kitio.aiCircleCI vs Semaphore
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. CircleCI starts at $15/mo and Semaphore starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Cloud CI/CD pipelines
- GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket support
- Chunk MCP server
- Autoscaling runners
- Release orchestration
- Security and compliance
- CI pipelines and deployments
- MCP server for coding agents
- Monorepo support
- Test reports and metrics
- Self-hosted agents
- macOS and Linux machines
| Feature | CircleCI | Semaphore |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | CI/CD platform that validates AI-written code with automation | Open source CI/CD service that coding agents can set up and run |
| Category | Coding | Coding |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $15/mo | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | CircleCI | Semaphore |
| Based in | United States | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
CircleCI starts at $15/mo and Semaphore starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
3 plans
Free
Free
- Up to 6,000 build minutes
- Up to 5 active users
- No credit card needed
Performance
$15/mo
- 30,000 credits included
- 5 active users
- Larger resource classes
- Extra users $15 each
Scale
Custom
- Higher concurrency and limits
- More network included
4 plans
Free credits
Free
- $15 of credits per month
- 20 concurrent jobs
- 20 GB artifact egress
Ubuntu x64
$0.0075 / min (2 vCPU)
- Pay per build minute
- Larger machines cost more
macOS
$0.09 / min
- Pay per build minute
- For iOS and Mac builds
Self-hosted
$0.0025 / min
- Any machine you run
- Flat per-minute rate
Prices in USD, checked Nov 5, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
CircleCI
- Free plan with 6,000 build minutes
- Works with major code hosts
- Pay for what you use on Performance
- Credit pricing is hard to forecast
- Extra users cost $15 per month each
- AI features are secondary to the CI core
Semaphore
- Agents can configure CI from plain requests
- Free monthly credits for small projects
- Open source edition for self-hosting
- macOS minutes cost far more than Linux
- Fast support and SLAs are paid add-ons
- Cache server and registry cost $400/mo each
Which one should you choose?
Choose CircleCI if you want:
- Free plan with 6,000 build minutes
- Works with major code hosts
- Pay for what you use on Performance
Watch out: credit pricing is hard to forecast.
Choose Semaphore if you want:
- Agents can configure CI from plain requests
- Free monthly credits for small projects
- Open source edition for self-hosting
Watch out: macos minutes cost far more than linux.
CircleCI vs Semaphore FAQ
What is the difference between CircleCI and Semaphore?
CircleCI: CI/CD platform that validates AI-written code with automation. Semaphore: Open source CI/CD service that coding agents can set up and run. Both are coding tools.
Is CircleCI or Semaphore cheaper?
CircleCI starts at $15/mo and Semaphore starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do CircleCI and Semaphore have free plans?
CircleCI: Yes. Semaphore: Yes.
Who makes CircleCI?
CircleCI is made by CircleCI, based in United States.
Who makes Semaphore?
Semaphore is made by Semaphore.
Which should I choose, CircleCI or Semaphore?
Choose CircleCI if you value free plan with 6,000 build minutes and works with major code hosts. Choose Semaphore if you value agents can configure ci from plain requests and free monthly credits for small projects.