Depot alternatives for GitHub Actions runners and Docker builds
Depot covers two parts of a GitHub Actions pipeline: the runners, and remote BuildKit builders that take over Docker builds. Some alternatives replace both. Others replace the runners and keep Docker builds on the runner, with a persistent cache instead of a remote builder. We build Avrea, one of the options below. Prices come from each vendor's own pages and build results from RunsOn's public benchmark, checked 4 November 2026.
Try AvreaWhich alternative to pick
- Avrea, if build time and no plan fee matter most. It had the fastest ARM builds in RunsOn's November benchmark, and its x86 rate is $0.004 against Depot's $0.006.
- Ubicloud, if the per-minute rate matters most.
- WarpBuild or Namespace, if you want to keep a remote Docker builder.
- RunsOn or WarpBuild, if runners have to run in your own cloud account.
- GitHub's larger runners, if you'd rather keep CI with one vendor.
Runner prices for a 2-vCPU Linux runner
Depot charges $0.006 a minute for 2 vCPU on x86 and ARM alike, after the minutes in a $20 or $200 monthly plan. Avrea, Blacksmith and WarpBuild charge $0.004 for the same x86 size with no plan fee.
| Provider | x86 | ARM | Plan fee | Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depot | $0.006 | $0.006 | $20 or $200 | 2,000 or 20,000 minutes |
| Avrea | $0.004 | $0.012 | None | 3,000 minutes |
| Blacksmith | $0.004 | $0.0025 | None | 3,000 minutes |
| WarpBuild | $0.004 | $0.003 | None | Not stated |
| Namespace | $0.004 in plan | Not listed | $0 or $100 | 25,000 minutes on Team |
| Ubicloud | $0.00125 | $0.00125 | None | $2.50 credit |
| RunsOn | AWS price | AWS price | From €300 a year | 15-day trial |
| GitHub-hosted | $0.006 | $0.005 | GitHub plan | $12 to $300 of usage |
Prices are per minute for a 2-vCPU Linux runner with 8 GB; Blacksmith's and Ubicloud's ARM runners have 6 GB. Depot's plans are $20 for one user and $200 for unlimited users. Namespace charges $0.006 beyond a paid plan's included minutes, and its $100 Team plan's 100,000 unit minutes cover 25,000 minutes at this size. Ubicloud's premium x86 runners cost $0.002.
Avrea's ARM runners are Apple M5 Max machines. The other generally available ARM runners here use server processors such as Depot's Graviton4, AmpereOne and Ampere Altra. The build results below show what that difference does to job time, and a job that finishes sooner bills fewer minutes.
Rates exclude storage, add-ons and enterprise terms. Where a plan includes minutes, they are counted at the 2-vCPU size, and each provider converts larger, ARM, Windows and macOS runners at its own ratio. Depot and Avrea meter jobs by the second; GitHub rounds each job up to a whole minute.
On macOS, Depot and Avrea both list 8 vCPU and 24 GB for $0.08 a minute, on M4 and Apple M5 Max respectively. Blacksmith (M4) and WarpBuild (M4 Pro) charge the same for 6 vCPU. Namespace starts at $0.04 for 4 vCPU within a plan, and GitHub's standard macOS runner is $0.062. Ubicloud and RunsOn have no macOS runners.
Sources: Depot pricing and runner types, Avrea pricing, Blacksmith pricing and runner specifications, WarpBuild pricing, Namespace pricing, Ubicloud pricing, RunsOn pricing, GitHub runner rates and included usage.
Where Docker builds run
Depot sends the build context to a remote builder whose layer cache persists between builds, so the cache doesn't depend on which runner picked up the job. The alternatives either offer a remote builder of their own or keep builder state on the runner.
| Provider | Where the build runs | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Depot | Remote builder, 16 CPU | $0.04 a minute after included minutes |
| WarpBuild | Remote builder, from 16 vCPU | From $0.06 a minute |
| Namespace | Remote builder | $0.05 a build, or 1,000 on Team |
| Avrea | On the runner, persistent disk | $0.50 per GB a month |
| Blacksmith | On the runner, sticky disk | $0.50 per GB a month |
| Ubicloud, GitHub | On the runner, type=gha cache | Within the repository cache |
Depot's builds go through depot build or depot/build-push-action, with 500 or 5,000 build minutes in the plan. Blacksmith's sticky disks need its own setup and build actions. Avrea can also export layers to its cache through BuildKit's type=gha backend, inside the 25 GB repository quota.
A remote builder moves the CPU-heavy part of a Docker build off the runner. A persistent disk on the runner keeps the same layers without a separate builder service, and the build uses the runner's own CPUs. In RunsOn's cold Docker build below, Avrea's 4-vCPU ARM runner built PostHog's production image faster than any other ARM runner tested.
Sources: Depot container builds, Avrea Docker setup and persistent disks, WarpBuild pricing, Namespace pricing, Blacksmith Docker builds, Ubicloud cache, GitHub included usage.
Build and cache results at 4 vCPU
RunsOn, a runner vendor that also appears in the table, runs a public benchmark that builds the same projects on every provider's runners, with its workflows and method published. The 1 November 2026 run built two projects from a cold start on 4-vCPU, 16-GB runners: the Rust project spotify-player, with its tests and clippy, and PostHog's production Docker image. The table shows median build times from five runs, and the median time to restore a 4 GB file through actions/cache in the 2 November cache test. Depot is not in the benchmark, so there is no like-for-like figure for its runners.
| 4-vCPU runner | Rust, x86 | Rust, ARM | Docker, x86 | Docker, ARM | Cache, x86 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avrea | 91 s | 76 s | 292 s | 286 s | 11 s |
| Blacksmith | 100 s | 264 s | 301 s | 670 s | 13 s |
| Namespace | 91 s | 332 s | 280 s | 801 s | 18 s |
| WarpBuild | 136 s | 182 s | 439 s | 602 s | 28 s |
| RunsOn | 99 s | 106 s | 398 s | 384 s | 8 s |
| GitHub-hosted | 221 s | 196 s | 773 s | 585 s | 46 s |
| Ubicloud | 144 s | 331 s | 645 s | 823 s | 70 s |
Avrea had the fastest ARM build in both projects, and on x86 it tied Namespace on the Rust build while Namespace built the Docker image 12 seconds sooner. Avrea also restored the cache fastest of the hosted providers. These builds start without a warm cache, so they measure the machine and its network rather than cache reuse.
Namespace's ARM row is its AmpereOne runner; its Apple silicon Linux runner, in early access, built the two projects in 86 and 305 seconds. RunsOn's row is its fastest EC2 instance with an EBS or local NVMe disk in each test, and Ubicloud's is its standard runner. Namespace's and WarpBuild's cache times use GitHub's cache service, because their own caches need a different action. Where a run failed, the median covers the successful runs.
Data: RunsOn, benchmarks and cache results, CC BY 4.0. We selected the 4-vCPU rows.
The alternatives
Avrea
We build Avrea. It runs GitHub Actions jobs on dedicated machines: Linux x86, Linux ARM and macOS on Apple M5 Max, and Windows Server 2025. There is no monthly plan fee, the 2-vCPU x86 rate is $0.004 against Depot's $0.006, and its ARM runner had the fastest ARM builds in the benchmark above.
Supported actions/cache calls go to Avrea's cache without workflow changes, with 25 GB per repository shared across Actions, LFS, build and package caches. Integrations for Turborepo, Gradle, Bazel, Nx, Go and sccache let a cache hit skip compilation or tests. Docker builds run on the runner, and a persistent disk keeps builder state between jobs. Each job has searchable logs, CPU and memory metrics and SSH, and workflow analytics track failure and flake rates. Avrea AI, in beta, proposes a fix for a failing job and runs your tests on it before opening a pull request.
Sono moved its CI from Depot to Avrea in about 15 minutes, across a couple of pull requests. On a standard runner, a build that took three minutes on Depot ran in two on Avrea, before caching was tuned for the repository. Avrea is ISO 27001:2022 certified and SOC 2 Type II attested. Read the Sono case study or the full Avrea and Depot comparison.
Blacksmith
Blacksmith runs managed runners with no plan fee and 3,000 free minutes a month, at $0.004 a minute for 2-vCPU x86 and $0.0025 for 2-vCPU ARM. Its Actions cache needs no workflow changes and includes 25 GB per repository at no extra charge. Docker builds run on the runner, with layers kept on a sticky disk through Blacksmith's own setup and build actions. macOS runs on M4 from 6 vCPU, Windows is in public beta, and jobs run in four regions across the US and Europe. Avrea vs Blacksmith.
WarpBuild
Like Depot, WarpBuild sells runners and remote Docker builders as separate products. Its builders start at 16 vCPU for $0.06 a minute, and it can also deploy runners into your own AWS, GCP or Azure account for $0.002 a minute plus the cloud bill. Hosted runners match Avrea's $0.004 x86 rate, and macOS runs on M4 Pro. To use WarpBuild's own cache on hosted runners, you replace actions/cache with warpbuilds/cache; storage and operations are billed separately. Avrea vs WarpBuild.
Namespace
Namespace sells runners, remote Docker builders, cache volumes and devboxes from one account. A 2-vCPU, 8-GB Linux runner costs $0.004 a minute within a paid plan and $0.006 beyond it; the Team plan is $100 a month with 100,000 unit minutes and 1,000 Docker builds. GitHub's cache keeps working unchanged, while Namespace's NVMe cache volumes need its cache action and a few workflow edits. Linux ARM runs on AmpereOne, with Apple silicon Linux in early access, and Windows needs the Team plan or above. Avrea vs Namespace.
Ubicloud
Ubicloud's managed runners are part of an open-source cloud platform and have the lowest hosted rate here, $0.00125 a minute for a standard 2-vCPU runner on x86 or ARM. The transparent cache works without workflow changes and includes 30 GB per repository, which Docker builds can use through type=gha. Ubicloud doesn't list a remote Docker builder or macOS and Windows runners, and jobs run in European data centres by default. Avrea vs Ubicloud.
RunsOn
RunsOn starts a fresh EC2 instance in your own AWS account for each job, from one CloudFormation stack. You pay AWS for the instances and a small control plane, and RunsOn a flat licence from €300 a year for under 50,000 jobs a month; it is free for non-profit, open-source and personal non-commercial projects. RunsOn's own calculator puts a 4-vCPU spot instance at $0.0014 a minute in us-east-1, before the licence and control plane. Depot deploys into your AWS account only on its Business plan, while RunsOn always runs there. macOS jobs stay on GitHub's runners.
GitHub-hosted runners
Moving back to GitHub's runners keeps CI with one vendor and one bill. Standard 2-core Linux runners cost $0.006 a minute in private repositories, the same as Depot's base rate, and nothing in public ones. Larger runners need a Team or Enterprise Cloud plan and cost $0.012 a minute for 4-core x86 and $0.008 for 4-core ARM. Each GitHub plan includes $12 to $300 of usage a month, and Docker layer caches share the 10 GB repository cache. Avrea vs GitHub-hosted runners.
When staying on Depot makes sense
Depot suits a pipeline where most of the time goes into docker build and you want that work off the runner: its 16-CPU builders keep a persistent layer cache whichever runner starts the job. Its ARM runners cost the same $0.006 as its x86 ones, on Graviton4. Depot Cache gives Bazel, Gradle, Turborepo, Nx and sccache one remote cache, and every plan includes test reporting.
If you switch, replace depot/build-push-action with docker/build-push-action and a cache backend, and point any Depot Cache settings at the new provider. The first runs rebuild layers and build outputs from scratch.
Common questions
Which is the fastest Depot alternative?
Avrea, among the providers in RunsOn's 1 November 2026 run on 4-vCPU runners. It had the fastest ARM builds of both projects, tied Namespace for the fastest x86 Rust build and restored the cache fastest of the hosted providers. Namespace built the x86 Docker image 12 seconds sooner than Avrea. Depot is not in the benchmark.
Is Avrea faster than Depot?
There is no independent benchmark with both, because Depot is not in RunsOn's test. Sono, which moved from Depot to Avrea, reported that a build taking three minutes on Depot ran in two on Avrea before any cache tuning. To compare on your own code, run the same commits on both, including a cold cache and a Docker build.
What is the cheapest alternative to Depot?
Per minute, Ubicloud's standard runners: $0.00125 for 2 vCPU on x86 or ARM, with no plan fee. Avrea, Blacksmith and WarpBuild charge $0.004 for 2-vCPU x86, against Depot's $0.006, also without a plan fee. With your own AWS account, RunsOn on spot instances can cost less per minute, plus its annual licence. Job duration and Docker build time decide most of the bill.
Which alternatives replace Depot's remote Docker builders?
WarpBuild and Namespace both sell remote Docker builders. Avrea and Blacksmith keep Docker builder state on a persistent disk attached to the runner, so the build runs on the job's own runner without a separate builder service.
Do I need a monthly plan to replace Depot?
No. Avrea, Blacksmith, WarpBuild and Ubicloud charge per minute with no base fee, and Namespace's Developer plan is $0 with pay-per-use pricing. Avrea also includes 3,000 free minutes a month. RunsOn charges an annual licence, and GitHub-hosted runners are billed through your GitHub plan.
How do I move a workflow off Depot?
Change the job's runs-on label from depot-ubuntu-24.04 to the new provider's, for example avrea-ubuntu-latest for Avrea's 2-vCPU, 8-GB x86 runner. On Avrea, the console's migration wizard converts a workflow and opens the pull request for you. Replace Depot's Docker actions with the standard ones and choose a cache backend for the layers. Compare a cold run, a repeat of the same commit and a typical change before deciding.
Try one job on Avrea
Connect a repository with the setup guide, then change one job's runner label. Run the same commits on both providers and compare duration and cost, including a cold cache and a Docker build.
Prices and documentation checked 4 November 2026. Benchmark results from RunsOn, 1 and 2 November 2026.
