Apache Ivy vs Gradle
Apache Ivy
ant.apache.org
Gradle
gradle.orgSide by side
| Figure | Apache Ivy | Gradle |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Package Managers | 8.1 (#32) | 8.7 (#11) |
| 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 | Maven,Ivy,flat directory |
| Private registry auth | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | Apache Ivy manages project dependencies by recording, tracking, resolving, and reporting them. | Gradle Build Tool automates building software of any type, size, or complexity. |
| 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. | Gradle includes dependency verification; the maker says open-source security fixes are limited by its end-of-life policy, while its Security Subscription offers prioritized fixes under SLA and extended maintenance. |
| 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.
Gradle
Gradle Build Tool is a free, open-source system for automating software builds across projects of different types and sizes. Build logic can use either Kotlin DSL or Groovy DSL. Incremental builds, caching and parallel task execution support the build process, while Gradle downloads and manages transitive dependencies from Maven- and Ivy-compatible repositories. The Gradle Wrapper can provision a build environment and specify the Gradle version used by a project. Its ecosystem covers JVM, Android, C/C++, Swift, Objective-C and assembler projects, and it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. The Tooling API lets IDEs and other tools inspect projects, run builds, receive progress events and cancel operations. Listed support includes Android Studio and Ant, plus Checkstyle, CodeNarc, PMD and JaCoCo. Gradle includes dependency verification. The maker says open-source security fixes are limited by its end-of-life policy; its Security Subscription offers prioritized fixes under SLA and extended maintenance, but does not guarantee a clean scanner report when findings come from third-party libraries.