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Head-to-head · Continuous Integration Software

GitHub Actions vs CircleCI

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 7 checks side by side
Higher score GitHub Actions #1 in Continuous Integration Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit GitHub Actions
CircleCI #4 in Continuous Integration Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit CircleCI

GitHub Actions leads on 1 check, CircleCI on 1, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 7 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreGitHub Actions · 9.4/10
  • Lowest starting priceGitHub Actions · $4/user/mo
  • Free planboth

GitHub Actions scores higher on our rubric for continuous integration software: 9.4 against 9.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #4.

GitHub Actions is cheaper to start at $4/mo against $15/mo. CircleCI leads on parallel jobs: 80 jobs versus 60 jobs.

GitHub Actions is the better fit for gitHub-centered teams. CircleCI is the better fit for teams needing advanced test CI.

  • GitHub Actions fits best

    GitHub-centered teams

  • CircleCI fits best

    Teams needing advanced test CI

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Side by side

Feature GitHub Actions 9.4/10 Visit ↗ CircleCI 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 9.0
Ranking #1 in Continuous Integration Software #4 in Continuous Integration Software
Best for GitHub-centered teams Teams needing advanced test CI
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $4/user/mo (best) $15/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Web
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs, Tickets, Email
Compliance SSO/SAML, 2FA SOC 2, GDPR, SSO/SAML, 2FA
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features GitHub Actions 4/4 · CircleCI 4/4
Hosted option ✓ ✓
Self-hosted runners ✓ ✓
Pull request checks ✓ ✓
Artifact or dependency cache ✓ ✓
Specs
Parallel jobs 60 jobs 80 jobs (best)
Included build minutes 3000 min/mo Not checked yet
Pipeline configuration Yaml Yaml
Our review
Pros
  • Hosted Linux, Windows, and macOS runners plus self-hosted runners
  • Matrix builds, caching, artifacts, secrets, and reusable workflow templates
  • Triggers for pushes, pull requests, issues, releases, and other events
  • Runs jobs across Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows, GPU, Arm, and self-hosted runners
  • Supports parallel workflows, caching, artifacts, workspaces, and test splitting
  • Connects with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, AWS, Google Cloud, and Kubernetes
Cons
  • Its strongest fit depends on keeping repositories in GitHub
  • Usage beyond included allowances is metered by runner type
  • Enterprise Cloud pricing is not shown in the published plan details
  • Paid usage is based on credits rather than a fixed build-minute allowance
  • The Scale plan uses customizable pricing instead of a listed monthly price
  • Advanced support options cost extra on the Performance and Scale plans
Our verdict

GitHub Actions is a continuous integration and continuous delivery platform for developers and teams working from GitHub repositories. It automates build, test, deployment, and other repository workflows through YAML workflow files. Jobs…

Read the review →

CircleCI is a continuous integration and delivery platform for software teams that need automated builds, tests, and deployment workflows. Teams define pipelines in YAML through a .circleci/config.yml file, connect supported…

Read the review →
  1. GitHub ActionsContinuous Integration Software 9.4Free plan
  2. CircleCIContinuous Integration Software 9.0Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • GitHub Actions — where it wins

    • Hosted Linux, Windows, and macOS runners plus self-hosted runners
    • Matrix builds, caching, artifacts, secrets, and reusable workflow templates
    • Triggers for pushes, pull requests, issues, releases, and other events

    Where it doesn't

    • Its strongest fit depends on keeping repositories in GitHub
    • Usage beyond included allowances is metered by runner type
    • Enterprise Cloud pricing is not shown in the published plan details

  • CircleCI — where it wins

    • Runs jobs across Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows, GPU, Arm, and self-hosted runners
    • Supports parallel workflows, caching, artifacts, workspaces, and test splitting
    • Connects with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, AWS, Google Cloud, and Kubernetes

    Where it doesn't

    • Paid usage is based on credits rather than a fixed build-minute allowance
    • The Scale plan uses customizable pricing instead of a listed monthly price
    • Advanced support options cost extra on the Performance and Scale plans

More comparisons

All continuous integration software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update