Is Gradle better than Ant for build automation?

Yes, Gradle is generally better than Ant for build automation due to its modern features, flexibility, and performance. Gradle uses a Groovy or Kotlin-based DSL, which makes build scripts more readable and maintainable than Ant’s verbose XML configurations. Also, its incremental build function compiles only the changed parts of the project, greatly increasing the build times of the project.
Gradle provides very powerful dependency management out of the box, while with Ant, one needs to get additional utilities like Ivy for such functionality. Gradle integration with modern IDEs and CI/CD pipelines enhances its usability even further, making it far superior for most modern development workflows.