Similar tools
Blacksmith offers a high-performance alternative to GitHub Actions runners, utilizing the latest generation gaming CPUs to significantly speed up CI workflows. It boasts faster job caching, with speeds up to 400MB/s, compared to GitHub's 100MB/s, and features a Docker pull-through cache. Blacksmith’s NVMe backed I/O further enhances performance. The platform is noted for its cost efficiency, being over 50% cheaper than GitHub hosted runners, and supports unlimited concurrency for runners of all sizes.
Blacksmith also includes custom caching actions optimized for Rust, Gradle, and Zig, and provides comprehensive CI analytics at no additional cost. These analytics offer insights into workflow costs, runtime trends, and cache effectiveness.
However, Blacksmith has limitations: it does not support personal GitHub accounts or offer Windows or macOS runners. Security is robust, with jobs running in isolated, ephemeral VMs that are SOC2 Type 1 compliant.
Switching to Blacksmith is straightforward, requiring only a one-line code change, and users have reported significant improvements in build times and cost reductions. The platform offers a free trial with 3,000 minutes per month, making it accessible for organizations to test its capabilities.
Pricing
Blacksmith offers x64 and ARM runners at half the cost of GitHub runners. Pricing for x64 runners starts at $0.008 per hour for 2 vCPUs and goes up to $0.128 per hour for 32 vCPUs. ARM runners start at $0.004 per hour for 2 vCPUs and go up to $0.064 per hour for 32 vCPUs. Blacksmith can reduce CI costs by up to 75%, with faster and cheaper build times compared to GitHub.