Celesto vs RunsOn
Get managed Linux runners with Celesto’s low runtime rates and no annual license. RunsOn keeps compute inside your AWS account and can reward teams that already operate AWS at scale.
Install Celesto CIChecked November 1, 2026. Sources and assumptions
Celesto removes the annual runner license and separate AWS setup
Celesto Standard costs $0.0005/minute for 2 vCPU and 4 GB, with no monthly runner plan. RunsOn Starter is €300/year for fewer than 50,000 jobs/month; Growth and Scale cost more. Add EC2, EBS, the control plane (advertised from about $7/month), S3, and transfer. Non-commercial use can receive a free license. AWS spot prices vary by region and capacity, so compare your full bill at your actual usage. Neither provider is universally cheaper.
RunsOn: from €300/year commercial license, plus AWS compute and infrastructure. No fixed all-in minute rate. CPU count and memory alone do not establish equal hardware performance, network speed, or completed-job cost.
Low-cost Linux compute without an AWS runner stack.
| Feature | Celesto | RunsOn |
|---|---|---|
| Operations and pricing | ||
| Runner service fee | No annual license or monthly runner plan(Celesto has the edge) | Commercial license from €300/year; non-commercial license free |
| Infrastructure bill | Workspace credit for runtime | Your AWS compute, disks, control plane, cache, and transfer |
| Cloud account required | No customer AWS account(Celesto has the edge) | Deploy and manage the stack in your AWS account |
| Compute control | Managed Linux x64 sizes up to 8 vCPU / 32 GB | Configurable EC2 instances, images, regions, and spot capacity(RunsOn has the edge) |
| Network placement | Celesto-managed infrastructure | Inside your AWS account and network boundary(RunsOn has the edge) |
Operations and pricing
- Runner service fee
- CelestoNo annual license or monthly runner plan Has the edge
- RunsOnCommercial license from €300/year; non-commercial license free
- Infrastructure bill
- CelestoWorkspace credit for runtime
- RunsOnYour AWS compute, disks, control plane, cache, and transfer
- Cloud account required
- CelestoNo customer AWS account Has the edge
- RunsOnDeploy and manage the stack in your AWS account
- Compute control
- CelestoManaged Linux x64 sizes up to 8 vCPU / 32 GB
- RunsOnConfigurable EC2 instances, images, regions, and spot capacity Has the edge
- Network placement
- CelestoCelesto-managed infrastructure
- RunsOnInside your AWS account and network boundary Has the edge
Choose Celesto when
- You want a low Linux runtime rate without operating an AWS runner stack
- Your demand is bursty and does not justify an annual license
- Your jobs fit Celesto’s supported Linux x64 configurations
Choose RunsOn when
- Jobs must run inside your AWS account
- You need EC2 shapes, custom images, or specialized hardware
- You have enough sustained usage to amortize the license and infrastructure
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 testCelesto 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 RunsOn’s advertised minute price the total bill?
No. Its pricing page separates the annual license, EC2 compute and EBS, and the control plane with surrounding AWS services. Published spot estimates are region- and time-dependent. Include every component and actual runtime before comparing with Celesto.
Can RunsOn be cheaper than Celesto?
Yes, depending on EC2 selection, spot rates, utilization, and license amortization. Celesto’s value is a low managed runtime rate without a separate runner license or AWS stack. We have not run a matched performance or network benchmark against RunsOn.
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. RunsOn is a trademark of its owner; Celesto is not affiliated with it.