Pricing
Learn more about our pricing
Blacksmith billing is transparent and straightforward, with charges per minute rounded to the nearest minute.
Blacksmith vs GitHub
Matched by vCPU count, Blacksmith runners not only outperform but also outvalue GitHub runners. See the cost breakdown per-minute below for a clear comparison:
x64 Runners
| vCPU Count | Blacksmith | GitHub |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $0.004 | $0.008 |
| 4 | $0.008 | $0.016 |
| 8 | $0.016 | $0.032 |
| 16 | $0.032 | $0.064 |
| 32 | $0.064 | $0.128 |
ARM Runners
| vCPU Count | Blacksmith | GitHub |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $0.0025 | $0.005 |
| 4 | $0.005 | $0.01 |
| 8 | $0.01 | $0.02 |
| 16 | $0.02 | $0.04 |
| 32 | $0.04 | $0.08 |
Job Execution Time and Cost Comparison
Consider the performance and cost-effectiveness of running a CI/CD job across different x64 configurations:
- A GitHub hosted runner with 2 vCPUs completes the job in 25 minutes.
- A Blacksmith runner with 2 vCPUs finishes the same job in 17 minutes.
- Upgrading to a Blacksmith runner with 4 vCPUs further reduces the time to 10 minutes.
Below is a detailed comparison, including the savings when choosing Blacksmith over GitHub:
| Configuration | Execution Time (mins) | Cost per Minute | Total Cost | Savings vs. GitHub |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub 2 vCPU | 25 | $0.008 | $0.20 | - |
| Blacksmith 2 vCPU | 17 | $0.004 | $0.068 | 66% |
| Blacksmith 4 vCPU | 10 | $0.008 | $0.08 | 60% |
Analysis:
- Blacksmith 2 vCPU: Offers a 66% cost saving compared to GitHub’s 2 vCPU runner, with a 32% reduction in execution time.
- Blacksmith 4 vCPU: Despite being more than twice as fast as the GitHub 2 vCPU runner, it costs 60% less, showcasing exceptional efficiency and value.
Blacksmith runners not only accelerate job completion times but also provide significant cost savings, enhancing overall CI/CD pipeline efficiency.
Developers love using Blacksmith since it helps them land their PRs a lot faster while also helping save costs.
Free Minutes
Blacksmith provides 3000 x64 2vCPU minutes for free per month per organization. These free minutes can still be used on runners with higher vCPU counts, but the free minutes will be consumed at a higher rate proportional to the vCPU count.
For instance, a job taking 10 minutes on a 4vCPU runner would consume the equivalent of 20 2vCPU minutes and a job taking 10 minutes on an 8vCPU runner would consume the equivalent of 40 2vCPU minutes.
Note that ARM runners can also utilize the free minutes. For billing purposes, 1 ARM vCPU minute = 0.625 x64 2vCPU minutes.
The same conversion rate applies proportionally to runners with higher vCPU counts. For example, a job running for 10 minutes on an ARM 4vCPU runner would consume 12.5 x64 2vCPU minutes.