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Cirrus CI

Cirrus CI — Cloud-native CI service with support for Linux, macOS, Windows, and FreeBSD using YAML-based pipelines.

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Our Verdict

The best CI for cross-OS testing, especially if you actually need FreeBSD or macOS M-series.

Pros

  • Real macOS, Linux, Windows, FreeBSD runners in one service
  • Generous free tier for OSS
  • Clean YAML config with powerful matrix support
  • Fast startup times on Google Cloud backend

Cons

  • Private repo pricing changed and broke trust for some
  • Smaller ecosystem than GitHub Actions
  • Docs can be thin for advanced scenarios
  • Third-party integrations limited
Best for: OSS projects and cross-platform tools needing FreeBSD, macOS, and Linux in one pipeline. Not for: Teams fully inside GitHub who want the default Actions workflow.

When to Use Cirrus CI

Good fit if you need

  • Cloud-native CI for Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD
  • Persistent worker support for self-hosted CI on own infra
  • Task parallelism with Docker containers or VMs
  • Free tier for open-source projects with YAML pipelines

Cirrus CI Pricing

Pricing Model
freemium
Free Tier
Yes
Entry Price
Enterprise Available
No
Transparency Score

Beta — estimates may differ from actual pricing

1,000
1001K10K100K1M

Estimated Monthly Cost

$25

Estimated Annual Cost

$300

Estimates are approximate and may not reflect current pricing. Always check the official pricing page.

Lock-in Assessment

Low 4/5
Lock-in Score
4/5

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Community Discussion

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