Depot vs GitHub Actions: Which is Better in 2026?
Depot and GitHub Actions are both CI/CD tools, made for different people. Depot is for teams whose Docker builds or GitHub Actions jobs are slow and who want faster machines with a persistent cache. GitHub Actions is for teams whose code lives on GitHub and who want CI/CD in the same place, with free minutes to start.
Quick verdict
There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Depot if your CI time is mostly Docker image builds. Choose GitHub Actions if your repositories are on GitHub.
Depot vs GitHub Actions: Side by Side
| Depot | GitHub Actions | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD | CI/CD |
| What it is | Build acceleration for Docker and GitHub Actions | CI/CD built into GitHub |
| Where jobs run | Depot-hosted builders and runners | GitHub-hosted or self-hosted runners |
| Free access | 7-day trial | $12 of compute a month; public repos free |
| How you pay | Monthly plan plus per-minute overage | Per runner-minute beyond the included amount |
| Self-hosting | Deploy in your AWS account on Business | Self-hosted runners, free |
| Pricing | From $20/mo | Free · paid from $4/user/mo |
| Starting price | From $20/mo | Free tier available |
| Free tier | — | |
| Best for | CI/CD: Docker builds, build cache, faster runners | CI/CD: GitHub, marketplace actions, free for public repos |
Pros & Cons
- Dramatic speed-up on Docker builds
- Persistent cache shared across branches
- Native Arm builders, no emulation
- Drops into existing CI
- Another vendor alongside your CI
- Build minutes meter separately
- Only pays off if builds are your bottleneck
- Built into GitHub repositories
- Free on public repos with standard runners
- Large marketplace of actions
- Self-hosted runners don’t use the allowance
- macOS minutes cost $0.062 each
- Small included compute on Free
- Workflow YAML gets complex
Key Features Compared
Depot
- Developer: $20 a month, 500 container build minutes, 2,000 GitHub Actions minutes, 25 GB cache
- Startup: $200 a month, 5,000 build minutes, 20,000 Actions minutes, 250 GB cache
- Overage: $0.04 a container build minute, $0.006 a GitHub Actions minute
- Business: custom usage and volume pricing
- 7-day trial
GitHub Actions
- Included compute each month is a dollar amount: $12 on Free (about 2,000 Linux minutes), $18 on Pro and Team, $300 on Enterprise Cloud
- Linux 2-core $0.006 a minute, Windows $0.010, macOS $0.062; Linux 1-core $0.002
- Standard runners on public repositories are free and don’t use the allowance
- Self-hosted runners don’t use included compute
- GitHub Team is $4 a user a month; Enterprise $21
Choose Depot if…
- Your CI time is mostly Docker image builds.
- You want faster GitHub Actions runners without changing workflows much.
- You build for Intel and Arm.
Choose GitHub Actions if…
- You want to start free. GitHub Actions has a free tier and Depot does not.
- Budget is tight: paid plans start lower ($4/mo vs $20/mo).
- Your repositories are on GitHub.
- You want a large marketplace of ready-made actions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Depot better than GitHub Actions?⌄
There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Depot if your CI time is mostly Docker image builds. Choose GitHub Actions if your repositories are on GitHub.
What is the difference between Depot and GitHub Actions?⌄
What it is. Depot: Build acceleration for Docker and GitHub Actions. GitHub Actions: CI/CD built into GitHub. Where jobs run. Depot: Depot-hosted builders and runners. GitHub Actions: GitHub-hosted or self-hosted runners. Free access. Depot: 7-day trial. GitHub Actions: $12 of compute a month; public repos free. How you pay. Depot: Monthly plan plus per-minute overage. GitHub Actions: Per runner-minute beyond the included amount. Self-hosting. Depot: Deploy in your AWS account on Business. GitHub Actions: Self-hosted runners, free.
Depot vs GitHub Actions: which is cheaper?⌄
Depot pricing: From $20/mo. GitHub Actions pricing: Free · paid from $4/user/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
When should I skip both Depot and GitHub Actions?⌄
Skip Depot if your builds are already fast. GitHub Actions alone is cheaper. Skip GitHub Actions if your Docker builds are slow. Depot runs them on faster machines with a shared cache.
Sources · tool facts checked November 2026
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