TL;DR
GitHub announced a new fee for self-hosted Actions runners on private repositories — $0.002 per minute — and received strong pushback. After readers reacted, the company said it is postponing the billing change to rethink the approach and has opened a community discussion.
What happened
In mid-December GitHub said it would begin charging $0.002 per minute for self-hosted GitHub Actions runners running jobs on private repositories, while simultaneously lowering prices for many GitHub-hosted runners starting January 1. The company said public-repo usage of self-hosted runners would remain free, and argued that the platform’s infrastructure costs justified the change. GitHub also said 96% of customers would see no bill change, and that most of the small group affected would actually pay less; a minority would face a modest median increase of roughly $13 per month. The announcement sparked swift criticism from enterprise users and online communities concerned about higher bills and the effect on free quota minutes. Following the backlash and publication of the original report, GitHub posted on X that it was pausing the announced billing change, acknowledging it had “missed the mark” and inviting users to join a community thread to provide feedback. The company did not rule out any future billing adjustments.
Why it matters
- Teams that run Actions on their own servers face potential new costs and budgeting uncertainty if charges resume.
- Billable self-hosted runner time can count against plan free quotas, which may increase overall spending for some accounts.
- The reversal shows GitHub is responsive to customer feedback but leaves the longer-term pricing direction unclear.
- Changes to how companies are charged for CI/CD infrastructure could influence decisions about hosting builds on cloud vs. on-premises hardware.
Key facts
- Planned rate: $0.002 per minute for self-hosted runners executing jobs on private GitHub repositories.
- Public repository self-hosted runner usage was stated to remain free.
- GitHub said it would lower prices for many GitHub-hosted runners starting January 1 under a new pricing scheme.
- Company claimed 96% of customers would see no change to their bill under the announced update.
- Of the 4% affected, GitHub said 85% would see Actions costs decrease; the remaining 15% faced a median increase of about $13 per month.
- Billable self-hosted runner usage may consume minutes from the free quota associated with a user’s plan.
- The initial announcement prompted community backlash from enterprise users and developer forums.
- After publication of the original report, GitHub posted that it would postpone the announced billing change to re-evaluate and solicit feedback.
- GitHub opened a community discussion thread for users to provide input on any future approach.
What to watch next
- Whether GitHub will propose a revised billing plan for self-hosted runners — not confirmed in the source.
- Any timeline GitHub sets for a new proposal or a reinstated implementation date — not confirmed in the source.
- How community input from the opened discussion thread influences GitHub’s next steps — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- GitHub Actions: A CI/CD platform integrated with GitHub that automates build, test, and deployment workflows.
- Self-hosted runner: A machine you manage that runs GitHub Actions jobs, using your own hardware or cloud instances instead of GitHub’s hosted runners.
- GitHub-hosted runner: A virtual environment provided by GitHub to execute Actions workflows without needing user-managed infrastructure.
- Free quota: The allotment of free minutes or resources included in a GitHub plan before billing for additional usage applies.
Reader FAQ
Will public repositories be charged for self-hosted runner usage?
According to GitHub’s announcement, self-hosted runner usage on public repositories remains free.
How much was GitHub planning to charge for self-hosted runners?
The announced rate was $0.002 per minute for self-hosted runners executing jobs on private repositories.
Is the planned billing change going into effect as announced?
GitHub says it is postponing the announced billing change to re-evaluate its approach and gather feedback.
Will self-hosted runner minutes consume my free quota?
GitHub stated that billable self-hosted runner usage can consume minutes from the free quota associated with your plan.
Has GitHub committed to never charging for self-hosted runners?
Not confirmed in the source.
DEVOPS 49 GitHub walks back plan to charge for self-hosted runners Engineers cried foul over plan to charge $0.002/min. Brandon Vigliarolo Wed 17 Dec 2025 // 17:26 UTC UPDATED Following publication of our original…
Sources
- GitHub walks back plan to charge for self-hosted runners
- Update to GitHub Actions pricing – GitHub Changelog
- Pricing changes for GitHub Actions
- GitHub self-hosted runners cost increase and alternatives …
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