Blacksmith alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Blacksmith: only works with GitHub Actions, and caching features are paid add-ons. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Blacksmith, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Depot currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#	App	Pricing	Open source	Platforms	Verified facts	Score
1	Semaphore	Paid	Yes	Web, Self-hosted	4 of 4	55.3

1. SemaphoreTop pick
Best for: Teams wanting fast hosted CI, with the option to self-host the same platform
PaidOpen sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted
55.3
score / 100
Why switch from Blacksmith
Fast hosted CI billed per minute, outside GitHub Actions.
Pros
Fast machines with per-minute billing
Clear visual pipeline builder and promotions
Open-source Community Edition for self-hosting
Cons
Support tiers cost extra on cloud
Smaller ecosystem than GitHub Actions
Self-hosting requires Kubernetes
Visit Semaphore Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.363
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.1585
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Semaphore a good Blacksmith alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
Linux machine price
$0.0075/min (2 vCPU x64)
Checked Oct 25, 2026semaphore.io(opens source in a new tab)
Arm machine price
$0.003/min (2 vCPU)
Checked Oct 25, 2026semaphore.io(opens source in a new tab)
Basic support
$50/month
Checked Oct 25, 2026semaphore.io(opens source in a new tab)
Editions
Cloud, Community and Enterprise
Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.semaphore.io(opens source in a new tab)

The best Blacksmith alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Best Blacksmith alternative for most people

Depot

Faster runners plus accelerated Docker builds and remote caching.

Best Blacksmith alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

GitHub Actions

Standard hosted runners with no extra vendor.

Best Blacksmith alternative for open source

Semaphore

Fast hosted CI billed per minute, outside GitHub Actions.

Best Blacksmith alternative for self-hosting

CircleCI

Full hosted CI with fast machines and test insights.

Best Blacksmith alternative for working in the browser

Buildkite

Run CI on your own hardware with a hosted control plane.

Blacksmith alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Blacksmith?

Depot ranks first right now. Faster runners plus accelerated Docker builds and remote caching. GitHub Actions and Buildkite follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Blacksmith?

Yes. GitHub Actions (free plan + paid), Buildkite (free plan + paid) and CircleCI (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Blacksmith?

Yes: Semaphore. Semaphore can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from Blacksmith?

The complaints we hear most: only works with GitHub Actions; caching features are paid add-ons; adds a third party with access to your builds.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Blacksmith, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.