Apache Ivy vs Apache Maven
Apache Ivy
ant.apache.orgApache Maven
maven.apache.orgSide by side
| Figure | Apache Ivy | Apache Maven |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Package Managers | 8.1 (#32) | 8.8 (#8) |
| Dependency resolution | Ivy manages transitive dependencies and provides configurable conflict management to select versions. | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Package formats | Ivy files,Maven POMs,OSGi bundles | pom,jar,maven-plugin,ejb,war,ear,rar |
| Private registry auth | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | Apache Ivy manages project dependencies by recording, tracking, resolving, and reporting them. | Apache Maven is a build tool for Java projects that uses a project object model (POM) to manage compilation, testing, and documentation. |
| Release verification | The project recommends verifying downloaded release files with PGP signatures or SHA512 checksums. | The download page recommends verifying release bundle signatures against the public KEYS used by Maven developers. |
| Security | The security page says Apache Ivy 2.6.0 fixed CVE-2026-26032, a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability affecting versions through 2.5.3. | Maven's security model assumes users trust the POM, code, dependencies, and repositories used in a build; users building untrusted code must provide isolation. |
| Support | The project directs users to its mailing lists for help and its issue tracker for bug reports. | The Maven site recommends its users mailing list for help and also points users to documentation, issue management, wiki resources, and Slack. |
| Supported platforms | Java/JRE | Windows,macOS,Linux |
Plans
In their own words
Apache Ivy
Apache Ivy has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Apache Maven
Apache Maven is a free build tool for Java projects. It uses a project object model, or POM, and plugins to manage compilation, testing and documentation through a uniform build system. Maven manages dependencies, including transitive dependencies and automatic updates, and can download them from a central repository. Project metadata can produce outputs such as JARs, WARs and distributions. Maven can also generate project information, including changelogs, cross-referenced sources, dependency lists and unit test reports. Java or scripting-language plugins extend it, and it can work with source control systems such as Subversion or Git to manage tag-based releases. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Maven 3.10 and later requires JDK 8 or above to execute, while toolchains can target other JDK versions. Its project layout is opinionated, so projects with unusual structures that cannot be reorganized may have to give up some Maven features or Maven itself. The software is distributed under Apache License 2.0; its listed plan costs nothing.