Compare
OpenRunners vs Depot
Depot combines GitHub Actions runners with remote container builds, a build cache, a registry and its own CI engine, sold as monthly plans with included minutes.
Side by side
The facts, sourced.
Depot values come from its public pages, accessed 2026-10-14. OpenRunners values come from its published pricing policy and product limits.
| Attribute | OpenRunners | Depot |
|---|---|---|
| Linux x64 $/vCPU-minute | $0.0020 (planned) | $0.0030 |
| Linux arm64 $/vCPU-minute | Not offered | $0.0030 |
| Billing unit | Per second, 10-second minimum (planned) | Per minute, tracked per second, no minimum |
| Free tier | None; discretionary one-time alpha credits | 7-day trial |
| Fixed fees | None | $20/month Developer or $200/month Startup, with included minutes |
| Isolation | Firecracker + jailer microVM per job (design target, in validation) | Ephemeral EC2 instance per job |
| Cache | Serverless cache plane on object storage (in validation) | Depot Cache and remote BuildKit cache, $0.20/GB-month pooled |
| Source license | Apache-2.0; source publication follows release review | Closed platform; CLI is public |
| Agent tooling | JSON CLI, REST API, two-tool MCP server from one registry | CLI with depot ci run; no first-party MCP server found |
| Operating systems | Linux x64 only | Linux x64 and arm64, Windows, macOS |
| Example month (4 vCPU, 50,000 job-minutes) | $400 | $600 |
Source: depot.dev/pricing (accessed 2026-10-14). Plus a $20 or $200 plan that includes minutes. Example month excludes free tiers, credits and rounding. Tell us at [email protected] if a value is out of date.
Choosing
Which one fits your team.
Choose Depot when
- Container builds dominate your CI time and you want a remote BuildKit service.
- You want runners, registry, build cache and a CI engine from one vendor.
- You need arm64, Windows or macOS runners today.
Where OpenRunners differs
- OpenRunners has no plan fee; Depot requires a monthly plan after the trial.
- OpenRunners plans one $/vCPU-minute rate with per-second billing for customer-code time only.
- OpenRunners isolates each job in a disposable microVM by design and is licensed under Apache-2.0.
- OpenRunners is an invite-only alpha with customer admission closed; Depot is generally available.
Migration
One line per job.
After your organization is admitted and a repository is selected, change the runs-on label. Workflow syntax does not change.
jobs:
build:
- runs-on: depot-ubuntu-24.04-4
+ runs-on: openrunners-4vcpu-ubuntu-2404FAQ
OpenRunners and Depot.
Depot lists $0.0030 per vCPU-minute for Linux x64 and arm64 runners, plus a monthly plan that includes minutes. The planned OpenRunners x64 rate is $0.0020 with no plan fee.
No. OpenRunners runs GitHub Actions jobs. Buildx with the GitHub Actions cache is in the compatibility contract, but there is no separate remote builder product.
Replace the depot-ubuntu runs-on label with an OpenRunners label once your organization is admitted. Workflow syntax does not change.
Run your next job on a runner that shows its work.
Admission is manual for trusted GitHub repositories while the release gates close. Sign in with GitHub to request access and we will review your organization when a slot opens.