Runway
Runway is a mobile release management platform that streamlines the entire app release process with automation and coordination tools. It integrates with your existing tools to simplify rollouts, manage blockers, and ensure smooth mobile deployments.
What is Runway?
Runway is a mobile release management platform designed to simplify the coordination of mobile app releases. It helps teams track the status and progress of each release, improve communication around tasks and blockers, and automate repetitive steps in the mobile release cycle. Key features include release management, end-to-end automation, rollouts, rollbacks, build distribution, and mobile-specific insights. Runway also offers a wide range of integrations to enhance the release workflow. These include project management tools, CI/CD systems, regression testing frameworks, app store integrations, and more.
Top Alternative to Runway
Appcircle
- Automates publishing to leading app stores, including the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Huawei AppGallery.
- Ensures store compliance through metadata validation and automated workflows.
- Streamlines app submission with customizable approval processes tailored to your team's needs.
- Manages signing identities to support a secure, streamlined, and efficient app deployment process.
- Sends expiration notifications for certificates and provisioning profiles to prevent disruptions.
- Provides detailed release reports and access logs for greater transparency and auditability.
FAQs
Appcircle Publish to Store Automation vs. Runway
Compare Appcircle Publish to Store Automation with Runway to find the best fit for your mobile app deployment needs and see how Appcircle stands out.
Build
Appcircle’s robust infrastructure and clean build architecture deliver consistently fast, reliable builds. Advanced caching and up-to-date stack management significantly reduce build times and save developer hours. With customizable workflows, 100+ ready integrations and seamless Git connections, teams accelerate mobile app delivery with no YAML complexity.
Learn more about Build
Signing Identities
Centralize all app signing identity management in one secure dashboard with no need to switch to the Apple Developer Portal. Easily generate, renew, and track Certificates, Identifiers, Profiles, Keystores, and Apple device registrations automatically. Proactive expiration alerts, auto renewal, and detailed activity logs keep your mobile CI/CD workflows secure and uninterrupted.
Learn more about Signing Identities
Testing Distribution
Effortlessly distribute iOS and Android binaries, manage testers, and automate your entire app test distribution process. It offers native plugins for CI/CD tools like Fastlane, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and Visual Studio, along with CLI and API support. An intuitive tester portal, multi-channel delivery, SSO/LDAP authentication, and detailed reporting ensure a smooth testing experience.
Learn more about Testing Distribution
Re-sign Binary
Appcircle lets you re-sign iOS and Android binaries manually or automatically. You can update your app’s certificate or keystore, change the app name, icon, version info, entitlements, provisioning profiles, and embedded certificates. This keeps your apps secure and up-to-date without a full rebuild, even when transferring app ownership to a new developer account or updating an existing application, while maintaining full traceability and compliance.
Learn more about Re-sign Binary
Publish to Stores
Automate app store releases and manage submissions to App Store, Google Play, Huawei AppGallery, Microsoft Intune, and TestFlight from a single dashboard—no need to switch between different store platforms like App Store Connect or Google Play Console. Customize publish flows with drag-and-drop design and custom script support. Automate metadata updates and re-signing, keeping everything transparent with detailed activity logs and access controls.
Learn more about Publish to Stores
CodePush
Deliver secure, seamless OTA updates for your React Native apps with Appcircle CodePush. Integrate with your CI/CD pipeline, push real-time changes to users without requiring app store resubmission, manage controlled rollouts, instantly roll back updates, and enhance security with code signing, package diff, code obfuscation, self-hosted options, and enterprise-grade reporting.
Learn more about CodePush
Enterprise App Store
Distribute internal iOS and Android apps securely through your own branded store, without MDM. Support in-app (over-the-air) updates for seamless user experiences. Integrate natively with CI/CD tools like Fastlane, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and Visual Studio. Manage access with SSO/LDAP, use custom domains, and track installs with detailed reports for a secure app delivery experience.
Learn more about Enterprise App Store
Publish to Microsoft Intune
Easily publish your mobile applications directly to Microsoft Intune within your automated release workflow. Register your app with the Microsoft Identity Platform and provide your credentials for secure publishing. Keep your business apps up-to-date by submitting new builds and updating app metadata on Intune, all managed seamlessly through Appcircle’s Publish module.
Learn more about Intune integration
Multi-tenancy
Segment teams into independent sub-organizations to improve security and operational efficiency. Advanced role management lets you assign module-specific permissions to every user, making it easy to control access, manage responsibilities, and maintain security across multiple teams and projects, even as your organization scales.
Learn more about Multi-tenancy
SSO/LDAP Support
Appcircle offers enterprise-grade security with seamless integration to identity providers like Okta, Azure AD, and OneLogin using standard protocols such as OpenID Connect, SAML, and LDAP. The platform enables dynamic role and permission assignments based on identity provider groups, supporting fine-grained access control through role mapping via SSO and LDAP.
Learn more about SSO/LDAP Support
Deployment Options
Every enterprise has unique needs. Appcircle supports Public Cloud, Private Cloud, Hybrid, and on-premise deployments. Its portable, container-based architecture lets you deploy on GCP, AWS, Azure, or within your own Kubernetes, OpenShift, Podman, or Docker environment. Choose the deployment setup that best fits your business requirements.
Learn more about Self-Hosted Appcircle
Ready to use CI Plugins
Seamless integration with your existing DevOps tools is easy with Appcircle. Take advantage of ready-to-use plugins for Azure DevOps, GitHub, Fastlane, Jenkins, and more. With full API and CLI support, you can easily connect Appcircle’s distribution modules to your workflows, automate the entire process, and ensure reliable, scalable app delivery.
Learn more about CI Plugins
Activity Log & Reports
Track every action across all modules with detailed activity logs and enterprise-grade reporting. Appcircle provides full visibility into build, signing, testing, enterprise distribution, and publishing operations, helping you meet security and compliance requirements. Keep your workflows secure, auditable, and fully transparent at every stage.
Appcircle Publish to Store Automation
Runway
All-in-one CI/CD and app store publishing automation
App release automation with external tool integrations
Yes, works standalone and integrates with CI/CD tools like Jenkins.
No, via third-party tools only
Yes, separate module for app distribution to testers
No, integration with third-party tools is required
Yes, release apps to your own branded app store via Enterprise App Store
No, publish apps on public app stores only
App Store, Google Play, Huawei AppGallery, Enterprise App Store, Microsoft Intune
App Store, Google Play, Huawei AppGallery, Amazon Appstore, Samsung Galaxy Store
Yes, for app submission, management, metadata management, validations, and publishing
Yes, for app submission, metadata management, validations, and release management
Automatic metadata validation for accurate store submissions
Automatic metadata validation and metadata translations
Yes, handles signing identities and certificates
Yes, but signing identities must be managed manually
Yes, apps are automatically published to stores
Yes, apps are automatically published to stores
Yes, for certificates and app expiration
Yes, for Apple certificates and profiles only
Yes, includes release reports and access logs
Yes, provides multiple metrics and reports for app releases
Yes, allows granular control over user permissions
Yes, allows granular control over user permissions and actions
Yes, customizable approval workflows
Yes, customizable approval workflows
Secure app submission with user permissions and integration options, SSO and LDAP support, activity logs, and comply with standart security protocols
Includes secure app submission, SSO support, comply with standart security protocols
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
Switching to another Mobile App Release Automation Tool can be a complex decision. Switching to Appcircle is easy,however we've prepared this comparison to help you decide easier.
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