Buildkite vs Earthly
Updated June 2026 · A structured head-to-head comparison.
The verdict
Both Buildkite and Earthly are credible ci cd tools, and the right pick comes down to your priorities.
Buildkite — Scalable CI/CD with your own compute.
Earthly — Repeatable builds with containerized steps.
Buildkite vs Earthly: side by side
| Dimension | Buildkite | Earthly |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free – $15/user/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Open source |
| Best for | Engineering Teams, High Scale | Developers, Devops Teams |
| Platforms | Web, Self Hosted, Api | Linux, Mac, Windows, Api |
| Rating | 4.6/5 | 4.4/5 |
Buildkite key facts
- Vendor
- Buildkite
- Pricing
- Freemium — Free – $15/user/mo
- Free tier
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, Self Hosted, Api
- Best for
- Engineering Teams, High Scale
- Editor rating
- 4.6 / 5
- Founded
- 2013
- Headquarters
- Melbourne, Australia
Earthly key facts
- Vendor
- Earthly Technologies
- Pricing
- Open source — Free
- Free tier
- Yes
- Platforms
- Linux, Mac, Windows, Api
- Best for
- Developers, Devops Teams
- Editor rating
- 4.4 / 5
- Founded
- 2020
- Headquarters
- Berkeley, USA
Frequently asked questions
Is Buildkite better than Earthly?
Neither is universally better — Buildkite edges ahead on overall rating, but the best choice depends on price, platforms, and your use case. See the side-by-side table above.
Is Buildkite or Earthly cheaper?
Buildkite is the more affordable of the two to get started, at free – $15/user/mo. Buildkite starts at free – $15/user/mo; Earthly starts at free.
Can Buildkite replace Earthly?
Yes for most teams — both are ci cd tools with heavily overlapping features. The main trade-offs are pricing and platform support, covered in the comparison above.