Comparison / primary-source research
Choose the operating model. Then compare the bill.
A hosted service and a customer-owned fleet solve different operational problems. The right comparison includes the work your team inherits.
| Approach | Compute ownership | Operating model | When to consider it |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub-hosted | Provider-managed | Integrated workflow service; standard public-repository compute and plan allowances can be free. | Teams prioritizing simplicity or already covered by allowances. |
| Blacksmith | Blacksmith-hosted | Managed GitHub runners, accelerated caching, persistent disk snapshots, and observability. | Teams wanting faster hosted execution with limited infrastructure work. |
| Actuated | Customer infrastructure | Managed ephemeral microVM runners on customer-owned servers. | Teams with suitable servers that want managed isolation and lifecycle. |
| RunsOn | Customer AWS account | Ephemeral AWS runners; annual software licence plus the customer's cloud bill. | Teams already operating in AWS and evaluating direct infrastructure costs. |
| Plain self-hosted | Customer infrastructure | Official GitHub runner; customer handles isolation, patching, capacity, and cleanup. | Teams with in-house operational expertise and acceptable maintenance cost. |
| Tbench Actions | Customer-owned devices (BYO) | GitHub workflow integration or an independent signed runner queue, with explicit policies, resource caps and contributor seats. | Teams with trusted private Linux jobs and available company compute; approved organization, repository policy and device enrollment are required. |
The decision framework
Compare the full cost of a successful pipeline.
Look at compute ownership, workflow fit and the operating work behind each completed build.
Start with your jobs.
Review operating systems, dependencies, network access and peak capacity before choosing an execution model.
Respect the working machine.
Opt-in participation and resource caps let device owners choose how much capacity they contribute.
Count the operating costs.
Include power, maintenance, depreciation, retries and provider fees alongside the platform price.
Source notes
Published Linux x64 2-core rate: $0.006/minute. GitHub rounds each job up to a whole minute.
Self-hosted runner usage is currently free; infrastructure and associated services remain the customer's responsibility.
Listed Linux x64 2-vCPU rate: $0.004/minute. Consult its current price sheet for resource classes and billing terms.
Persistent snapshot-backed build state, with branch-protection controls for cache writes.
Managed CI on customer infrastructure using disposable microVMs. A direct alternative to evaluate.
Customer-owned AWS infrastructure with an annual software licence; cloud infrastructure is billed separately.
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