GitHub Actions price change 2026: hosted runners cut up to 39%, self-hosted fee postponed
GitHub changed GitHub Actions pricing in two parts. On January 1, 2026, it cut the price of GitHub-hosted runners by up to 39%, depending on the machine type. It planned a new $0.002 per minute cloud platform charge for self-hosted runners from March 1, 2026. After user feedback, GitHub postponed the self-hosted charge to re-evaluate its approach. The hosted runner cut went ahead. Public repositories stay free, and the free minute quotas did not change. We do not track GitHub Actions on SaaS Price Watch yet. More vendors are on the vendor list. For seat prices, see GitHub pricing per user.
Old and new prices
| GitHub Actions item | Before | Planned change | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub-hosted runners | prior per minute rates | up to 39% lower from January 1, 2026 | in effect |
| Self-hosted runners in private repositories | no per minute charge | $0.002 per minute from March 1, 2026 | postponed |
| Public repositories | free | free | no change |
| Free minute quotas | plan quotas | same quotas | no change |
GitHub lists the new hosted runner rates in its runner pricing reference. We do not repeat per runner rates here because they vary by machine type.
If GitHub brings the self-hosted charge back at $0.002 per minute, by our math that is $0.12 per runner hour. A team with 10,000 self-hosted minutes a month over its included minutes would pay $20 a month. At 100,000 minutes it would pay $200 a month.
Who would have paid more
GitHub published its own numbers for the original plan. It said 96% of customers would see no change to their bill. Of the 4% affected, 85% would see their bill go down. The other 15% faced "a median increase around $13." For individual users on Free and Pro plans, 0.09% would see a price increase, with "a median increase of under $2 a month."
GitHub said developers used 11.5 billion Actions minutes in public projects for free in 2025, worth about $184 million.
What GitHub said
The changelog update says: "We're postponing the announced billing change for self-hosted GitHub Actions to take time to re-evaluate our approach." It adds: "We are continuing to reduce hosted-runners prices by up to 39% on January 1, 2026." On the plan: "Any usage subject to this charge will count toward the minutes included in your plan." On Enterprise Server: "There will be no changes in price structure for GitHub Enterprise Server customers."
Who it hits and when
- Teams on GitHub-hosted runners pay less per minute from January 1, 2026, by up to 39%.
- Teams on self-hosted runners in private repositories pay no new charge for now. GitHub postponed it and gave no new date.
- Public repositories stay free on both runner types.
- GitHub Enterprise Server customers see no change in price structure.
What to do before your next bill
- Open the billing page for your organization and check Actions minutes by runner type.
- Compare your hosted runner cost before and after January 1, 2026.
- Measure self-hosted minutes in private repositories, so you know your exposure if the charge returns.
- Check the size of each hosted runner. Larger machines cost more per minute.
- Set a spending limit on Actions so a busy month does not surprise you.
See the GitHub Copilot pricing change 2026 for the June 2026 AI Credits change.
FAQ
Did GitHub Actions get more expensive in 2026? Not for hosted runners. GitHub cut hosted runner prices by up to 39% on January 1, 2026. The planned charge for self-hosted runners is postponed.
What is the $0.002 per minute charge? A GitHub Actions cloud platform charge that GitHub planned for self-hosted runner usage from March 1, 2026. GitHub postponed it.
Are public repositories free on GitHub Actions? Yes. GitHub says runner usage in public repositories stays free.
Did the free minutes change? No. GitHub says the free usage minute quotas stay the same.
Who would have paid more under the original plan? GitHub said 96% of customers would see no change. Of the 4% affected, 15% faced a median increase around $13.
How we check
We read the GitHub changelog post from December 16, 2025 with its update and the GitHub Executive Insights page on Actions pricing on October 26, 2026. Get an alert when a SaaS price changes.
Checked 2026-10-26. Prices and policies change. Confirm on the source before you buy.
Sources
- https://github.blog/changelog/2025-12-16-coming-soon-simpler-pricing-and-a-better-experience-for-github-actions/
- https://github.com/resources/insights/2026-pricing-changes-for-github-actions
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