Coveralls

Overview

Coveralls is a test-coverage reporting service for teams that want to find untested code and follow coverage as software changes. It is strongest for teams that want coverage checks inside pull-request review; individual developers seeking only a local coverage tool may prefer a narrower, free alternative.

Key features

A project dashboard pairs current coverage percentages with historical graphs, and repository views drill down through sub-projects and files to individual lines. Coveralls handles line and branch coverage, so teams can use both summary trends and finer-grained reports to find gaps. It accepts formats such as LCOV, SimpleCov, Cobertura, JaCoCo, Gcov, and Pytest-Cov, among others.

Build history tracks coverage across branches and builds, including pull requests. Summaries and annotations place results in pull-request review, while coverage criteria can permit or block merges. That is useful when teams want coverage to inform decisions, though it adds most value as part of an existing CI and review process rather than as a stand-alone coverage generator.

Coveralls says it works with any CI service and provides more than 30 community integrations, as well as a GitHub Action and CircleCI Orb. Language packages cover a broad range, including.NET, C/C++, Go, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, and Scala. The API can add repositories and return recent-build statistics. Slack and webhook notifications can report coverage changes.

For cloud use, Coveralls accesses repositories read-only through an SCM OAuth token and says it does not store or cache private code. Detailed file coverage is retained for 12 months on paid repositories and six months on public repositories; aggregated build-level coverage remains indefinitely. Enterprise on-premises deployment runs within the customer's existing security controls and can operate without outbound network access.

Pricing

Coveralls has a free plan for open-source and public repositories. The Open Source plan is free, making it a natural fit for public projects. Private-repository cloud plans start with Starter at $10 a month, billed $10/mo, for one private repository and a 30-day free trial. That is a modest entry point, but the one-repository allowance is restrictive for teams with multiple private projects.

Org costs $50 a month (billed $50/mo) for 10 private repositories and unlimited users; Org+ is $100 a month (billed $100/mo) for 20; Pro is $200 a month (billed $200/mo) for 40. Unlimited costs $400 a month (billed $400/mo) for unlimited private repositories and users. These steps make the repository allowance explicit, but teams must move to a higher tier as their private portfolio grows.

Enterprise Cloud is $35 a month (billed $35/user/mo) for unlimited organizations, repositories, and users, secure private infrastructure, guaranteed performance, and premium support. Its 40-seat minimum makes the stated minimum $1,400/mo, so it is aimed at larger organizations, not small teams. Cloud Premium is $800 a month (billed $800.00/mo) and adds premium support, custom SLA terms, and multi-organization billing for unlimited private repositories.

Two add-ons can be combined with any Cloud Plan. The Usage add-on costs $30 a month (billed $30/mo) for 3,000 additional uploads per month, priority processing, and repository-scoped use. The Support add-on costs $200 a month (billed $200/mo) for premium support, priority response, and live chat. Choose them for the specific capacity or support need; they raise the bill beyond the base plan.

Platforms

Coveralls supports API, Linux, web, and self-hosted deployment. Its range of report formats and integrations suits teams using varied languages and CI services, while self-hosting gives organizations an option to keep deployment within their own security controls.

Who it's for

Coveralls is a good fit for development teams that want line-level coverage detail, historical trends, and pull-request checks tied to merge decisions. Public and open-source projects can use it free; teams with private repositories should choose a tier by repository count, and larger organizations can consider Enterprise Cloud or on-premises deployment. It is less compelling when the need is simply to generate coverage locally without a hosted review workflow.

Pros and cons

Pro: Coverage history, line-level detail, pull-request annotations, and configurable gates connect measurement to code review.

Pro: Open-source and public repositories are free, and broad format and CI support accommodate varied project setups.

Pro: Read-only cloud access and an on-premises option address distinct security needs.

Con: Starter includes only one private repository; larger allowances require higher monthly plans.

Con: Enterprise Cloud's 40-seat minimum sets a $1,400/mo floor, putting it beyond the needs of many small teams.

Con: Detailed file coverage expires after six months for public repositories and 12 months for paid ones, even though aggregate build coverage is retained indefinitely.

Alternatives

For a directory of other options, see Test Coverage Tools.

ReportGenerator is worth comparing if you want a freemium tool with a free trial, a free open-source basic tier, and Linux, macOS, and Windows support; its Individual plan is 79.

Codecov is another freemium coverage service with API, extension, self-hosted, and web platforms; its Developer plan is free and allows 250 private-repository uploads, with unlimited public repositories.

OpenClover suits readers looking for a free tool with no license tiers, keys, or usage limits across Linux, macOS, web, and Windows.

gcov is a free choice for projects compiled with GCC that can generate coverage data through instrumentation.

SimpleCov is a free, MIT-licensed option specifically for Ruby code coverage.

Coverage.py is a free open-source Python coverage tool, with an enterprise subscription available through Tidelift.

EclEmma is a free Eclipse plug-in for Java code coverage.

gofmt is included with Go and is intended for command-line use.

Verdict

Choose Coveralls if your team wants coverage trends and line-level reports to shape pull-request review, with free service for public work and scalable private-repository plans. Look elsewhere if you need only local coverage generation or if the private-repository tiers and, for Enterprise Cloud, the seat minimum do not fit your team.