---
title: "9apes vs Blacksmith - GitHub Actions Runner Pricing Compared"
description: "Per-minute rates, free minutes, and platform coverage compared between 9apes and Blacksmith runners for GitHub Actions."
url: https://9apes.com/compare/blacksmith/
---

# 9apes vs Blacksmith - GitHub Actions Runner Pricing Compared

Blacksmith and 9apes both give every account 3,000 free minutes a month and both migrate with a single `runs-on` change. 9apes is cheaper per minute on Linux x86_64; Blacksmith covers far more platforms, including Windows, macOS and ARM, and offers an enterprise SLA.

## Per-minute rates

Blacksmith rates transcribed from https://www.blacksmith.sh/pricing on 2026-08-25.

| Blacksmith tier | vCPU | Blacksmith /min | 9apes label | 9apes /min | Difference |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Ubuntu x64` | 2 | $0.004 | `9apes-2vcpu-ubuntu-2404` | $0.0018 | 55% lower |
| `Ubuntu ARM` | 6 | $0.0025 | — | — | no 9apes label at this size |
| `Windows x64` | 4 | $0.008 | `9apes` | $0.0036 | 55% lower |
| `macOS M4` | 12 | $0.08 | — | — | no 9apes label at this size |

## Free minutes

- **9apes** — 3000 free runner minutes every month on every account, no card required.

- **Blacksmith** — 3,000 free minutes per month, the same recurring allowance 9apes provides.

## What each one covers

| Capability | 9apes | Blacksmith |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Linux x86_64 runners | Yes | Yes |
| Linux ARM64 runners | On demand | Yes |
| Windows runners | On demand | Yes |
| macOS runners | On demand | Yes |
| Recurring free monthly minutes (Both include 3,000 minutes a month.) | Yes | Yes |
| Published enterprise SLA (Blacksmith advertises a 99.9% SLA on its enterprise plan.) | No | Yes |
| Per-minute billing with no seat fee | Yes | Yes |
| One-line migration | Yes | Yes |
| Ephemeral Firecracker microVM per job | Yes | No |

**On demand** means the platform is not on the public 9apes label list, but the team will arrange it. Email support@9apes.com with your workflow, expected scale, and timing.

## When to choose Blacksmith

- You need Windows or macOS runners off the shelf. Blacksmith publishes both as labels; on 9apes they are arranged with the team first.

- You need Linux ARM64. Blacksmith prices ARM below its x64 tier and lists it today; 9apes has no public ARM label and arranges it on request.

- You need a contractual uptime SLA today. Blacksmith advertises 99.9% on its enterprise plan; 9apes is in public beta.

## Moving to 9apes

```yaml
jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: 9apes
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - run: npm test
```

## Common questions

**Do both include free minutes?**

Yes. Blacksmith and 9apes each include 3,000 free runner minutes per month, so the comparison comes down to the per-minute rate beyond that allowance and the platforms each supports.

**Which is cheaper for a Linux x86_64 workload?**

On published list prices, 9apes is lower per minute at the comparable 2 vCPU size. Because free allowances match, the saving applies to every billable minute beyond the first 3,000.

## Related pages

- [All runner comparisons](https://9apes.com/compare/)

- [9apes pricing](https://9apes.com/pricing/) — every label and rate

- [Quick Start](https://9apes.com/docs/quick-start/) — move your first job