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 about 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 (from $15/month, including 5 active users), sold in blocks of 25,000 for $15. Free plan includes 30,000 credits with no overage option - you must upgrade to purchase more. Paid credits roll over and expire after 12 months.

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's Performance plan starts at $15/month including 5 active users (additional active users $15/month each) plus credit overage, while GitHub Actions charges $4/user/month plus overage. For teams of 5 or fewer with heavy usage, CircleCI's model can be cheaper. Beyond 5 users, CircleCI's $15 per additional active user outpaces GitHub's $4/user, so GitHub Actions is usually cheaper for larger teams.

CircleCI bills by credits, not minutes. Here is what that actually means in dollars. Updated August 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	Up to 30
Performance	From $15/mo (incl. 5 users, then $15/user)	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), storage, or additional active users on Performance ($15/user/month beyond the 5 included). Prices as of August 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 200-400 credits/min ($0.12-$0.24/min) on the current M4 Pro classes. GitHub Actions macOS is $0.062/min after the January 2026 price cut. For mobile teams, GitHub Actions is now the cheaper hosted macOS option.

macOS runs on the Free plan, but at one job at a time

The Free plan does include macOS: since 10 November 2025 every Free-plan macOS job runs on m4pro.medium whatever resource class you declare. The limit is concurrency, not access: Free gets 1x macOS concurrency against 30x for Docker, and Performance lifts that to 15x. macOS jobs draw on the same 30,000 monthly credits, and at 200 credits/min a single 15-minute iOS build burns 3,000 of them, so the allowance covers roughly ten builds a month.

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 + $75 users + $102 = $192	$40 + $102 = $142	GitHub Actions

CircleCI Performance includes 5 active users in the $15/month base, then charges $15 per additional active user, versus GitHub Actions' $4/user/month. CircleCI's edge is strongest for teams of 5 or fewer with heavy usage; beyond 5 users the per-user fee usually hands the win back to GitHub Actions.

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: from $15/month (5 active users included, then $15 per additional user) + $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 Performance starts at $15/month with 5 active users included, then $15 per additional active user, plus per-credit overage. GitHub Actions charges $4/user/month with per-minute overage. For teams of 5 or fewer with heavy usage, CircleCI is often cheaper. Beyond 5 users, the $15 per-user fee usually makes GitHub Actions the cheaper option.

How much do CircleCI credits cost?

Overage credits cost $0.0006 each on the Performance plan ($15 per block of 25,000), and paid credits roll over for up to 12 months. 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.