GitHub Actions CPU performance
This guide compares CPU performance and queue times across GitHub Actions runners - including official GitHub runners, self-hosted solutions, and third-party providers. Real-world benchmarks show how each option performs to help select the optimal runner.
Providers included in the benchmark
Third-party alternatives:
- Buildjet (Hetzner)
- Blacksmith (Hetzner / Secured Servers LLC)
- Namespace (Own infrastructure, US/Europe)
- Ubicloud (Hetzner)
- Cirrus (Hetzner)
Note: Warpbuild and Depot are third-party providers that resell AWS instances, but they forbid benchmarking their platform 🤷.
CPU speed and queuing times
Last updated:
Benchmarks are performed using the Passmark benchmarking tool ↗, using the CPU Single Threaded metric. The table displays the last 60 days of data, before the last updated date.
Key metrics such as the processor model, single-thread CPU speed, queue time, pricing, and the underlying infrastructure provider are compared. The CPU single-threaded rating is a crucial metric as it is the most significant factor (unless your job is massively parallel) in accelerating any of your workflows.
x64 runners
| Provider |
CPU speed
(p50 | p95) |
Queue time (s)
(p50 | p95) | Processor | Infra / ISP | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blacksmith (2x cheaper)
| 3912 | 3993 | 22 | 24 | AMD EPYC (x86_64) | Hetzner Online | 21 |
Namespace (2x cheaper)
| 3872 | 4029 | 18 | 22 | AMD EPYC (x86_64) | Deft Hosting (might vary) | 21 |
Buildjet (2x cheaper)
| 3371 | 3516 | 22 | 26 | AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 16-Core Processor (x86_64) | Hetzner Online | 14 |
Cirrus (fixed price per runner)
| 3212 | 3228 | 23 | 28 | Intel Xeon Gold 5412U (x86_64) | Hetzner Online | 21 |
RunsOn (10x cheaper)
| 3076 | 3084 | 28 | 32 | Intel Xeon Gold 6455B (x86_64) | Amazon.com | 20 |
RunsOn (10x cheaper)
| 2796 | 2923 | 28 | 45 | Intel Xeon Platinum 8488C (x86_64) | Amazon.com | 20 |
RunsOn (10x cheaper)
| 2882 | 2885 | 26 | 36 | AMD EPYC 9R14 (x86_64) | Amazon.com | 20 |
Ubicloud (10x cheaper)
| 2570 | 2959 | 16 | 34 | AMD EPYC 9454P 48-Core Processor (x86_64) | Hetzner Online | 21 |
GitHub
| 2398 | 2403 | 76 | 87 | AMD EPYC 7763 64-Core Processor (x86_64) (custom) | Microsoft Azure | 21 |
GitHub
| 2290 | 2298 | 9 | 11 | AMD EPYC 7763 64-Core Processor (x86_64) | Microsoft Azure | 21 |
AWS CodeBuild
| 2138 | 2153 | 29 | 34 | Intel Xeon Platinum 8275CL CPU @ 3.00GHz (x86_64) | Amazon.com | 42 |
AWS CodeBuild
| 2013 | 2031 | 30 | 36 | Intel Xeon Platinum 8124M CPU @ 3.00GHz (x86_64) | Amazon.com | 19 |
AWS CodeBuild
| 1909 | 2009 | 29 | 32 | Intel Xeon Platinum 8223CL CPU @ 3.00GHz (x86_64) | Amazon.com | 2 |
Warpbuild (2x cheaper)
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Amazon.com | 0 |
Depot (2x cheaper)
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Amazon.com | 0 |
arm64 runners
| Provider |
CPU speed
(p50 | p95) |
Queue time (s)
(p50 | p95) | Processor | Infra / ISP | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
RunsOn (10x cheaper)
| 1933 | 1935 | 26 | 33 | Neoverse-V2 (aarch64) | Amazon.com | 20 |
RunsOn (10x cheaper)
| 1542 | 1547 | 27 | 30 | (aarch64) | Amazon.com | 20 |
Cirrus (fixed price per runner)
| 1325 | 1326 | 22 | 29 | Neoverse-N1 (aarch64) | Hetzner Online GmbH | 21 |
GitHub
| 1321 | 1323 | 9 | 88 | Neoverse-N1 (aarch64) | Microsoft Azure | 21 |
Blacksmith (2x cheaper)
| 1319 | 1323 | 25 | 27 | Neoverse-N1 (aarch64) | Hetzner Online | 21 |
Ubicloud (10x cheaper)
| 1318 | 1322 | 15 | 17 | Neoverse-N1 (aarch64) | Hetzner Online | 21 |
Namespace (2x cheaper)
| 1305 | 1308 | 22 | 23 | Neoverse-N1 (aarch64) | Hetzner Online (might vary) | 21 |
Buildjet (2x cheaper)
| 1323 | 1325 | 35 | 44 | Neoverse-N1 (aarch64) | Hetzner Online | 21 |
Warpbuild (2x cheaper)
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Amazon.com | 0 |
Depot (2x cheaper)
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Amazon.com | 0 |
FAQ
Who has the fastest x64 runners?
Namespace and Blacksmith, followed by Buildjet (though Buildjet’s CPU models can vary).
Who has the fastest arm64 runners?
RunsOn, since it uses latest AWS Graviton3 and Graviton4 processors. Hetzner-based providers use older ARM CPUs.
Who's the cheapest?
RunsOn and Ubicloud offer the best pricing, around 10x cheaper than GitHub.
Observations
Performance:
- Namespace and Blacksmith lead x64 performance with latest AMD CPUs
- RunsOn leads arm64 performance with AWS Graviton3 and Graviton4
- GitHub uses older CPUs, especially for x64. Their arm64 is better but limited availability
- AWS CodeBuild instances are slower than GitHub and more expensive
Reliability & Scaling:
- GitHub queue times are good for standard runners, but can be minutes for larger ones
- AWS provides better scalability than Hetzner-based providers
- Hetzner providers (Buildjet, Ubicloud etc) require manual requests for higher concurrency, sometimes with extra fees
- Buildjet’s variable CPU models impact reproducibility
Cost:
- RunsOn and Ubicloud are ~10x cheaper than GitHub
- AWS CodeBuild pricing isn’t competitive
Missing from benchmark:
- Detailed concurrency/scaling tests. Important for high-volume CI/CD (thousands of jobs/day)
Note: this analysis is valid as of January 2025. Things change quickly in this space, so make sure you do your own research as well.