CircleCI Pricing 2026: Credits Explained + Real Monthly Cost Calculator

Q: How does CircleCI credit pricing work?

CircleCI charges per credit. 1 credit = $0.0006. The number of credits consumed per minute depends on the resource class (machine size). A Medium Linux machine (the default, 2 CPU / 4 GB RAM) uses 10 credits/min = $0.006/min, identical to GitHub Actions Linux. The free tier includes 30,000 credits/month, equivalent to ~3,000 minutes on Medium Linux.

Q: How much do CircleCI credits cost?

Credits cost $0.0006 each when purchased as overage on the Performance plan ($15/month base). Free plan includes 30,000 credits with no overage option - you must upgrade to purchase more. Performance plan lets you purchase additional credits at $0.0006/credit as needed.

Q: Is CircleCI cheaper than GitHub Actions?

At the default resource class (Medium Linux), CircleCI and GitHub Actions cost the same: $0.006/min. CircleCI has a flat $15/month Performance plan plus overage, while GitHub Actions charges $4/user/month plus overage. For predictable usage, CircleCI's flat model can be simpler to budget. For variable usage, GitHub Actions' per-user model may be cheaper for small teams.

CircleCI bills by credits, not minutes. Here is what that actually means in dollars. Updated April 2026.

The CircleCI Credit Model Explained

1 credit = $0.0006. The key variable is how many credits your resource class burns per minute. A Medium Linux job (the default) burns 10 credits/min = $0.006/min. Same as GitHub Actions Linux.

Resource class	CPU	RAM	Credits/min	Cost/min	Notes
Small	1	2 GB	5	$0.003	Cheapest option, linting/fast tests
Medium (default)	2	4 GB	10	$0.006	Same as GitHub Actions Linux
Medium+	4	8 GB	15	$0.009
Large	4	8 GB	20	$0.012
XLarge	8	16 GB	40	$0.024	Heavy builds
2XLarge	16	32 GB	80	$0.048	Data/ML pipelines

CircleCI Pricing Tiers

Tier	Monthly cost	Free credits	Overage credits	Concurrent jobs
Free	$0	30,000 credits/mo	Not available	1
Performance	$15/mo	30,000 + usage	$0.0006/credit	Up to 80
Scale	Custom	Custom	Custom	Custom

30,000 free credits = ~3,000 minutes on Medium Linux = same as GitHub Actions Team free tier (3,000 min/mo). Free plan users cannot purchase additional credits - they must upgrade to Performance.

CircleCI Monthly Cost Calculator

1 credit = $0.0006. Free tier: 30,000 credits/month.

Build minutes/month

Resource class

Plan

Credits consumed

100,000

Billable credits

70,000

Free equivalent

3,000 min

Estimated total

$57.00

Cost/min for selected class: $0.006 (10 credits/min x $0.0006). Does not include Docker Layer Caching (200 credits/run extra) or storage. Prices as of April 2026.

CircleCI Gotchas: What Most Guides Miss

Docker Layer Caching adds 200 credits/run

CircleCI's Docker Layer Caching (DLC) feature costs 200 credits per job run (not per layer, per run). That is $0.12/run extra. At 500 runs/month: $60/month in DLC fees alone. It is worth it for large Docker images (>500 MB) but adds up quickly for teams with many short jobs.

macOS is significantly more expensive than GitHub Actions

CircleCI macOS machines cost 100-300 credits/min ($0.06-$0.18/min) depending on the spec. GitHub Actions macOS is $0.048/min after the January 2026 price cut. For mobile teams, GitHub Actions is now the cheaper hosted macOS option.

No free macOS minutes on Free plan

The 30,000 free credits apply to Linux only. macOS jobs on the Free plan are not available. You must upgrade to Performance or Scale to run macOS jobs.

Monthly Cost Examples vs GitHub Actions

Scenario	CircleCI Performance	GitHub Actions Team	Winner
5,000 min Linux (1 person team)	$15 + $12 = $27	$4 + $12 = $16	GitHub Actions
10,000 min Linux (5 person team)	$15 + $42 = $57	$20 + $42 = $62	CircleCI
20,000 min Linux (10 person team)	$15 + $102 = $117	$40 + $102 = $142	CircleCI

CircleCI Performance's flat $15/month base becomes a relative advantage as team size grows (GitHub Actions charges $4/user/month, CircleCI does not). For large teams with consistent usage, CircleCI can be cheaper despite the same per-minute rate.

FAQ

How does CircleCI credit pricing work?

CircleCI charges per credit (1 credit = $0.0006). The credits/minute consumed depends on your resource class. Medium Linux (default) = 10 credits/min = $0.006/min. XLarge = 40 credits/min = $0.024/min. Free tier: 30,000 credits/month (~3,000 min on Medium Linux). Performance plan: $15/month + $0.0006/credit overage.

Is CircleCI cheaper than GitHub Actions?

At the same resource level (Medium Linux = GitHub Actions Linux), the per-minute rate is identical: $0.006/min. The pricing model differs: CircleCI charges a flat $15/month for Performance with per-credit overage. GitHub Actions charges $4/user/month with per-minute overage. For 10+ person teams with consistent usage, CircleCI is often cheaper. For 1-5 person teams with variable usage, GitHub Actions is often cheaper.

How much do CircleCI credits cost?

Overage credits cost $0.0006 each on the Performance plan. Free plan includes 30,000 credits/month with no option to purchase more. To convert: if your Medium Linux job uses 10 credits/min, and you run 1,000 minutes over your free tier, that is 10,000 credits x $0.0006 = $6 in overage, plus the $15 plan fee = $21 total.