12 Best Ubicloud Alternatives for GitHub Actions Runners

Ubicloud operates as an open-source cloud platform with GitHub Actions runners at exceptionally low rates, but the trade-off is Germany-only infrastructure and a Linux-exclusive focus.

The right alternative depends on whether open-source principles matter less than geographic reach, whether you're ready to sacrifice bare-metal economics for managed convenience, or if your workload simply demands macOS or Windows.

This guide explores alternatives that solve different problems than Ubicloud addresses.

Top Ubicloud alternatives in 2026

Here's how each tool compares:

1. BuildJet

BuildJet competes directly in Ubicloud's territory-bare metal gaming CPUs at Hetzner delivering maximum single-thread performance for Linux workloads. While Ubicloud built a cloud platform that happens to offer runners, BuildJet focused exclusively on making GitHub Actions faster through hardware selection.

🌟 Key features

• Gaming-grade CPUs selected for benchmark performance
• AMD Ryzen and ARM Ampere architectures
• Ubuntu 20.04 and 22.04 base images
• 64 GB SSD space per job execution
• Nested virtualization for Android emulator support
• Built-in cache action with 20 GB weekly per repository
• Drop-in setup actions replacing GitHub's defaults

➕ Pros

• Consistent CPU allocation eliminates performance variability
• Zero-configuration migration changes only runner labels
• Larger SSD allocation than Ubicloud's standard offering
• Optimized cache designed for monorepo workflows
• Nested virtualization solves mobile development bottlenecks
• Transparent concurrency limits you can expand on demand

➖ Cons

• No macOS support whatsoever
• ARM runners constrained to Ubuntu 22.04 only

💲 Pricing

BuildJet bills per minute starting at $0.004 for 2 vCPU configurations (8 GB RAM), scaling to $0.048 for their largest 32 vCPU option (64 GB RAM). This positions roughly halfway between GitHub's rates and Ubicloud's rock-bottom pricing. New signups receive $5 credit for testing.

2. RunsOn

RunsOn takes Ubicloud's open-source philosophy and flips the execution model: instead of Hetzner bare metal managed by a third party, you get EC2 spot instances managed by open-source software in your AWS account. The result is comparable economics with dramatically different trade-offs.

🌟 Key features

• Self-hosted architecture on EC2 instances you control
• Full platform support: Linux, Windows, GPU, macOS
• Complete GitHub Actions compatibility without workflow changes
• Spot instance prioritization with automatic on-demand failover
• Per-job ephemeral VM provisioning
• S3-based unlimited cache through Magic Cache system
• Static egress IPs via AWS NAT gateway configuration
• CloudFormation deployment automation
• Built-in spend analytics and cost attribution

➕ Pros

• AWS Graviton4 delivers faster ARM performance than Hetzner alternatives
• S3 cache eliminates Ubicloud's storage limitations entirely
• Your AWS account means your security perimeter
• EC2 capacity scales beyond Hetzner's manual approval process
• Partly open-source enables self-hosting and customization
• IAM integration removes credential management entirely
• Your AWS credits reduce net CI costs directly

➖ Cons

• AWS expertise becomes prerequisite not optional
• Architectural complexity vs Ubicloud's managed simplicity

💲 Pricing

RunsOn separates license fees from infrastructure costs. Commercial license runs €300 annually with unlimited execution and email support. Sponsorship license costs €1,500 yearly, adding source access, priority support, and private Slack. AWS charges vary based on spot pricing but typically deliver 7-17x savings versus GitHub's rates. Nonprofits qualify for free licensing.

3. Depot

Depot built their business accelerating Docker builds, then extended that expertise into general GitHub Actions runners. Unlike Ubicloud's infrastructure-first approach, Depot designed every component around making CI fast-RAM disks, colocated cache, and BuildKit integration that Ubicloud can't match.

🌟 Key features

• Ultra Runners with RAM disk acceleration for I/O-bound workloads
• High-throughput integrated cache orchestration
• Intel x86, ARM Graviton4, Windows Server, macOS M2 coverage
• Per-job ephemeral compute with clean state guarantees
• Sub-second billing granularity
• Repository-scoped persistent cache volumes
• Network egress filtering for compliance requirements
• Optional self-hosting in your AWS infrastructure
• Native Docker image build and registry integration

➕ Pros

• RAM disk delivers 3x speedup over Ubicloud's standard SSD
• 10x faster cache performance than GitHub or Ubicloud
• Platform breadth solves iOS and Windows gaps immediately
• No artificial concurrency throttling like Hetzner providers
• AWS deployment option combines control with managed convenience
• Docker-native architecture accelerates container workflows uniquely
• Per-second billing means no minute-boundary waste

➖ Cons

• Managed pricing model costs more than Ubicloud's bare metal
• macOS capacity constraints cause occasional queue delays

💲 Pricing

Depot structures pricing by plan tiers. Developer plan costs $20 monthly: 1 user, 500 Docker minutes, 2,000 Actions minutes, 25 GB cache. Startup plan runs $200 monthly: unlimited users, 5,000 Docker minutes, 20,000 Actions minutes, 250 GB cache, then $0.004/minute overage. Business plan provides dedicated infrastructure and custom configurations. All usage bills per second.

4. Blacksmith

Blacksmith shares Ubicloud's Hetzner infrastructure but diverges dramatically in focus. While Ubicloud built a multi-service cloud platform, Blacksmith obsesses over CI observability-giving you tools to understand exactly where build time goes and why some runs fail unexpectedly.

🌟 Key features

• Bare metal gaming CPUs targeting 2x GitHub performance
• Colocated cache architecture for 4x download acceleration
• Docker layer reuse reducing redundant image builds
• Public image pull cache eliminating registry bottlenecks
• Searchable run history with advanced filtering
• Cross-job centralized log search
• Live SSH access into executing jobs
• Test-level timing analytics identifying flaky tests
• Purpose-built CI performance dashboards
• Automated migration workflow assistant

➕ Pros

• Observability depth Ubicloud never prioritized
• Single runner label change preserves entire workflow
• Targets specific bottlenecks: CPU, cache, Docker layers
• Transparent cache behavior without custom actions
• Maintains GitHub Actions primitives and ecosystem
• Test analytics identify problems Ubicloud can't surface
• Centralized logs solve multi-job debugging

➖ Cons

• GitHub Actions exclusive, not GitLab or others
• Docker features require Blacksmith-specific actions

💲 Pricing

Blacksmith operates pay-as-you-go with 3,000 monthly free minutes. Base rate around $0.004/minute for 2 vCPU x64, increasing for larger shapes. Docker layer caching costs approximately $0.50/GB/month. Additional features include static IPs and priority Slack support. Enterprise tier adds onboarding assistance, uptime SLAs, 24/7 support, and optimization consulting.

5. Cirrus Runners

Cirrus Runners inverts Ubicloud's per-minute economics entirely. Instead of optimizing for lowest per-minute rate, Cirrus charges per concurrent runner with unlimited minutes. For high-velocity teams running continuous integration all day, this model delivers better value than Ubicloud despite higher nominal rates.

🌟 Key features

• Flat-rate concurrent runner pricing with unlimited minutes
• macOS M4 Pro runners: 4 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM, GPU
• Linux x86 runners: 16 vCPUs, 48 GB RAM, KVM isolation
• Linux arm64 runners: 8 vCPUs, 24 GB RAM
• Linux GPU runners: 8 vCPUs, 24 GB RAM, Nvidia acceleration
• 2-3x performance improvement over GitHub defaults
• Resource class selection via runner image suffixes
• Additional smaller shapes for lightweight jobs
• Cirrus cache action optimized for their infrastructure
• 10 GB cache allocation per runner instance

➕ Pros

• Unlimited minutes eliminate usage anxiety completely
• macOS and GPU support solve Ubicloud's platform gaps
• Standard runner labels require minimal configuration
• Resource flexibility without plan tier changes
• Priority queuing through low-priority workflow labels
• Flat pricing simplifies budgeting and forecasting
• Nonprofit discount cuts costs 50% for qualifying projects

➖ Cons

• Monthly commitment expensive for sporadic usage
• Linux images not byte-identical to GitHub's

💲 Pricing

Each concurrent runner costs $150 monthly with truly unlimited minute usage. All runner types-macOS, Linux x86, Linux ARM, Linux GPU-carry identical pricing. Annual commitment provides 15% discount. Nonprofit organizations receive 50% discount. Effective per-minute cost drops significantly with high usage, reaching approximately $0.003/minute for heavy-volume teams.

6. GetMac

GetMac solves the problem Ubicloud architecturally cannot: iOS development requires macOS, and macOS requires Apple hardware. GetMac owns M4 Mac Minis in ISO-certified data centers, providing the only path for Ubicloud users needing iOS CI without maintaining their own Mac infrastructure.

🌟 Key features

• Apple Silicon M4 Mac Mini hardware exclusively
• GitHub Actions and GitLab CI compatibility
• Full VM debugging environment launching in 60 seconds
• Pre-installed iOS tooling: Xcode, Fastlane, CocoaPods, Homebrew
• Modern dashboard managing runners and debug VMs
• VNC and SSH for debugging live builds
• Per-job ephemeral VM isolation
• Standard GitHub Actions cache compatibility
• Renewable energy powered facility
• Physical security controls on owned hardware

➕ Pros

• Faster than GitHub's Intel macOS runners for Xcode projects
• Shorter runtimes reduce total spend versus hourly alternatives
• Single label change migration from GitHub macOS
• VM debugging replicates production build environment exactly
• GitHub Actions artifact integration works seamlessly
• Higher plans remove concurrency constraints entirely
• Complete toolset preinstalled matches GitHub's defaults

➖ Cons

• macOS exclusively, zero Linux or Windows support
• Debug VM sessions cap at 60 minutes

💲 Pricing

GetMac uses plan-based pricing with compute minute allocations. Free plan: 100 minutes monthly. Developer: $11.99 for 1,000 minutes. Team: $33.99 for 3,000 minutes. Business: $110.99 for 10,000 minutes. Enterprise: unlimited with custom pricing. Concurrent VM capacity scales from 1 to unlimited across plan tiers.

7. Namespace

Namespace positions as Ubicloud's opposite: where Ubicloud minimizes features for maximum value, Namespace maximizes developer experience through sophisticated caching, interactive debugging, and build tool integrations. You pay premium rates for premium convenience.

🌟 Key features

• Managed runners spanning Linux, macOS, Windows
• AMD EPYC, Ampere ARM, Apple M-series hardware variety
• Configurable runner profiles for OS, architecture, size
• Cache Volumes persisting data locally across runs
• Native Bazel, Turborepo, Pants, Moon integrations
• Container image acceleration through layer caching
• Git checkout caching for monorepo efficiency
• Interactive debugging: breakpoints, SSH, VNC, RDP
• Per-step job observability tracking performance
• Automatic crash and OOM detection with dump capture

➕ Pros

• Developer experience focus Ubicloud doesn't prioritize
• Comprehensive caching beyond basic GitHub Actions cache
• Platform flexibility solves Ubicloud's Linux-only constraint
• Real-time performance visibility during execution
• Incremental migration allows gradual adoption
• Collaboration features enable pair debugging
• Backend service support for integration testing

➖ Cons

• VM credit pricing system adds complexity
• Vendor lock-in combining compute and cache

💲 Pricing

Namespace uses VM credits: 1 credit equals $0.015. Developer plan operates pay-as-you-go (roughly $0.0015/minute) without base fee. Team plan: $100 monthly includes 100,000 minutes and 1,000 Docker builds. Business plan: $250 monthly includes 250,000 minutes and 2,500 builds. Enterprise tier offers custom runner pools and extreme concurrency.

8. runmyjob.io

runmyjob.io (Puzl Cloud) innovates on Ubicloud's per-minute pricing with load-based billing: you pay for actual CPU and memory consumption, not wall-clock time. This matters enormously for I/O-heavy workloads where traditional runners charge full rate while waiting on network or disk.

🌟 Key features

• Load-based billing tracking CPU-seconds and memory-seconds consumed
• KVM microVMs providing strong per-job isolation
• GitHub Actions and GitLab CI support
• 150 GB ephemeral filesystem per job default
• Interactive Web Terminal for GitLab debugging
• Up to 48 vCPUs and 96 GB RAM per single job
• Declarative API for programmatic runner management
• Job cache on Business plan and above
• Complete GitHub Actions environment compatibility
• EU-based infrastructure matching Ubicloud geography

➕ Pros

• Billing model charges only active resource consumption
• I/O wait time costs nothing unlike per-minute models
• KVM isolation stronger than container alternatives
• Resource limits exceed Ubicloud's maximum sizes
• Platform-agnostic: works with GitHub and GitLab
• Standard integrations prevent vendor lock-in
• Free tier enables thorough testing before commitment

➖ Cons

• Load-based pricing requires learning new mental model
• Currently Linux only, Windows and ARM coming

💲 Pricing

Free plan: €0 monthly includes 1 integration, 10 concurrent jobs, 12 vCPUs and 32 GB RAM per job, 400 vCPU-minutes and 800 GB-minutes included, then €0.00002 per vCPU-second and €0.000001 per GB-second overage. Business plan: €50 monthly includes 3 integrations, unlimited concurrency, 48 vCPUs and 96 GB RAM per job, 2,000 vCPU-minutes and 4,000 GB-minutes included, 10 GB persistent storage, job caching. Enterprise: custom resources, GPU support, dedicated nodes, priority support.

9. Actuated

Actuated shares Ubicloud's open-source ethos but implements it differently: instead of managed runners on Hetzner, you provide bare metal hosts anywhere and Actuated's control plane orchestrates Firecracker microVMs. This gives you Ubicloud-level control plus location flexibility Ubicloud can't offer.

🌟 Key features

• Firecracker microVMs launching in 1-2 seconds
• Managed control plane handling orchestration
• Centrally maintained Ubuntu guest images
• x86-64 and arm64 host architecture support
• GPU support for machine learning workloads
• Concurrent job pricing with unmetered minutes
• Multi-organization dashboard
• Build queue visibility across teams
• 120-day historical insights retention
• Job duration trend reporting
• SSH debugging for active jobs
• CLI for programmatic management

➕ Pros

• MicroVM isolation exceeds Ubicloud's VM security
• Predictable costs through concurrency-based pricing
• Your hardware, your location, your compliance
• Guest images maintained without your effort
• Dashboard answers practical questions effectively
• GitHub and GitLab CI compatibility
• Bare metal performance without Hetzner dependency

➖ Cons

• You procure and maintain physical hosts
• Linux exclusively, no Windows or macOS

💲 Pricing

Actuated Basic: $250 monthly includes 5 concurrent jobs, unmetered minutes, 1 VM host maximum, single GitHub organization, reporting, SSH debugging, UK business hours Slack support. This calculates to roughly $0.008/minute at 30,000 monthly minutes. Additional tiers available for 10, 15, 20, 35, 50+ concurrent jobs. Custom plans for larger deployments.

10. Buildkite

Buildkite represents the most radical departure from Ubicloud's runner-only model: it's a complete CI/CD platform replacement. You don't just get faster runners, you get test analytics, package registries, and pipeline orchestration that GitHub Actions fundamentally can't provide.

🌟 Key features

• Complete CI/CD platform replacing GitHub Actions entirely
• GitHub integration maintaining source control relationship
• YAML-based pipeline definitions
• Cross-platform agent architecture
• Cluster and queue workload organization
• Multi-provider Git support beyond GitHub
• Test Engine for large suite optimization
• Package registries for artifact management
• Insights: retry analysis, queue control, data exports
• Enterprise security: SSO, SCIM, audit logging

➕ Pros

• Escape GitHub Actions limitations while keeping GitHub
• Self-hosted agents give Ubicloud-level control
• Pipeline flexibility exceeds GitHub's workflow model
• Test Engine solves flakiness at scale
• User-based pricing for predictable budgeting
• Platform designed for enterprise complexity
• Package registries consolidate artifact storage

➖ Cons

• Complete platform migration, not runner swap
• Agent operation required without hosted option

💲 Pricing

Personal plan: free includes 3 concurrent jobs, 1 user, 50K test executions, 1 GB registries, 500 minutes Linux small. Pro plan: $30 per user monthly includes 10 self-hosted agents, unlimited tests (then $0.10/managed test), 20 GB registries, 2,000 minutes Linux small, SSO. Enterprise: custom pricing with unlimited pipelines, volume discounts, advanced governance. Hosted agents: Linux small $0.013/minute, medium $0.026/minute, large $0.052/minute. Mac M4 medium $0.18/minute, large $0.36/minute.

11. Cirun

Cirun takes RunsOn's self-hosted concept and makes it cloud-agnostic: instead of AWS-only, you connect Cirun to AWS, GCP, Azure, Oracle Cloud, or on-premise infrastructure. This flexibility costs simplicity but gains global deployment options Ubicloud's Hetzner focus can't match.

🌟 Key features

• Self-hosted runners across multiple cloud providers
• GitHub App integration for streamlined setup
• Per-repository .cirun.yml configuration
• Single workflow line change to Cirun labels
• Per-job ephemeral VM provisioning
• Multi-cloud and on-premise support
• ARM and GPU instance types
• Preemptible and spot instance optimization
• Zero platform cost for public open-source projects

➕ Pros

• Infrastructure stays within your cloud accounts
• Lightweight setup process minimizes friction
• ARM and GPU support fills Ubicloud gaps
• Spot instances reduce costs below Ubicloud rates
• Open-source projects get free platform access
• Multi-cloud prevents Hetzner vendor lock-in
• Geographic flexibility through provider choice

➖ Cons

• Repository-count pricing for private projects
• You manage cloud accounts and machine images

💲 Pricing

Open Source plan: free includes unlimited public repositories, unlimited runners, all clouds and architectures. Startup plan: $29 monthly supports 3 private repositories with Slack and email support. Business plan: $79 monthly supports 10 private repositories. Enterprise plan: custom pricing for unlimited private repositories with premium support. Actual runner compute bills directly from your cloud provider.

12. DevZero

DevZero addresses a specific Ubicloud alternative scenario: teams already running Kubernetes who want CI runners alongside application workloads. Instead of external runners, DevZero optimizes your existing cluster spending while adding GitHub Actions capability through Actions Runner Controller.

🌟 Key features

• Kubernetes cost and resource monitoring
• Savings projections with before and after modeling
• Automated optimization through balance operator
• Pod live migration for workload redistribution
• Spot instance management and optimization
• EKS, GKE, AKS, on-premise cluster support
• GitHub Actions via Actions Runner Controller
• Runner scale sets with DevZero labels
• Audit logging and cost export capabilities

➕ Pros

• Kubernetes expertise enables consolidated CI spend
• Read-only operator minimizes initial risk
• Automated rightsizing beyond simple recommendations
• Runners under complete cluster control
• Organizational fit for container-native teams
• Application and CI optimization unified
• Spot management reduces costs below Ubicloud

➖ Cons

• Overkill solution if CI is only concern
• Requires operators running in clusters

💲 Pricing

DevZero prices by CPUs under management. Free tier: 2 clusters for 45 days with monitoring and attribution. Scaling and Optimization plan: $7 per CPU monthly supports up to 2,000 CPUs with workload optimization, spot management, Slack support. Enterprise tier: custom pricing includes SSO, GPU optimization, dedicated support channels.

Final thoughts

Ubicloud delivers transparent pricing and bare-metal economics, but Germany-only infrastructure and Linux exclusivity create limitations.

For global reach, RunsOn and Depot operate worldwide through AWS regions. For platform coverage, GetMac handles iOS development, Cirrus Runners adds GPU support, and Namespace covers all major operating systems.

For infrastructure control, RunsOn gives you AWS ownership, Actuated enables bring-your-own-hardware, and Cirun supports multi-cloud deployment. For specialized needs, Depot accelerates Docker builds, Blacksmith surfaces debugging insights, and runmyjob.io eliminates I/O wait charges.

Most don't replace Ubicloud entirely. Keep it for standard Linux builds, add GetMac for iOS work, or use Blacksmith when debugging matters more than cost savings.