Is CircleCI worth the price?
CircleCI's freemium model is quite generous, offering 6,000 build minutes for free, which is suitable for small projects or individual developers.
The jump to the Performance tier at $15/month for 30,000 credits provides good value for growing teams. The Scale tier is for larger enterprises needing custom solutions and advanced features.
Pricing Plans
Free
Free
- 6,000 build minutes/month
- 5 active users
- 30x concurrency
- Docker/Linux/Windows/macOS/Arm
- Self-hosted runners
Performance
$15
- 30,000 credits included
- 5 active users
- Larger resources
- 80x concurrency
- Bulk credit discounts
Scale
- Customizable plans
- Enterprise controls
- Largest resource classes
- GPU support
- Optional 24/7 support
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Overage charges for build minutes/credits
Higher concurrency might cost extra
Enterprise features require custom quotes
Optional 24/7 support is an add-on
Which Plan Do You Need?
Individual developers, small projects
Growing teams needing more minutes
Large enterprises, custom requirements
How CircleCI Compares to Competitors
Compared to GitHub Actions, which offers 2,000 free minutes for private repos and 3,000 for public, CircleCI's 6,000 free minutes are more generous. GitLab CI/CD also offers 400 free CI/CD minutes, making CircleCI's free tier quite competitive for individual users and small teams.
CircleCI Pricing FAQ
How much does CircleCI cost?
CircleCI starts at $15/month on the Performance plan. A free plan is also available with limited features.
Does CircleCI have a free plan?
Yes. CircleCI offers a free plan called "Free". It includes: 6,000 build minutes/month, 5 active users, 30x concurrency.
Is there a cheaper alternative to CircleCI?
Yes. Popular alternatives to CircleCI include OneDev, Jenkins X, glab, Zeabur. Free alternatives include OneDev, Jenkins X, glab. Compare them side-by-side on Toolradar.
Cheaper alternatives to CircleCI
Direct competitors with similar features. Many offer free tiers or lower per-seat pricing.
