WarpBuild vs compiler.dev: Runner Pricing

WarpBuild offers Linux x64 and ARM runners, macOS, and a bring-your-own-cloud mode that runs jobs inside your AWS, GCP or Azure account. compiler.dev offers Linux x64 and early access macOS on its own machines. At 8 vCPU WarpBuild lists $0.016 per minute with 32 GB against compiler.dev's $0.012 with 16 GB. The right choice depends on whether you need ARM, a BYOC setup, or the lower rate. Prices were checked in October 2026 on WarpBuild's pricing page.

What WarpBuild is

WarpBuild is a hosted runner provider for GitHub Actions. You install its GitHub bot, change the label, and jobs run on its infrastructure. Three parts of its offer are distinctive. Native ARM64 Linux runners priced below x64. macOS M4 Pro runners. And BYOC, where the runners run in your own cloud account for $0.002 per minute, with add-ons and caching free; BYOC with custom machine images is an enterprise item.

After BuildJet shut down, it published a label mapping for BuildJet users. See our BuildJet page for that story.

Side-by-side

Two things to note. WarpBuild's RAM is double per vCPU compared with compiler.dev's default 8 vCPU machine: 32 GB against 16 GB. If your jobs are memory-hungry, that matters more than the rate. And WarpBuild charges for cache storage and operations, which adds up for large caches. At 8 vCPU the per-minute rate is $0.016 against $0.012, a difference of $0.004 on every minute.

Where WarpBuild is the better choice

• You need ARM Linux. ARM runners at $0.003 per minute for 2 vCPU are cheaper than the x64 equivalent and are native, so no emulation. compiler.dev has none.
• You want to run in your own cloud. BYOC at $0.002 per minute keeps compute, data and network inside your AWS, GCP or Azure account, which some security teams require. compiler.dev runs jobs on its machines only.
• You need more memory per core. 4 GB per vCPU at every size.
• You need larger machines. 32 vCPU / 128 GB is listed, and compiler.dev stops at 32 vCPU with no stated RAM.
• You want macOS and ARM under one vendor. Both are on one price list.

Where compiler.dev is the better choice

• Lower per-minute rates on Linux x64. $0.012 for 8 vCPU against $0.016, and the whole x64 list is lower: $0.003, $0.006, $0.012, $0.024 and $0.048.
• Cache with no meter. Caches live on the machine. You do not pay per cache operation.
• A fallback. If credit runs out or something fails, your jobs run on your original runners.
• Prepaid credit instead of monthly billing. Credit never expires, and unused credit is refundable on request.
• Measured pipelines. In our benchmarks, full CI runs with databases and ten shards were a median 1.5× faster across 18 measured stacks (15 faster, 2 the same, 1 slower) on compiler.dev than GitHub-hosted. We have not benchmarked WarpBuild, and it may well be faster per vCPU; check on your workload. The right unit is cost per run, not per minute.

How to switch

To WarpBuild, per its migration examples:

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: warp-ubuntu-2204-x64-4x
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/cache@v4
        with:
          path: ~/.cache/pip
          key: pip-${{ hashFiles('**/requirements.txt') }}
      - run: pytest

For ARM, WarpBuild's post shows warp-ubuntu-latest-arm64-2x. Exact label names are in WarpBuild's docs, so confirm there. To compiler.dev:

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: [self-hosted, Linux, compiler-ci]

Install the app at app.compiler.dev. Undo is a one-line change back.

Worked example

Take 20,000 minutes a month of 8 vCPU work. At WarpBuild's $0.016 that is $320 plus any cache charges. At compiler.dev's $0.012 it is $240. If WarpBuild's larger memory lets the same job finish faster, say in 15% fewer minutes, it costs 17,000 minutes at $0.016, which is $272. It would need to use about 25% fewer minutes to match compiler.dev's price. That break-even idea applies to every pair of providers: divide the rates to find how much faster the dearer one must be. The Actions cost calculator will do it with your own numbers, and the runner size picker helps you choose between 4, 8 and 16 vCPU. The overall ranking has the rest of the field.

FAQ

Is WarpBuild cheaper than compiler.dev?

Not for Linux x64 on the public price lists checked in October 2026: WarpBuild 8 vCPU is $0.016 a minute, compiler.dev $0.012. WarpBuild is cheaper for ARM at $0.003 for 2 vCPU, which compiler.dev does not offer.

What is WarpBuild BYOC?

It runs the runners inside your own AWS, GCP or Azure account. WarpBuild charges $0.002 per minute for the service and you pay your cloud provider for compute.

Does WarpBuild have a free tier?

Its pricing page says you can sign up with an email and start immediately, and that a card is needed once you reach the free usage or credit limits. It does not state the amount.

Can I mix WarpBuild and compiler.dev?

Yes. Set the label per job, for example ARM builds on WarpBuild and x64 tests on compiler.dev.