Free CI/CD Services
Which CI/CD services a startup can build and test its code on for free today, how many build minutes or credits the free tier covers, whether it includes private repositories, whether a card is needed and what extra minutes cost, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . CI/CD providers change their free minutes from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you move your pipelines.
CI/CD services a startup can use for free today include GitHub Actions (2,000 minutes a month), Bitrise (300 credits a month, 1 private app), GitLab (400 compute minutes a month), Blacksmith (3,000 free minutes a month), and CircleCI (30,000 credits a month). Each of the 11 free allowances below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, whether it covers private repositories, whether a card is needed and what extra minutes cost.
Continuous integration runs the tests on every push and continuous delivery ships what passes. Every major CI/CD service gives free build minutes each month, and faster-runner and mobile CI services give a free allowance too.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free minutes can be few on macOS, shared across a team, capped by concurrency, or limited to public repositories. Each service below shows what is free, its main limit, whether it covers private repositories, whether a card is needed and what extra minutes cost, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which services we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which services are listed or where.
Hosted CI/CD with free build minutes
Pipelines that build and test every push, with free minutes or credits each month.
- 1
GitHub Actions
Teams already on GitHub, with private repos
GitHub's Free plan includes 2,000 minutes a month, and its private repositories are unlimited. Those minutes need no card while they last, and after them a Linux runner costs $0.006 a minute.
- What's free
- 2,000 minutes a month (source: github.com)
- Private repos
- Yes, unlimited private repos (source: github.com)
- First paid plan
- $0.006 a minute on a Linux runner (source: docs.github.com)
- 2
GitLab
Teams that want code hosting and CI in one place
GitLab's Free plan includes 400 compute minutes a month and up to 5 users in a private group. Shared-runner pipelines need a card on file, and Premium is $29 per user a month, billed yearly.
- Private repos
- Yes, up to 5 users (source: about.gitlab.com)
- Payment card
- Card required (source: about.gitlab.com)
Start free at GitLabTerms read on about.gitlab.com on GitLab: the free allowance and how to start GitLab for Startups: what startups get - 3
CircleCI
Small teams that want fast builds and private repos
CircleCI's Free plan gives 30,000 credits a month, with no credit card required, and up to 5 active users. Private repositories can use the same credits, and Performance starts at $15 a month.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: circleci.com)
- First paid plan
- Performance: from $15 a month (source: circleci.com)
Start free at CircleCITerms read on circleci.com on CircleCI: the free allowance and how to start CircleCI Startup Program: what startups get - 4
Bitbucket Pipelines
Small teams already on Atlassian or Bitbucket
Bitbucket's Free plan is free forever for up to 5 users, with unlimited public and private repositories and 50 Pipelines build minutes a month. Standard starts at $3.65 per user a month.
- Private repos
- Yes, unlimited private repos (source: atlassian.com)
- First paid plan
- Standard: $3.65 per user a month (source: atlassian.com)
Start free at AtlassianTerms read on support.atlassian.com on Bitbucket Pipelines: the free allowance and how to start - 5
Semaphore
Teams wanting cheap per-minute CI with 20 jobs
Semaphore Cloud gives $15 of free credits each month, and includes 20 concurrent jobs by default. After the credits, Ubuntu x64 2-vCPU costs $0.0075 a minute.
- First paid plan
- $0.0075 a minute, 2 vCPU x64 (source: semaphore.io)
- 6
Buildkite
Teams that want hosted runners with 10 concurrent jobs
Buildkite's Free plan includes up to 2,000 Linux vCPU minutes a month and up to 10 concurrent jobs, with no credit card required. The Pro plan is $30 per active user a month.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: buildkite.com)
- First paid plan
- Pro: $30 per active user a month (source: buildkite.com)
Start free at BuildkiteTerms read on buildkite.com on Buildkite: the free allowance and how to start - 7
Azure Pipelines
Teams already in Azure DevOps or on Microsoft tools
Azure Pipelines gives each organization one parallel job with 1,800 minutes a month on Microsoft-hosted agents. A second job at once needs a paid pipeline, and no credit card is needed to start.
- First paid plan
- $40 per extra parallel job (source: azure.microsoft.com)
Start free at MicrosoftTerms read on azure.microsoft.com on Azure Pipelines: the free allowance and how to start
Faster runners and mobile CI with a free allowance
Faster build machines and mobile build pipelines, with a free allowance to start.
- 1
Bitrise
Mobile apps, with a free Hobby plan
Bitrise's Hobby plan is free, with no credit card needed. It includes 300 credits a month, 1 private app and 5 concurrent builds. Starter is $89 a month billed yearly, or $99 billed monthly.
- Private repos
- Yes, 1 private app (source: bitrise.io)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: bitrise.io)
- 2
Blacksmith
GitHub Actions users who want faster runners
Blacksmith includes 3,000 free minutes a month, and no credit card is required to try it. The page lists Ubuntu x64 at $0.004 a minute after that.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: blacksmith.sh)
- First paid plan
- $0.004 a minute on Ubuntu x64 (source: blacksmith.sh)
Start free at BlacksmithTerms read on blacksmith.sh on Blacksmith: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Codemagic
Mobile apps that need macOS builds for free
Codemagic's Free plan includes 500 free macOS M2 minutes a month and one parallel build. After the first 500 minutes, Mac mini M2 costs $0.095 a minute.
- First paid plan
- $0.095 a minute after the first 500 (source: codemagic.io)
- 4
WarpBuild
Trying faster per-minute runners before paying
WarpBuild's signup includes $10 of free credits, and you can sign up without a credit card. Its pricing page advertises unlimited job concurrency, and Linux 2-core costs $0.006 a minute.
- First paid plan
- Linux 2-core: $0.006 a minute (source: warpbuild.com)
Start free at WarpBuildTerms read on warpbuild.com on WarpBuild: the free allowance and how to start
Developer startup programs
Programs from developer tool companies that give startups credits or free months on paid plans.
Also useful for building and shipping apps
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers CI/CD services and build runners a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each service's terms. Every term comes from the service's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on minutes or concurrency, or private repositories kept for paid plans, can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these services pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a service appears, and no service pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free CI/CD service?
It depends on your stack. By the terms each provider states, GitHub Actions includes 2,000 minutes a month, CircleCI 30,000 credits a month for up to 5 active users, Buildkite 2,000 Linux vCPU minutes, Azure Pipelines 1,800 minutes on one job, and Blacksmith 3,000 free minutes a month.
How many free minutes does GitHub Actions give?
GitHub Actions includes 2,000 minutes a month on the free plan, with up to 20 jobs at once. Extra Linux minutes cost $0.006 a minute.
Is there free CI for iOS and mobile apps?
Codemagic gives 500 free macOS M2 minutes a month with one parallel build, and Bitrise 300 credits a month for one private app.
Is GitLab CI free?
GitLab's free plan includes 400 compute minutes a month for up to 5 users in a private group, and a card is required to use its shared runners. Premium costs $29 a user a month, billed yearly.
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