Key Takeaways
- GitHub Actions offers the most generous free tier (2,000 min/month) for private repos
- Self-hosted Jenkins becomes cost-effective at high build volumes (5,000+ min/month)
- Build time optimization can reduce costs by 30-50% across all providers
- Storage costs are often overlooked but can add $10-50/month for large artifact caches
- Consider self-hosted runners for cost savings on any platform at scale
Understanding CI/CD Pipeline Costs
Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines are essential for modern software development, but their costs can vary significantly between providers and configurations. This guide helps you understand pricing models and optimize your CI/CD spending.
CI/CD Provider Pricing Models
GitHub Actions
GitHub Actions uses a minute-based pricing model for hosted runners:
- Free Tier: 2,000 minutes/month for public repos (unlimited), 500 minutes for private
- Linux Runners: $0.008/minute
- Windows Runners: $0.016/minute (2x Linux)
- macOS Runners: $0.08/minute (10x Linux)
- Larger Runners: Available at premium pricing
- Storage: 500MB free, then $0.25/GB
GitLab CI/CD
GitLab offers compute minutes on shared runners:
- Free Tier: 400 compute minutes/month
- Premium: 10,000 minutes/month included ($29/user/month)
- Ultimate: 50,000 minutes/month included ($99/user/month)
- Additional Minutes: Starting at $0.0085/minute
- Storage: 5GB free, then $0.50/GB
CircleCI
CircleCI uses credit-based pricing:
- Free Tier: 6,000 credits/month (~1,500 Linux minutes)
- Performance Plan: Starting at $15/month for 25,000 credits
- Linux (Medium): 10 credits/minute
- Linux (Large): 20 credits/minute
- macOS: 50-100 credits/minute
- Docker Layer Caching: 200 credits/job
Jenkins (Self-Hosted)
Jenkins is free, but you pay for infrastructure:
- Software: Free and open source
- Server Costs: EC2, GCE, or on-premise hardware
- Maintenance: Staff time for administration
- Plugins: Most free, some enterprise plugins paid
- Total Cost: Infrastructure + maintenance overhead
Key Cost Factors
1. Build Minutes
The primary cost driver for most CI/CD providers:
- Optimize build times to reduce costs
- Use caching effectively
- Parallelize tests strategically
- Skip unnecessary builds with path filters
2. Concurrency
The number of simultaneous builds affects both speed and cost:
- More concurrent runners = faster feedback
- Queue time vs. runner cost trade-off
- Self-hosted runners can be more economical at scale
3. Runner Size
Larger runners cost more but may build faster:
- Match runner size to workload requirements
- Larger runners may reduce overall minutes used
- Test different configurations to find optimal balance
4. Storage and Artifacts
Often overlooked but can add up:
- Artifact retention policies
- Cache storage limits
- Container registry costs
- Log retention
Provider Comparison
| Feature | GitHub Actions | GitLab CI | CircleCI | Jenkins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | 2,000 min/mo | 400 min/mo | 6,000 credits | Free (self-host) |
| Self-Hosted Runners | Yes (free) | Yes (free) | Yes (premium) | Yes (native) |
| macOS Support | Yes ($$$) | Yes ($$$) | Yes ($$$) | Yes (self-host) |
| Docker Support | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| Config Complexity | Low | Medium | Medium | High |
| Ecosystem | Large | Medium | Medium | Largest |
Cost Optimization Strategies
1. Optimize Build Times
- Dependency Caching: Cache npm, pip, maven dependencies
- Docker Layer Caching: Reuse unchanged layers
- Incremental Builds: Only rebuild changed components
- Parallel Testing: Split tests across multiple runners
2. Smart Triggering
- Path Filters: Only run relevant jobs for changed files
- Branch Strategies: Full builds on main, quick checks on features
- Skip CI: Use [skip ci] for documentation-only changes
- Scheduled Builds: Run expensive tests during off-hours
3. Right-Size Resources
- Match Runner to Workload: Don't use large runners for simple tasks
- Self-Hosted for Heavy Workloads: Consider self-hosting at scale
- Spot/Preemptible Instances: Use for non-time-critical builds
- ARM Runners: Often cheaper than x86 for compatible workloads
When to Choose Each Provider
Choose GitHub Actions When:
- Your code is already on GitHub
- You want tight integration with PRs and issues
- You need the extensive marketplace of actions
- You prefer YAML-based configuration
Choose GitLab CI When:
- You're using GitLab for source control
- You want integrated DevSecOps features
- You need built-in container registry
- You want Auto DevOps capabilities
Choose CircleCI When:
- You need advanced parallelism features
- You want powerful insights and analytics
- You have complex build configurations
- You need fast macOS builds
Choose Jenkins When:
- You have complex, customized requirements
- You want complete control over infrastructure
- You have on-premise requirements
- You have high build volumes (cost efficiency)
Conclusion
Choosing the right CI/CD solution depends on your specific needs, team size, and budget. For most teams, the key is finding the balance between build speed, cost, and maintenance overhead. Use this calculator to estimate costs across providers and identify the most economical option for your workload. Remember that the cheapest option isn't always the best - factor in developer productivity, build speed, and operational overhead when making your decision.