GitHub Actions Pricing
Plans and cost breakdown for 2026
by GitHub (Microsoft) · CI/CD
Is GitHub Actions Worth It?
What You Get
- + Native GitHub integration
- + extensive marketplace of actions
- + flexible workflow configuration
- + strong community support
- + cost-effective for small to medium projects
What to Watch Out For
- - Limited free minutes for private repositories
- - can become expensive at scale
- - learning curve for complex workflows
- - occasional runner availability issues
CI/CD Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Pricing Model | Starting Price | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Actions (this tool) | Freemium | Free for public repos; private repos from ~$0.004/min (Linux runner) + $0.002/min platform charge | GitHub (Microsoft) |
| Argo CD | Free | Open source - free to use | Argo Project (CNCF) |
| Aviator | Freemium | Free for teams under 15 developers; paid plans from $12/active developer/month with volume discounts | Aviator Technologies |
| Axolo | Freemium | Free plan (up to 50 PR channels/month); Standard $8.30/seat/month, Business $13.30/seat/month, Enterprise custom (50-seat minimum) | Axolo |
| Azure DevOps Pipelines | Freemium | Free (1 parallel job, 1,800 min/month); $40/month per additional parallel job | Microsoft |
| Bitbucket Pipelines | Freemium | Free (50 build minutes/month); Premium from $6.60/user/month | Atlassian |
| Buildkite | Freemium | Free for unlimited public repositories, $15/user/month for private | Buildkite |
| CircleCI | Freemium | Free (30,000 credits/month, 5 users) | CircleCI |
| CloudBees | Enterprise | Custom enterprise pricing; CloudBees Unify is the current platform | CloudBees |
| Codefresh | Enterprise | Contact sales — pricing now handled through Octopus Deploy | Octopus Deploy (formerly Codefresh) |
| Dagger | Freemium | Dagger engine is free and open source; Dagger Cloud is free for individuals, Team plan $50/month for up to 10 users, Enterprise custom | Dagger |
Pricing FAQ
How much does GitHub Actions cost?
GitHub Actions uses a freemium pricing model. Plans start at Free for public repos; private repos from ~$0.004/min (Linux runner) + $0.002/min platform charge.
Does GitHub Actions have a free plan?
Yes, GitHub Actions offers a free tier with limited features. Paid plans start at Free for public repos; private repos from ~$0.004/min (Linux runner) + $0.002/min platform charge.
Is GitHub Actions worth the price?
GitHub Actions offers native github integration and extensive marketplace of actions. However, consider that limited free minutes for private repositories. Compare with alternatives to find the best value for your needs.
What are cheaper alternatives to GitHub Actions?
Check our alternatives page for GitHub Actions to find more affordable options in the CI/CD category.
Not sure about GitHub Actions?
Explore alternatives or compare with other tools.