What is Firebase App Distribution?
Firebase App Distribution is a mobile app distribution platform that allows developers to distribute pre-release versions of their apps to testers. It provides a user interface for testers to download builds and view app versions. Firebase App Distribution is part of the Firebase suite of app development tools and services, offering integration with other Firebase products such as Crashlytics for crash reporting and analytics.
FAQ
Appcircle vs. Firebase App Distribution
Compare Appcircle with Firebase App Distribution to find the best fit for your mobile app distribution needs and see how Appcircle stands out.
Flexible Deployment Options
Every enterprise is unique and may require different deployment options, such as Public Cloud, Private Cloud, Hybrid Cloud, or on-premise solutions. Appcircle addresses these needs with a portable, container-based architecture that aligns with your specific deployment requirements while also preventing cloud vendor lock-in. Whether you choose to deploy on GCP Public Cloud, on-premise, or privately via the AWS Marketplace, Appcircle meets your requirements.
Distribution Speed & Security
Multi-region secure CDNs ensure your app builds are globally accessible with optimized performance, even in regions with unique internet regulations. With encryption at rest and in transit, your packages are distributed securely.
Built for Purpose
Distribution platforms serve different purposes, such as Testing Distribution or deploying in-house apps to internal users via an Enterprise App Store. Appcircle offers dedicated modules tailored for each of these use cases.
IAM/SSO Integration
Comprehensive security with IAM/SSO integration, including Identity Providers such as Okta, Azure AD, and OneLogin, along with support for authentication protocols like LDAP, OpenID and SAML The platform also supports IAM role mapping (through LDAP and SSO), enabling seamless role and permission assignments based on identity provider groups for enhanced access control.
Apple Ad-Hoc Device Registration
Streamlined UDID registration for Apple devices with configuration profiles. The platform automatically adds device UDIDs to provisioning profiles, simplifying device management for app distribution and testing.
Re-signing Binaries for iOS and Android Apps
Support for re-signing iOS and Android binaries allows developers to re-sign apps with new certificates (iOS) or keystores (Android), ensuring app integrity and security.
CI Integration
Seamless integration with existing CI/CD tools is supported. With ready-to-use plugins for Azure DevOps, GitHub, Fastlane, Jenkins and more, plus API/CLI support, you can easily integrate Appcircle Distribution into your existing CI workflow.
End-to-End Platform
Many distribution tools offer only limited functionality for tasks such as building and publishing to app stores. If you plan to leverage these features, ensure the platform provides robust, comprehensive modules for Build , Signing Identity Management , and Publishing to Stores to fully address your needs.
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| Appcircle Testing Distribution | Firebase App Distribution | |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous Integration Pipeline | ||
| Signing Identities Management | ||
| Resigning | Supports resigning iOS and Android binaries with new certificates or keystores, simplifying the process of updating or publishing under a different developer account. | |
| Apple Device Registration | Streamlined UDID registration with configuration profiles; automatic addition to provisioning profiles. | |
| Tester Portal | Separate distribution screen for easy downloading; supports multiple languages, viewing app version details, managing shared app profiles, and providing publisher info, contact email, privacy policy URL, and terms of service URL. | Provides a user-friendly interface for testers to download builds and view app versions. |
| User Management and Testing Groups | Easy management of testers and groups, including IAM/SSO (OpenID & SAML) groups; flexible sharing options without email requirements. Provides a feature to create, manage, and group testers based on various criteria like OS versions, features, devices, or organizational needs. | Manage testers via email invitations, groups, and onboarding process, requires Google account. You can create manual groups or import testing groups from Google Play integration. |
| Login for Testing Portal | No email limitations, supports any email address, public link sharing with optional username/password protection. | Mandatory Google account for testers. |
| Login for Firebase Dashboard | Supports IAM/SSO (OpenID & SAML) for flexible user authentication. | Mandatory Google account for user management. |
| Public Link | Allows sharing app with a public link; no account needed for testers to access and test the app. | Requires login with Google account even when using a link to share the app. |
| Cross-platform | Supports both iOS and Android app distributions, with additional features for managing provisioning profiles and UDIDs. | Manage both iOS and Android pre-release distributions from the same place. |
| Fast Distributions | Efficient distribution process with easy tester management and auto distribution settings. | Fast onboarding, no SDK required, and instant app delivery. |
| Feedback Collection | Roadmap | Enables in-app feedback from testers. |
| Tester Limit | Scalable solution with no stringent limitations on the number of testers; flexible group management for organized testing. | Limited by Firebase's constraints. |
| Re-engaging Unsubscribed Users | Allows seamless re-engagement of unsubscribed users; automatic removal from unsubscribed list upon re-sharing the app, confirmed by a prominent warning message. | No subscribe or unsubscribe feature in Firebase. |
| Publish to Store Automation | Only Google Play is supported. | |
| Enterprise App Store | ||
| Deployment Options | Public Cloud, Private Cloud, On-premise, AWS (Amazon Web Services), GCP (Google Cloud Platform), Azure | Public Cloud (GCP) |
| Integration | Fully integrated with the build module, enabling Auto Distribute settings for seamless uploads to test groups. Supports CLI, testing portal integrations, GitHub, fastlane, Jenkins, and Azure. | Distribute builds using the Firebase console, CLI, fastlane, or Gradle. Integrates into CI workflows. |
| API | Rich API for downloading artifacts, adding testers to groups, and consuming APIs via command line application. | Limited public API, no easy way to download artifacts or automatically add testers to groups. |
| SSO (OpenID & SAML) Login | Supports IAM/SSO (OpenID & SAML) for flexible user authentication. | |
| LDAP Group/Role Mapping | Supports LDAP group/role mapping, enabling seamless integration with your organization's directory services for effective and automated tester group management. | |
| Custom Email Templates | Supports custom email templates in on-premise deployments; public cloud support is planned (roadmap). | |
| Runtime Features | Works with Crashlytics to get stability insights on test distributions, and supports crash reporting, analytics, push notifications, and A/B testing. | |
| Reporting | Provides detailed reports, including an App Sharing Report listing app versions sent to testers and the number of testers for each operation, and an App Versions Report containing the list of binaries deployed to a distribution profile, including details for both manual and automatic deployments. | No aggregate report; only indicates who has downloaded the app. |
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are those of the authors. Any content provided by our bloggers or authors is of their opinion and are not intended to malign any organization, company, individual or anyone or anything. This comparison is based on their review of the product for market research purposes