Compare
OpenRunners vs GitHub-hosted runners
GitHub-hosted runners are the default for GitHub Actions: no setup, native billing and the widest OS matrix, with included minutes on standard runners.
Side by side
The facts, sourced.
GitHub-hosted runners values come from its public pages, accessed 2026-10-14. OpenRunners values come from its published pricing policy and product limits.
| Attribute | OpenRunners | GitHub-hosted runners |
|---|---|---|
| Linux x64 $/vCPU-minute | $0.0020 (planned) | $0.0030 (2–4 cores), falling to $0.00253 at 64 cores |
| Linux arm64 $/vCPU-minute | Not offered | $0.0025 (2 cores), falling to $0.00153 |
| Billing unit | Per second, 10-second minimum (planned) | Per job, rounded up to the whole minute |
| Free tier | None; discretionary one-time alpha credits | 2,000–50,000 standard minutes by plan; free on public repositories |
| Fixed fees | None | GitHub plan; larger runners need Team or Enterprise Cloud |
| Isolation | Firecracker + jailer microVM per job (design target, in validation) | Fresh VM per job |
| Cache | Serverless cache plane on object storage (in validation) | 10 GB per repository included, then $0.07/GB-month |
| Source license | Apache-2.0; source publication follows release review | Runner agent and images are open source; service is closed |
| Agent tooling | JSON CLI, REST API, two-tool MCP server from one registry | gh CLI, REST and GraphQL APIs, GitHub MCP server |
| Operating systems | Linux x64 only | Linux, Windows, macOS, arm64 and GPU |
| Example month (4 vCPU, 50,000 job-minutes) | $400 | $600 |
Source: docs.github.com — Actions runner pricing (accessed 2026-10-14). 4-core larger runner, before per-minute rounding. 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 Tell us at [email protected] if a value is out of date.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 GitHub-hosted runners when
- Your usage fits the included minutes or your repositories are public.
- You need macOS, Windows, GPU or Azure private networking.
- You want zero vendors beyond GitHub.
Where OpenRunners differs
- OpenRunners plans per-second billing after a 10-second minimum; GitHub rounds each job up to a whole minute.
- OpenRunners plans a lower x64 list rate for 4 to 16 vCPU runners, with no included minutes.
- OpenRunners records lifecycle and cleanup evidence for each run as a design goal.
- OpenRunners is an invite-only alpha with customer admission closed; GitHub-hosted runners are 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: ubuntu-latest
+ runs-on: openrunners-4vcpu-ubuntu-2404FAQ
OpenRunners and GitHub-hosted runners.
No. GitHub announced a $0.002 per minute self-hosted platform charge in December 2025 and then postponed it. GitHub's billing documentation still describes self-hosted usage as free.
Yes. Workflows, checks, logs and artifacts stay in GitHub. Only the runs-on label changes.
When your jobs fit the minutes included with your plan, or run on public repositories, where standard runners are free.
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.