Is Semaphore worth the price?
Semaphore's pricing is quite generous, especially with its free Community tier for self-hosted users and the Cloud tier's pay-as-you-go model starting at $0.0075/min.
This makes it very accessible for small teams and startups to get started without upfront costs. The Hybrid tier at $9 per user/month for self-hosted runners offers good value for growing teams needing more control.
Pricing Plans
Free TrialCommunity
Free
Self-hosted
- YAML pipelines
- Unlimited users
- Unlimited concurrency
- Community support
Cloud
Free
Pay-as-you-go
- $0.0075/min
- Fully managed
- Unlimited concurrency
- REST API & CLI
Hybrid
$9/per user/month
Self-hosted runners
- Cloud UI
- Own compute
- Unlimited runners
- Cloud bursting
Enterprise
Large orgs
- Advanced RBAC
- Audit logs
- Premium support
- 1TB artifacts
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Cloud tier usage can scale quickly with high concurrency.
Hybrid tier costs increase with more users.
Enterprise features require custom negotiation.
Potential for increased infrastructure costs with self-hosting.
Which Plan Do You Need?
Startups & small teams
Teams needing self-hosted options
Users prioritizing pay-as-you-go
How Semaphore Compares to Competitors
Compared to CircleCI, which offers a free tier with limited build minutes and then jumps to a per-user or usage-based model, Semaphore's $0.0075/min Cloud tier is competitive and transparent. GitLab CI/CD also offers a free tier, but its paid tiers can quickly become more expensive for larger teams, making Semaphore's Hybrid and Cloud options potentially more cost-effective for specific use cases.
Semaphore Pricing FAQ
How much does Semaphore cost?
Semaphore starts at $9/user/month on the Hybrid plan. A free plan is also available with limited features.
Does Semaphore have a free plan?
Yes. Semaphore offers a free plan called "Community". It includes: YAML pipelines, Unlimited users, Unlimited concurrency.
Does Semaphore offer a free trial?
Yes, Semaphore offers a free trial. No credit card is typically required to start the trial, though this may vary.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Semaphore?
Yes. Popular alternatives to Semaphore include Concourse, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Jenkins. Free alternatives include Concourse, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions. Compare them side-by-side on Toolradar.
How much does Semaphore cost for a team of 10?
For a team of 10 users on the Hybrid plan, Semaphore costs about $90/month, or $1,080/year. Larger teams may qualify for volume discounts on annual billing.
Cheaper alternatives to Semaphore
Direct competitors with similar features. Many offer free tiers or lower per-seat pricing.
