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Celesto CI / Compare

Celesto vs GitLab CI/CD

Celesto is a focused runner service for GitHub Actions. GitLab CI/CD integrates pipelines with GitLab’s source hosting, security, and development platform; migration is a platform decision as well as a compute decision.

Install Celesto CI

Checked November 1, 2026. Sources and assumptions

Low-cost Linux runners for teams choosing GitHub Actions

Celesto Standard costs $0.0005/minute for 2 vCPU and 4 GB. GitLab Free includes 400 compute minutes/month, Premium includes 10,000, and Ultimate includes 50,000. Runner cost factors multiply actual job duration; quotas are not multiplied by the group’s user count. Your own runners do not consume GitLab.com hosted compute minutes, but infrastructure still costs money. GitLab subscription features and included usage prevent a universal per-minute comparison.

GitLab-hosted runners use plan compute-minute quotas and size/platform cost factors. Self-managed runner infrastructure is separate. CPU count and memory alone do not establish equal hardware performance, network speed, or completed-job cost.

Keep the compute decision separate from your source hosting decision.

Platform fit

Workflow ecosystem
CelestoGitHub Actions
GitLab CI/CDGitLab CI/CD and .gitlab-ci.yml
Runner billing
CelestoRuntime consumes workspace credit
GitLab CI/CDHosted compute-minute quota × runner cost factor, or your own infrastructure
Integrated development platform
CelestoWorks with GitHub’s platform
GitLab CI/CDGitLab source hosting, CI/CD, security, and governance
Self-managed deployment
CelestoManaged Celesto runner service
GitLab CI/CDGitLab.com, Self-Managed, and Dedicated offerings Has the edge

Choose Celesto when

  • Your repositories and workflows are on GitHub
  • You want low Linux compute rates without operating runners
  • You are willing to port GitLab-specific pipeline behavior

Choose GitLab CI/CD when

  • Your source and governance workflows are GitLab-native
  • Your included compute quota covers your usage
  • You need GitLab’s integrated platform or self-managed deployment

Keep GitHub Actions. Move compatible Linux jobs.

Install Celesto’s GitHub App, link a workspace, and fund a paid runner size. This example selects Standard, 2 vCPU and 4 GB, at $0.0005/minute. Port provider-specific caches, custom images, or pipeline syntax before migrating. The Micro-only trial starts with $5 shared credit, expires after 30 days, and allows one retained sandbox at a time.

1jobs:
2  test:
3    runs-on: [self-hosted, celesto-standard]
4    steps:
5      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
6      - run: npm ci && npm test

Celesto bills computer runtime including preparation and cleanup. Linux x64 only; a two-hour safety limit applies. Concurrency depends on workspace limits, credit, and capacity.

Questions before you switch

Is this a one-line runner switch?

For jobs already in GitHub Actions, install the Celesto GitHub App, finish workspace setup, and choose a supported Celesto runs-on label. Jobs defined in another CI platform need their pipeline configuration, secrets, caches, and integrations ported to GitHub Actions first. Celesto is a runner service, not a replacement for that platform’s entire feature set.

Can Celesto replace a GitLab runner directly?

Celesto CI currently runs GitHub Actions jobs. It does not attach as a GitLab Runner. Move or mirror the relevant source and port jobs, secrets, caches, and pipeline behavior to GitHub Actions before adopting Celesto.

How does CI dependency caching work?

Linux x64 jobs include actions/cache and setup-node/setup-python caching without changes to compatible cache steps. Cache storage has no separate charge. Default per-repository limits are 5 GiB on trial and promotional credit and 25 GiB on paid credit; caches expire after 7 idle days. CI runtime consumes workspace credit.

Which Docker workflows are supported?

Docker Engine, Buildx, and Compose are preinstalled. Docker builds, Compose workflows, and GitHub service containers are verified. Validate Docker actions and whole-job containers before migrating. Docker’s explicit --cpus flag failed the documented preflight.

Do Docker layers persist between CI jobs?

No. Each job starts fresh. Use registry caches or portable archives through actions/cache to reuse layers. Direct BuildKit type=gha,version=2 cache export failed the documented preflight.

Sources and assumptions

Pricing and capabilities checked November 1, 2026. No matched performance or network benchmark is claimed here. GitLab CI/CD is a trademark of its owner; Celesto is not affiliated with it.

Start with $5 in credits.

Install Celesto CI