BuildPulse vs Semaphore machines
Keep Semaphore, change the machine. BuildPulse machines cost up to 30% less a minute than Semaphore's own, even after Semaphore's self-hosted fee, and keep going up to 64 vCPU where Semaphore's x86 machines stop at 4. Pipelines, promotions and secrets stay in Semaphore. Here is what changes, and what it costs.
38%
less per build at most, 27% at least, fee included
12%
faster on the Node install, build and tests
64
vCPU at the top; Semaphore x86 stops at 4
$0.0025
Semaphore's own fee a minute, counted in every number here
At a glance
| Semaphore machines | BuildPulse machines on Semaphore | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per minute | Semaphore f1: $0.0075 at 2 vCPU, $0.015 at 4 | Up to 30% less, with Semaphore's $0.0025 self-hosted fee included |
| Cost per build at 4 vCPU | f1-standard-4, measured | 27% to 38% less, fee included |
| Sizes (x86) | 2 to 4 vCPU | 2 to 64 vCPU |
| Machine | Linux, macOS and ARM machine types | Ubuntu 24.04 with Docker. Each job gets a fresh machine, usually running in under a minute. |
| Config change | None | agent: machine: type: your agent type, per block or pipeline |
Price by machine
Semaphore charges $0.0025 a minute for any job on a self-hosted agent (semaphore.io/pricing), so the BuildPulse column below is our rate plus that fee. Nothing is left out to make the numbers look better. Semaphore's current x86 machines stop at 4 vCPU (machine types); BuildPulse keeps going to 64.
| Semaphore machine | vCPU | Semaphore $/min | BuildPulse size | BuildPulse + fee $/min | BuildPulse costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| f1-standard-2 · 8 GB | 2 | $0.0075 | 2x · 8 GB | $0.0065 | 13% less |
| f1-standard-4 · 16 GB | 4 | $0.015 | 4x · 16 GB | $0.0105 | 30% less |
Semaphore prices from Semaphore pricing, checked October 5, 2026.
What a build costs
A cheaper minute is the start, but what you pay for is builds. We ran the same Docker, Node and Go builds 10 times each on Semaphore's f1-standard-4 and on a BuildPulse x64-4x, in production on October 12, 2026. Here are the median times to scale, and under them, what a month of builds costs at each side's price, fee included:
Median job time, replayed to scale
Docker image build hugo's own Dockerfile, no cache
4% faster
Semaphore f1-standard-4
138.5 s
BuildPulse x64-4x
133.5 s
Node install, build and tests vuejs/core, pinned
12% faster
Semaphore f1-standard-4
51.5 s
BuildPulse x64-4x
45.5 s
Your month
5,000 builds a month
Semaphore f1-standard-4
$173
BuildPulse x64-4x
$117
A year on BuildPulse
$676kept, 33% of the bill
and 7 fewer hours of builds every month.
Median benchmark time at each side's list price per minute, before any free allowance.
Method and every run: the Semaphore benchmark and github.com/buildpulse/runner-benchmarks.
Your month, every size
Rather think in minutes than in builds? This is the bill calculator from /pricing, already set to Semaphore. Pick a size and compare a month on Semaphore's machines with the same jobs on ours, free allowances taken off on both sides.
Linux x64
vCPU
A month of CI at 10,000 Semaphore minutes on 4 vCPU x64
machine: { type: s1-bp-x64-4x }
Semaphore
$135
10,000 min · 1,000 included · 9,000 × $0.015
BuildPulse
$93
10,000 min · 1,500 free · 8,500 × $0.008 + 10,000 × $0.0025 fee
Semaphore's self-hosted fee included.
You pay
31% less
at 10,000 Semaphore minutes a month
$0.0105/min with Semaphore's fee, not $0.015/min, and the first 1,500 free every month.
| Linux x64 | Memory | BuildPulse + fee | Semaphore | Total vs Semaphore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 vCPU | 8 GB | $0.0065 | 13% less | |
| 4 vCPU | 16 GB | $0.0105 | 30% less |
Per-minute list prices for the same vCPU count, October 5, 2026. Our price includes Semaphore's $0.0025 a minute self-hosted fee. Semaphore's x86 machines stop at 4 vCPU; ours go to 64.
3,000 free minutes a month
On every account, renewed monthly. Larger runners use them proportionally faster, so the grant is worth the same whichever size you run.
Flaky test detection included
Every run is parsed for flaky tests and per-test timing. No second tool, no separate bill.
Caching included
Docker layer, dependency and build caches that survive across runs, with no per-GB storage line.
Need your CI to reach a private registry or database behind an allowlist? Our runners leave from four fixed addresses you can allowlist today, and a dedicated egress IP is available on request. Talk to us.
What's supported
Linux jobs on Ubuntu 24.04 with Docker, on an agent type you create: agent: machine: type: s1-your-type. macOS and ARM machine types are not supported.
FAQ
Do I leave Semaphore?
No. Semaphore keeps running your pipelines, promotions, secrets and test reports. The only thing that changes is the machine a job runs on, and that goes through Semaphore’s own self-hosted agent. Move one block, see how it does, and leave the rest where they are.
What does Semaphore still charge me?
Your Semaphore plan as before, plus Semaphore’s self-hosted fee of $0.0025 for every minute a job runs on our machine. Every price and saving on this page already has that fee in it.
What do I need to set it up?
A Semaphore agent type and its registration token, plus your organization’s Semaphore address. The setup guide walks you through it.
Setup steps, and the prices next to CircleCI, are in the CircleCI and Semaphore runner docs.
Move one block and compare the bill
Create an agent type, paste its token, and point one block at it. Everything else in your pipeline stays on Semaphore.
3,000 free minutes every month · No credit card required