bitrise | Mobile DevOps platform | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Free tier · ~$36/mo+ | Large mobile teams |
| Expo EAS | RN/Expo build service | ✓ | ✓ | partial (RN focus) | $0 / $19 / $199 mo | React Native & Expo |
| Xcode Cloud | Apple-native CI | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | Compute-hour tiers | All-Apple teams |
| Appcircle | Mobile CI (self-host opt.) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Free + enterprise | Enterprise / on-prem |
| GitHub Actions | General CI | ✓ macOS runners | ✓ | ✓ (you write lanes) | $0.062/min macOS | Teams already on GitHub |
Pricing models and free tiers change often — check each vendor for current terms. Compiled July 2026 from each vendor's official pricing pages.
Official pages: fastlane · Codemagic · Bitrise · Expo EAS · Xcode Cloud · Appcircle · GitHub
Where Buddy fits
Keep your fastlane lanes — just stop hand-rolling the CI
Buddy isn't a turnkey mobile-only cloud with a device farm — that's Codemagic or Bitrise. Buddy is the pick when you want to keep your Fastfile but run it in a proper visual pipeline, on one platform that also ships your web app, backend and infra.
Native Fastlane action
Drop your Android Fastfile lanes into a dedicated Fastlane action — no hand-written YAML wrapping Ruby.
macOS VM for iOS
Run iOS signing and builds on a macOS VM action, so the same pipeline covers Android and iOS.
100+ prebuilt actions
Build APKs/bundles, sign, publish to Google Play, plus everything around the app — a visual pipeline instead of glue scripts.
One platform, whole product
Mobile, web and backend in the same place: own the build, then deploy anywhere or to Buddy's Dev Cloud.
Readable by the whole team
The pipeline is a visual graph, not Ruby — teammates who don't write fastlane can see and edit what ships.
Free to start
€0/mo with 300 pipeline GB-min and one concurrent pipeline; Pro is €29/mo when you outgrow it.
A fair call
When fastlane is still the right choice
fastlane is an excellent tool. Plenty of teams should keep it exactly as-is.
fastlane is fine if…
- Your lanes already work and code signing is stable — there's no reason to move.
- You want a free, open-source, CI-agnostic tool you fully control.
- Your team is comfortable in Ruby and happy maintaining the
Fastfile. - You need the exact store-automation actions (
deliver,supply,snapshot) fastlane is built around.
Consider an alternative if…
- You want hosted macOS runners and a turnkey mobile cloud — try Codemagic or Bitrise.
- You build with React Native or Expo — Expo EAS is the default.
- You're an all-Apple team living in Xcode — Xcode Cloud.
- You want to keep fastlane but run it in a visual pipeline alongside your web/backend — Buddy.
Common questions
fastlane alternatives — common questions
Is fastlane dead or still maintained in 2026?
fastlane is not dead. It's community-maintained with Google sponsorship and still ships releases — v2.231.0 in January 2026 and v2.233.1 in July 2026, including a fix for CVE-2026-35611. The catch is pace: many pull requests sit unmerged and issues open daily, which is why people ask whether it's abandoned. For a stable, well-understood tool that's usually fine; if you need fast fixes for new App Store or Play Store requirements it can feel slow.
What is the best fastlane alternative?
It depends on what you actually want. To replace fastlane with a managed mobile CI/CD platform, Codemagic is the closest like-for-like swap (macOS runners, strong Flutter/React Native support), Bitrise is the largest mobile DevOps platform, and Expo EAS is the default for React Native/Expo apps. If instead you want to keep your existing fastlane lanes but stop hand-rolling the CI around them, run them in a visual pipeline — Buddy has a native Fastlane action plus a macOS VM action, so your lanes run for both Android and iOS on one platform that also builds your web and backend.
Can I keep using fastlane but avoid the CI setup pain?
Yes. fastlane is a library you run inside a CI, so you can keep your Fastfile and just run it somewhere friendlier. Buddy has a native Android Fastlane action and a macOS VM action, so your existing lanes run for both Android and iOS inside a visual pipeline instead of hand-written YAML around Ruby. You bring the macOS runner for iOS signing; Buddy orchestrates the build and deploys anywhere, including your web app and backend on the same platform.
Do I still need a Mac to build iOS apps?
Yes. Building and signing iOS apps requires macOS — that's an Apple constraint, not a fastlane one. Managed platforms like Codemagic, Bitrise and Xcode Cloud include hosted macOS runners so you don't manage the hardware. If you run fastlane inside a general CI like Buddy or GitHub Actions, you use a macOS runner (Buddy's macOS VM action or GitHub's hosted macOS runners) for the iOS lanes.
Is fastlane free, and what do the alternatives cost?
fastlane itself is free and open source (MIT). Your real cost is the CI it runs on. Codemagic gives 500 free build minutes a month then charges from about $0.045/min or fixed annual team plans. Bitrise has a limited free plan with paid tiers from roughly $36/mo. Expo EAS runs $0 to $19 to $199/mo plus usage. Xcode Cloud bills by compute hours. Buddy has a free tier (€0/mo, 300 pipeline GB-min) with Pro at €29/mo. GitHub Actions charges $0.062/min for macOS after the January 2026 rate cut. Always check each vendor for current terms.
Codemagic vs Bitrise vs Expo EAS — which should I pick?
Pick Codemagic if you want the smoothest managed replacement for a native or Flutter app with hosted macOS runners. Pick Bitrise if you're a larger mobile team that wants the most mature, mobile-specialised platform with device access and enterprise features. Pick Expo EAS if you build with React Native or Expo — it's the modern default there, with cloud builds, over-the-air updates and store submission in one CLI.
How hard is it to migrate off fastlane?
It varies. Moving to a managed platform (Codemagic, Bitrise) means re-expressing your build, signing and submission steps in that platform's workflow — often a day or two, and many of them can still call fastlane during the transition. Keeping fastlane and moving it into Buddy or GitHub Actions is mostly re-wiring triggers and secrets around the same Fastfile, so it's lighter. Code signing and App Store Connect API keys are the fiddly parts wherever you land.