GitHub Actions
Cost Calculator

GitHub Actions charges per minute of compute time. Free tier includes 2,000 minutes/month for public repos and 500 minutes for private repos. After that, you pay based on runner type — Linux at $0.008/min, Windows at $0.016/min, and macOS at $0.08/min. Minutes are rounded up to the nearest minute.

macOS runners are 10x more expensive than Ubuntu because Apple hardware and licensing costs are significantly higher for cloud providers. Unless you specifically need macOS (e.g., building iOS apps), always use Ubuntu runners to minimize costs.

Top ways: (1) Enable dependency caching with actions/cache — saves 30-60% time. (2) Use Ubuntu instead of macOS/Windows when possible. (3) Run jobs in parallel instead of sequentially. (4) Use concurrency groups to cancel outdated runs. (5) Use smaller runner sizes for lightweight tasks. Our AI analyzer gives you specific suggestions for your workflow.

These are estimates based on known action runtimes and command patterns. Actual costs depend on real execution time, which varies with server load, network speed, and cache hit rates. Estimates are typically within ±20% of actual costs. For exact numbers, check GitHub → Settings → Billing → Actions.

Self-hosted runners are machines you provide and manage yourself. GitHub charges only $0.002/min for self-hosted runners (for storage and networking), making them 75% cheaper than Ubuntu runners. However you pay for the underlying infrastructure (EC2, GCP, etc.) separately. Best for high-volume workflows.