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GitHub Actions alternatives

People look for GitHub Actions alternatives when Actions feels slow or costs too much. You have three paths, and two of them keep your workflows.

Why people look for alternatives

Most people look because builds are slow or the bill is big. A runner is the computer that runs your job. GitHub bills its runners by the minute. Mac minutes cost the most. A Mac minute is $0.062 (3-core M1), and a Linux minute is $0.006 (2-core).

Path 1: move to another CI tool

CI is the tool that builds and tests your code. You can leave Actions for GitLab CI/CD, CircleCI, Buildkite or Jenkins. For iOS apps, there are Bitrise and Xcode Cloud. This is a big move, because you rewrite every workflow. It is right for some teams, like those already on GitLab.

Path 2: keep Actions and rent faster runners

You can keep Actions and rent runners from Depot, Blacksmith, WarpBuild or Cirrus Runners. They aim to be faster than GitHub's. You change one line, but you still pay for use, mostly by the minute.

Path 3: keep Actions and use your own computer

A self-hosted runner is a computer you own that runs your jobs. You change one line, and you don't pay by the minute.

By hand. Install GitHub's runner app, then update and clean it yourself.
On Kubernetes. Actions Runner Controller starts runners on Kubernetes, which runs apps on many servers.
With Codemany. Install it on a Mac or Linux computer and set runs-on: [self-hosted, codemany]. Each job gets a fresh runner.

We built Codemany after our own GitHub Actions bill hit $500 to $600 a month. Keep self-hosted runners off public repos; see runner security.

Path	Rewrite workflows?	Who owns the computer	How you pay
New CI tool	Yes	The tool's company, or you	Their plans
Rented runners	No, one line	The runner company	Mostly by the minute
Your own runner	No, one line	You	A flat price

Questions

What is the best alternative to GitHub Actions?

It depends on what bugs you. To leave GitHub, try GitLab CI/CD or CircleCI. If only the bill bugs you, keep Actions and change where jobs run.

Is there a cheaper way to run GitHub Actions?

Yes. Run jobs on a computer you own. Codemany costs $20/month for 2 machines, with 14 days free.

Do I have to rewrite my workflows?

Only if you move to a new CI tool. The other two paths change one line.

Can I keep GitHub Actions and still save money?

Yes. Move costly Mac jobs to your own computer first. The rest keep running on GitHub.