# Blacksmith vs GitHub Actions: prices, plans and limits (Nov 2026)

Blacksmith and GitHub Actions side by side for ci runners: 15 terms differ. Every value links to the provider's own page.

## CI runners

| Term | Blacksmith | GitHub Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | $0.0025 /min (blacksmith-2vcpu-ubuntu-2404-arm) | $0.002 /min (ubuntu-slim) |
| 5-min job | ≥ $0.02 (Linux x64, 2 vCPU · rank 8 of 16) | $0.03 (Linux x64, 2 vCPU · rank 13 of 16) |
| Billed | unknown (metered: usage billed afterwards) | Per minute (metered: usage billed afterwards) |
| Sizes | 17 sizes (Linux, Windows, macOS · 2–32 vCPU) | 36 sizes (Linux, Windows, macOS · 1–96 vCPU) |
| Billing: Payment | Metered: usage billed afterwards [1] | Metered: usage billed afterwards [2] |
| Billing: Plan minimum | None [1] | None [2] |
| Billing: Billing increment | unknown (Prices are per minute; neither the pricing page nor the docs say how partial minutes are rounded) [1] | Per minute (rounded up) [2] |
| Billing: Minimum charge | unknown (No minimum billed time stated on the pricing page or docs) [1] | 60 s [2] |
| Billing: Per-job fee | None [1] | None [2] |
| Limits: vCPU | unknown (Docs describe Firecracker microVMs on bare-metal hosts but do not say whether vCPUs are dedicated) [3] | unknown (GitHub's runner and billing docs do not say whether runner vCPUs are dedicated or shared) [4] |
| Limits: Concurrent jobs | Unlimited [3] | 20 [4] |
| Limits: Max job length | unknown (No job time limit stated in the runner docs) [3] | 6 h [4] |
| Setup: Setup billed | unknown (Docs and pricing page do not say whether microVM boot time is billed) [3] | No [4] |
| Setup: Billed setup per job | unknown (Docs and pricing page do not say whether microVM boot time is billed) [3] | 0 s [4] |
| Platform: CI systems | GitHub Actions [5] | GitHub Actions [6] |
| Platform: Hosting | Managed [5] | Managed [6] |
| Platform: Regions | us-east, us-west, eu-west, eu-central [5] | unknown (GitHub does not list runner regions; Linux and Windows run on Azure (eligible Linux jobs also on AWS), macOS in Azure data centers) [6] |
| Free allowance: Minutes a month | 3,000 [5] | None [7] |
| Free allowance: Credit a month | None [5] | $12 [7] |
| Free allowance: One-time credit | None [5] | None [7] |
| Cache: Included | 25 GB [1] | 10 GB [7] |
| Cache: Extra storage | $0.5 per GB-month [1] | $0.07 per GB-month [7] |
| Cache: Docker layer cache | Yes [1] | No [7] |
| Cache: Persistent disks | Yes [1] | No [7] |
| Features: SSH debugging | Yes [8] | No [9] |
| Features: Static IPs | Yes [8] | Yes [9] |
| Features: GPU runners | No [8] | Yes [9] |
| Features: SOC 2 | Yes [8] | Yes [9] |

### GitHub Actions: plans and limits

- Free: Free; at once 20, included $12 [10]
- Pro: $4 /month; at once 40, included $18 [11]
- Team: $4 per user /month; at once 60, included $18 [10]
- Enterprise: $21 per user /month; at once 500, included $300 [10]

## Sources

[1] https://www.blacksmith.sh/pricing (checked 31 Oct 2026)
[2] https://docs.github.com/en/billing/reference/actions-runner-pricing (checked 31 Oct 2026)
[3] https://docs.blacksmith.sh/blacksmith-runners/concurrency (checked 31 Oct 2026)
[4] https://docs.github.com/en/actions/reference/limits (checked 31 Oct 2026)
[5] https://docs.blacksmith.sh/blacksmith-runners/overview (checked 31 Oct 2026)
[6] https://docs.github.com/en/actions/concepts/runners/github-hosted-runners (checked 31 Oct 2026)
[7] https://docs.github.com/en/billing/concepts/product-billing/github-actions (checked 31 Oct 2026)
[8] https://www.blacksmith.sh/security (checked 31 Oct 2026)
[9] https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-cloud@latest/organizations/keeping-your-organization-secure/managing-security-settings-for-your-organization/accessing-compliance-reports-for-your-organization (checked 31 Oct 2026)
[10] https://github.com/pricing (checked 31 Oct 2026)
[11] https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/learning-about-github/faq-about-changes-to-githubs-plans (checked 31 Oct 2026)