Buildkite pricing 2026
./buildkite --per-user --byo-compute
Buildkite is the CI/CD platform you reach for when you've outgrown per-minute pricing and want full control of where your code runs. The model is simple: pay per user, run unlimited builds, and bring your own compute. This guide covers what Pro and Enterprise actually cost in 2026, what running agents costs, and where Buildkite saves money.
Plans / 2026
Developer
$0
Up to 5 users
3 concurrent
Personal projects, OSS, small teams. No SAML SSO.
Pro
$15 / user
Unlimited users
Unlimited
Most teams. Concurrency, parallelism, build matrix all unlimited.
Enterprise
Custom
Unlimited users
Unlimited
SAML SSO, audit logs, RBAC, dedicated support, SLAs. Sales-led.
Total cost / running agents
With Buildkite the seat fee is the easy part. The real spend is the cloud compute under your agents. Here's what typical Linux agent fleets cost using public AWS pricing.
| Team | Seats | Agents | Agent hardware | Seat $ | Compute $ | Total / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small (5) | 5 | 3 | t3.medium | $75 | ~$90 | $165 |
| Mid (20) | 20 | 8 | m5.large | $300 | ~$560 | $860 |
| Large (50) | 50 | 20 | m5.large | $750 | ~$1,400 | $2,150 |
| Enterprise (200) | 200 | 60 | m5.xlarge mix | $3,000 | ~$8,000 | $11,000 |
# Spot / preemptible instances cut compute 60-80%. Autoscaling cuts another 30-50%.
When to pick Buildkite over hosted CI/CD
- > You exceed 50,000 build minutes per month consistently / per-user pricing wins.
- > You need GPU, ARM, or specialised hardware your hosted CI/CD doesn't offer.
- > Compliance requires that build artifacts never leave your VPC.
- > You already operate Kubernetes and want CI agents as autoscaling pods.
- > You want unlimited concurrency without per-job fees.
Compare with other platforms
Frequently Asked Questions
# click any question to expand
How much does Buildkite cost?>
Buildkite charges only per user, not per build minute. The Developer plan is free for up to 5 users and 3 concurrent agents. Pro is $15 per user per month with unlimited agents and unlimited build minutes. Enterprise pricing is custom and adds SAML SSO, audit logs, and a dedicated support contact.
What's the bring-your-own-compute model?>
Buildkite's coordinator service orchestrates pipelines, but you run the agents on your own infrastructure (or in your own cloud account). Buildkite never executes your code on their machines, which gives you full control over runtime, network access, secrets, and security. The trade-off is that you're responsible for keeping agents online and right-sized.
What does running Buildkite agents actually cost?>
Agents are typically Linux VMs on AWS or GCP. A t3.medium ($30/month on-demand) handles small build workloads. For mid-size teams, 4-8 always-on agents on m5.large ($70/month each) is typical. With Spot instances or autoscaling, you can drive agent costs down 60-80%, especially for workloads that tolerate restarts.
When is Buildkite cheapest?>
Two scenarios. (1) High-volume CI: once you exceed roughly 50,000 build minutes per month, paying per-user instead of per-minute saves real money. (2) Specialised hardware: if you need GPU runners, ARM machines, or beefy memory configurations, running them yourself in your cloud is cheaper than hosted equivalents. Small teams with bursty usage often find hosted SaaS cheaper because they don't pay for idle agents.
Can Buildkite run macOS builds?>
Yes, but you provide the Macs. Most teams shipping iOS apps run Buildkite agents on a fleet of Mac minis (either rack-mounted in their office or at services like MacStadium). Per-Mac cost is around $80-150/month rented, ownership pays back quickly if you have a dedicated CI lab.
How does Buildkite compare to GitHub Actions for cost?>
For low to mid build volume, GitHub Actions Team ($4/user with 3,000 free Linux mins) is usually cheaper because you're not paying for idle agents. Buildkite wins as soon as you have always-on workloads or need specific hardware. The break-even varies by team size, but a useful rule of thumb is around 50,000 build minutes per month.