The 2026 CI/CD platform cost comparison
Seven platforms compared on identical workloads. Methodology: 10 devs, 4,000 build minutes per month, 70% Linux, 10% ARM, 10% Windows, 10% macOS. For custom numbers, use the interactive calculator.
Rate comparison table
| Platform | Free tier | Linux $/min | ARM $/min | Windows $/min | macOS $/min | Concurrency | Self-host | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Actions (Hosted) | 2,000 min/mo | $0.008 | $0.004 | $0.016 | $0.080 | 20 max | Yes (+ platform fee) | GitHub-native teams |
| CircleCI | 6,000 credits | $0.006 | $0.006 | $0.006 | $0.080 | Up to 80 | Yes (self-hosted runner) | Complex workflows, parallelism |
| GitLab CI | 400 min/mo | $0.005 | $0.005 | $0.007 | N/A | Plan-based | Yes (self-managed) | Integrated SCM + CI/CD |
| Buildkite | N/A (BYO agents) | Your infra | Your infra | Your infra | Your infra | Unlimited (you scale) | Required | Large teams wanting control |
| Azure DevOps | 1,800 min/mo | $0.0056 | $0.0028 | $0.0070 | N/A | $40/parallel job | Yes (unlimited min) | Microsoft-native orgs, Windows builds |
| AWS CodeBuild | 100 min/mo | $0.005 | $0.004 | $0.007 | N/A | Account limits | No | AWS-native teams (ECR, ECS) |
| Jenkins (self-hosted) | Software free | EC2 cost | EC2 cost | EC2 cost | Mac hardware | Your infra | Required | Maximum control, large scale, legacy |
Mint = best in column. Orange = most expensive or requires investigation. Rates sourced from vendor documentation, April 2026.
Per-platform analysis
GitHub Actions (Hosted)
RATES
Linux x86: $0.008/min (x1). Linux ARM: $0.004/min (x0.5). Windows: $0.016/min (x2). macOS 12-core: $0.080/min (x10).
INCLUDED MINUTES
Free plan: 2,000 min/mo. Pro/Team: 3,000 min/mo. Enterprise: 50,000 min/mo.
STRENGTHS
- +Deep GitHub integration with OIDC, Packages, Secrets, and Environments
- +ARM Linux runners since 2024 at 0.5x cost
- +Active ecosystem of third-party actions
- +The self-hosted platform fee makes third-party runners more attractive
WEAKNESSES
- -macOS is 10x Linux, the most expensive option among hosted runners
- -Windows is 2x Linux, often cheaper in Azure DevOps for Windows-heavy teams
- -The March 2026 self-hosted platform fee changed self-host economics overnight
CircleCI
RATES
Performance plan credits. Docker medium: ~$0.006/min equivalent. Large: ~$0.012/min. macOS large: ~$0.080/min.
INCLUDED MINUTES
Free: 6,000 credits/month (approx. 1,000 free minutes on Docker medium). Performance plan starts at $15/month.
STRENGTHS
- +Parallelism with test-splitting built in
- +Docker layer caching built in (no extra config)
- +Rich insights and timing dashboards
WEAKNESSES
- -Credit system is confusing: the dollar cost per minute varies by resource class and is not transparent at a glance
- -The free tier 6,000 credit limit hits faster than expected
GitLab CI/CD
RATES
Free: 400 compute minutes/month on shared runners. Premium ($29/user/month): 10,000 minutes. Ultimate ($99/user): 50,000 minutes.
INCLUDED MINUTES
Shared runner costs are included in the per-user subscription. Additional minutes are available at ~$0.005/min.
STRENGTHS
- +All-in-one: SCM, CI, container registry, security scanning in one platform
- +Self-managed option with no per-minute charge on your infrastructure
- +Strong Kubernetes integration
WEAKNESSES
- -Free tier 400 minutes is limiting for active teams
- -macOS runners only via self-managed instance
- -The all-in-one cost is worth scrutinising against GitHub + dedicated CI
Buildkite
RATES
Platform fee: $30/user/month (Pro). Agents: BYO infrastructure (EC2, GKE, EKS, bare metal). No per-minute charge from Buildkite.
INCLUDED MINUTES
Unlimited build minutes on your own agents. Hosted agents option available at separate pricing.
STRENGTHS
- +No per-minute charge on your agents
- +Excellent auto-scaling via Elastic CI Stack for AWS
- +Pipeline visualisation and timing breakdown is best in class
WEAKNESSES
- -The per-user fee at $30/user is expensive for large organisations: 100 engineers = $3,000/month before any infrastructure
- -Operational overhead of running your own agents
Azure DevOps
RATES
Microsoft-hosted: $0.0056/min Linux, $0.0028/min ARM, $0.007/min Windows. Self-hosted: $40/parallel job/month, unlimited minutes.
INCLUDED MINUTES
Free tier: 1,800 min/month on Microsoft-hosted (Linux). Self-hosted: 1 parallel job free.
STRENGTHS
- +Best value for Windows-heavy workloads by a wide margin
- +Deep integration with Microsoft services (Azure, Office 365, Active Directory)
- +Self-hosted option at $40/parallel job is cost-effective at high-volume
WEAKNESSES
- -macOS not available on Microsoft-hosted agents
- -Interface can feel dated vs GitHub Actions or CircleCI
AWS CodeBuild
RATES
general1.small: $0.005/min. general1.medium: $0.010/min. general1.large: $0.020/min. arm1.small: $0.004/min. arm1.medium: $0.007/min.
INCLUDED MINUTES
100 build minutes free per month on general1.small.
STRENGTHS
- +Native AWS integration with IAM, ECR, S3, CodePipeline
- +ARM (Graviton) runners at competitive rates
- +No macOS charge (no macOS support)
WEAKNESSES
- -AWS-only: tight coupling to the AWS ecosystem is a strength only if you are all-in on AWS
- -Interface is functional but not developer-friendly compared to GitHub Actions or CircleCI
- -Data transfer out of EC2 adds to costs for large artefact workloads
Jenkins (Self-Hosted)
RATES
Software: free. Infrastructure: c6i.xlarge EC2 spot ~$0.05/hr. Maintenance: 2-8 hours/month at $100-150/hr engineer time.
INCLUDED MINUTES
Jenkins is a self-hosted system. There is no free tier in the cloud sense: you pay for infrastructure from day one.
STRENGTHS
- +Maximum control over the build environment
- +Plugin ecosystem with 1,800+ plugins
- +No per-minute or per-seat charge from the vendor
WEAKNESSES
- -Engineer time is typically 10x more expensive than the CI minutes it saves
- -Security patching is permanently your team's responsibility
- -The March 2026 GitHub Actions self-hosted platform fee affects Jenkins teams using the GH Actions runner backend
Worked examples
3-person startup
800 min/month, Linux-only
VERDICT
GitHub Actions or GitLab CI on free tiers. No reason to pay at this scale.
20-person team
8,000 min/month, 80% Linux, 20% macOS
VERDICT
Depot or BuildJet for cost. GitLab if you want all-in-one. GH Actions only if GitHub integration outweighs the cost.
100-person org
80,000 min/month, 70% Linux, 10% ARM, 10% Windows, 10% macOS
VERDICT
Depot or hybrid model. Self-hosted only with dedicated platform engineering, which costs more than it saves below 200-person scale.
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