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Apache Ant vs. Apache Maven

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Apache Ant
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Apache Ant is a Java library and command-line tool whose mission is to drive processes described in build files as targets and extension points dependent upon each other. The main known usage of Ant is the build of Java applications. Ant supplies a number of built-in tasks allowing to compile, assemble, test and run Java applications.N/A
Apache Maven
Score 9.9 out of 10
N/A
Apache Maven is an open source build automation tool.N/A
Pricing
Apache AntApache Maven
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Apache AntApache Maven
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Apache AntApache Maven
Considered Both Products
Apache Ant
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Apache Ant
Compare to other tools like eclipse or Jenkins, Apache Ant is really easy to use tool. and It is very flexible tool which can be learn in couple of days time. And Apache ant help to write the custom java based hooks which enable more capabilities and features in the application.
Apache Maven
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Apache Maven
Ant is useful if your build is heavily based on customs scripts running in the right order. Maven greatly simplifies the process to keep track of and download build dependencies compared with Apache Ant. If your build is based on multiple custom scripts running in a specific …
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Apache Maven
We evaluated many options to automate our build process including Apache Maven, Jenkins, Octopus Deploy and Azure DevOps Server. We found Apache Maven to be the easiest to use by far. We like the ability to customize our build process for individual departments. Apache Maven …
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Apache Maven
If there are competitor products out there, I've never heard of them. This is the solution for Java dependency management. From my experience, the alternative is "no solution, create your own."
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Apache Maven
Maven was chosen out of convention as a static build tool. Personally, I prefer Gradle's less verbose syntax and modularity. Same with Bazel and Sbt.
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Apache Maven
Integration with Java IDEs is fast and easy. It automatically fetches and resolves dependencies. It is a specification built tool.
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Apache Maven
Maven vs Gradle

  • Maven is much more mature vs Gradle and been around for a long time. Easy to get developers. Gradle is new but adoption is fast
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Apache Maven
Ant, Maven's opposing framework, is often a point of comparison. Although Ant does not require formal conventions, it is procedural in the sense that you must tell Ant exactly what to do and when. It also lacks a lifecycle, along with goal definition and dependencies. Maven, on …
Ken O'Connell | TrustRadius Reviewer
Ken O'Connell
Senior Release Engineer
Chose Apache Maven
It has a project object module and pre-defined structure that is better than Make and running Ant scripts for builds. There is fairly good support from the online open source community. Documentation from Apache is also very good.
Best Alternatives
Apache AntApache Maven
Small Businesses
GitLab
GitLab
Score 8.7 out of 10
GitLab
GitLab
Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
GitLab
GitLab
Score 8.7 out of 10
GitLab
GitLab
Score 8.7 out of 10
Enterprises
GitLab
GitLab
Score 8.7 out of 10
GitLab
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Score 8.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Apache AntApache Maven
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
5.1
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Apache AntApache Maven
Likelihood to Recommend
Apache Ant is suitable for the scenarios where central repository is not required for your developed application and It has a great architecture with less complexity and the situation where automated configuration is needed then Apache Ant is not suitable for that use case. Apache Ant is easy to use tool.
Verified User
Anonymous
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Building and automating packaging of software can be a challenging task. As the complexity of the project grows so do the dependencies on third-party artifacts. Using Maven we can define and manage the project structure centrally and it helps improve overall build times.
Verified User
Anonymous
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Pros
  • Support non java application development as well
  • Flexible
  • XML scripting
  • Support any platform
Verified User
Anonymous
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  • Makes the build process simple and easy to do.
  • It provides a standard build system that can be adopted by multiple, different groups within an organization.
  • It's extensible with easy to use custom extensions which our developers take full advantage of.
Verified User
Anonymous
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Cons
  • Better lifecycle management can be done
  • So much configuration details needs to provide
  • Order of the flow needs to define in advance
Verified User
Anonymous
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  • One of the issues with building software using Apache Maven is that its cache resolution is not optimal. It pulls down all the artifacts onto the developer's local machine and can sometimes result in conflicts.
  • The build process can vary in time and gets progressively longer as the project's complexity increases.
heather collins | TrustRadius Reviewer
heather collins
senior developer
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Usability
No answers on this topic
The overall usability of Apache Maven is very good to us. We were able to incorporate it into our company's build process pretty quickly. We deployed it to multiple teams throughout the entire enterprise. We got good feedback from our developers stating that Apache Maven has simplified their build process. It also allowed to to standardize the build process for the entire enterprise, thus ensure that each development team is using the same, consistent process to build code.
Verified User
Anonymous
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Support Rating
No answers on this topic
I can't speak to the support, as I've never had issues. Apache Maven "just works," and errors were user errors or local nexus errors. Apache Maven is a great build/dependency management tool. I give it a 9/10 because occasionally the error message don't immediately indicate a solution...but again, those errors were always user or configuration errors, and the Maven documentation is extensive, so I don't find fault in Maven, but in its users.
Verified User
Anonymous
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Alternatives Considered
Compare to other tools like Eclipse or Jenkins, Apache Ant is really easy to use tool. and It is very flexible tool which can be learn in couple of days time. And Apache ant help to write the custom java based hooks which enable more capabilities and features in the application
Verified User
Anonymous
Read full review
Ant is useful if your build is heavily based on customs scripts running in the right order. Maven greatly simplifies the process to keep track of and download build dependencies compared with Apache Ant. If your build is based on multiple custom scripts running in a specific order there is a lot of overhead in Maven compared to Apache Ant.
Verified User
Anonymous
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Return on Investment
  • Overall positive impact
  • Speed up the development process
  • Easy deployment process
Verified User
Anonymous
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  • Maven has been the only tool for building Java apps for a long time. And it being open source has helped maximize ROI.
  • I can't think of any negative. With Gradle coming up as a newer and better technology for building, some teams are shifting towards it.
Verified User
Anonymous
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