--- title: "GitHub Actions vs Jenkins: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder" description: "GitHub Actions vs Jenkins compared for 2026: pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which ci/cd tool is the better fit for your startup." source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/github-actions-vs-jenkins retrieved: 2026-11-10 --- ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/github.svg) vs ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=jenkins.io&sz=128) # GitHub Actions vs Jenkins: Which is Better in 2026? CI/CD [GitHub Actions](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/github-actions) and [Jenkins](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/jenkins) are both CI/CD tools, made for different people. GitHub Actions is for teams whose code lives on GitHub and who want CI/CD in the same place, with free minutes to start. Jenkins is for teams that want full control of an open-source CI server and have people to run it. Quick verdict There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose GitHub Actions if your repositories are on GitHub. Choose Jenkins if you need CI inside a network that can’t reach hosted services. ## GitHub Actions vs Jenkins: Side by Side | | GitHub Actions | Jenkins | | -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | Category | CI/CD | CI/CD | | What it is | CI/CD built into GitHub | Open-source automation server | | Where jobs run | GitHub-hosted or self-hosted runners | Your servers | | Free access | $12 of compute a month; public repos free | Free | | How you pay | Per runner-minute beyond the included amount | Free; you pay for the machines | | Self-hosting | Self-hosted runners, free | Self-hosted only | | Pricing | Free · paid from $4/user/mo | Free | | Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available | | Free tier | ✓ | ✓ | | Best for | CI/CD: GitHub, marketplace actions, free for public repos | CI/CD: self-hosted, plugins, open source | ## Pros & Cons ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/github.svg) [GitHub Actions](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/github-actions) * ✓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 ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=jenkins.io&sz=128) [Jenkins](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/jenkins) * ✓Infinitely extensible * ✓No vendor lock-in * ✓Free * ✓Mature & proven * ✗You manage the infrastructure * ✗Dated UX vs modern CI ## Key Features Compared ### 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 ### Jenkins * ✓Open-source automation server, free to self-host * ✓2,300+ community plugins * ✓Supported by the Continuous Delivery Foundation * ✓Runs any language or stack on your own machines ### Choose GitHub Actions if… * ✓Your repositories are on GitHub. * ✓You want a large marketplace of ready-made actions. * ✓You run open-source projects that get free minutes. [GitHub Actions review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/github-actions) ### Choose Jenkins if… * ✓You need CI inside a network that can’t reach hosted services. * ✓You want a plugin for almost any tool. * ✓You have engineers to maintain the server and plugins. [Jenkins review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/jenkins) ## Frequently Asked Questions Is GitHub Actions better than Jenkins?⌄ There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose GitHub Actions if your repositories are on GitHub. Choose Jenkins if you need CI inside a network that can’t reach hosted services. What is the difference between GitHub Actions and Jenkins?⌄ What it is. GitHub Actions: CI/CD built into GitHub. Jenkins: Open-source automation server. Where jobs run. GitHub Actions: GitHub-hosted or self-hosted runners. Jenkins: Your servers. Free access. GitHub Actions: $12 of compute a month; public repos free. Jenkins: Free. How you pay. GitHub Actions: Per runner-minute beyond the included amount. Jenkins: Free; you pay for the machines. Self-hosting. GitHub Actions: Self-hosted runners, free. Jenkins: Self-hosted only. GitHub Actions vs Jenkins: which is cheaper?⌄ GitHub Actions pricing: Free · paid from $4/user/mo. Jenkins pricing: Free. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change. When should I skip both GitHub Actions and Jenkins?⌄ Skip GitHub Actions if your Docker builds are slow. Depot runs them on faster machines with a shared cache. Skip Jenkins if you want nothing to run. GitHub Actions or CircleCI are hosted. Sources · tool facts checked November 2026 1. 1.[GitHub Actions billingdocs.github.com ](https://docs.github.com/en/billing/concepts/product-billing/github-actions) 2. 2.[GitHub pricinggithub.com ](https://github.com/pricing) 3. 3.[Jenkinsjenkins.io ](https://www.jenkins.io/) See more options in our guide to the [best ci/cd tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/ci%5Fcd). ## Still not sure which to pick? Get a free, AI-powered tech stack, including the best ci/cd pick for your budget and team, in 60 seconds. [Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/build-stack)