GitHub Actions Pricing 2026: Free Tier, Minutes, and Real Costs
GitHub Actions charges by the minute for compute on GitHub-hosted runners. Linux builds start at $0.010/min (including the new platform fee). macOS builds are $0.082/min — ten times the cost of Linux. Understanding runner types, free tier limits, and the March 2026 platform fee changes is essential for estimating your actual bill.
This guide covers all GitHub Actions pricing tiers, per-minute rates by runner type, cost at different build volumes, and optimization strategies to reduce your spend without slowing deployments.
GitHub Plans and Included Minutes
| Plan | Price | Included Minutes | Storage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 2,000 Linux min/mo | 500 MB | Unlimited (public repos: unlimited min) |
| Team | $4/user/mo | 3,000 Linux min/mo | 2 GB | Unlimited |
| Enterprise | $21/user/mo | 50,000 Linux min/mo | 50 GB | Unlimited + SAML SSO, audit log |
Minutes multiply for Windows (x2) and macOS (x10). 1 macOS minute = 10 Linux minutes of allocation.
Runner Pricing — April 2026
All rates include the $0.002/min platform fee introduced March 2026.
| Runner | Compute | Platform Fee | Total/min | 10-min build | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux 2-core | $0.008 | +$0.002 | $0.010 | $0.10 | Default runner |
| Linux 4-core | $0.016 | +$0.002 | $0.018 | $0.18 | |
| Linux 8-core | $0.032 | +$0.002 | $0.034 | $0.34 | |
| Linux 16-core | $0.064 | +$0.002 | $0.066 | $0.66 | |
| Linux 32-core | $0.128 | +$0.002 | $0.130 | $1.30 | |
| Windows 2-core | $0.016 | +$0.002 | $0.018 | $0.18 | 2x Linux rate |
| Windows 8-core | $0.064 | +$0.002 | $0.066 | $0.66 | |
| macOS 3-core (M1) | $0.080 | +$0.002 | $0.082 | $0.82 | 10x Linux rate |
| macOS 12-core (M1 Max) | $0.120 | +$0.002 | $0.122 | $1.22 | 15x Linux rate |
| GPU (A100) | $1.170 | +$0.002 | $1.172 | $11.72 | ML/AI workloads |
Real-World Cost Scenarios
GitHub Actions Cost Optimization
Use actions/cache with npm or yarn lockfile hash. Reduces install time from 2-3 min to 10-30 sec.
on.push.paths: only trigger relevant workflows when specific directories change.
Mac Mini M2 costs ~$800 upfront. Pays back in 1-2 months if running >200 macOS builds/month.
Most builds do not need 4+ cores. Default 2-core Linux is sufficient for most CI steps.
Use concurrency groups to cancel in-progress runs when new commits push to same branch.
Run tests in parallel across matrix — total minutes similar, but feedback is faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many free minutes does GitHub Actions include?
GitHub Actions includes 2,000 free Linux minutes per month on the Free plan. GitHub Team ($4/user/mo) includes 3,000 minutes. GitHub Enterprise ($21/user/mo) includes 50,000 minutes. Minutes reset on the first day of each billing cycle. Public repositories get unlimited free minutes on GitHub-hosted runners.
What is the new GitHub Actions platform fee?
In March 2026, GitHub introduced a $0.002 per-minute platform fee applied on top of compute rates for all GitHub-hosted runners. This makes Linux 2-core runners $0.010/min (was $0.008/min), Windows $0.018/min (was $0.016/min), and macOS $0.082/min (was $0.080/min). The fee does not apply to self-hosted runners or actions within the free monthly allocation.
How much do GitHub Actions macOS runners cost?
GitHub Actions macOS 3-core runners cost $0.08/min plus the $0.002/min platform fee, totalling $0.082/min. A 10-minute iOS build costs $0.82. A team running 50 macOS builds per day at 10 minutes each would spend roughly $902/month on macOS minutes alone. For iOS/macOS workloads, self-hosted macOS runners (Mac minis or Mac Studios) often pay back in 2-4 months.
Can I use self-hosted runners with GitHub Actions?
Yes. Self-hosted runners are free — GitHub does not charge per-minute for actions run on your own infrastructure. You pay only for the GitHub plan (user seats) plus your compute costs. Self-hosted runners make sense when you need specific hardware (GPU, Apple Silicon, high RAM), need consistent build environments, or your minute usage exceeds $300-500/month on GitHub-hosted runners.
Is GitHub Actions cheaper than GitLab CI?
For small teams with low build volume, GitHub Actions free tier (2,000 min) beats GitLab free tier (400 min). At medium volume, GitLab Premium ($29/user, 10,000 min included) can be cheaper than GitHub Team ($4/user) plus per-minute overage. For a 20-person team using 20,000 minutes/month: GitHub would cost ~$80 (seats) + ~$180 (overage) = $260. GitLab Premium would cost $580 (seats, all minutes included). At 10,000 minutes it is roughly equivalent.