# Tenki vs Depot (https://tenki.cloud/docs/runners/comparisons/tenki-vs-depot)

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://tenki.cloud/llms.txt)

How Tenki and Depot compare on price, performance, free tier, macOS support, and migration.



Tenki vs Depot: at a glance [#tenki-vs-depot-at-a-glance]

Tenki and Depot both offer faster-than-GitHub CI infrastructure, but solve slightly different problems. Tenki is a full drop-in replacement for GitHub-hosted runners built on bare-metal x64 and Apple Silicon M4 Pro hardware, priced at $0.004 per minute for a 2 vCPU / 4 GB standard runner, with $10 in free credit per month for every workspace. Depot began as a faster Docker-image builder with distributed remote caching and later added GitHub Actions runners; its focus remains Docker-first workflows and build caching.

This page summarises the practical differences so you can choose the right tool for your workload.

How we compared [#how-we-compared]

* **Sources**: Tenki numbers come from this site's product, pricing, and docs pages. Depot numbers come from [depot.dev/pricing](https://depot.dev/pricing), [depot.dev/products/github-actions](https://depot.dev/products/github-actions), and Depot's public documentation, captured on the "Last updated" date shown above the table of contents.
* **Pricing**: we cite Tenki's standard 2 vCPU / 4 GB Linux per-minute rate verbatim. Where Depot's pricing depends on profile selection, we link to Depot's pricing page rather than restating a number that may differ across plans.
* **Performance**: this page does not run head-to-head perf benchmarks. Tenki's runner numbers are documented separately in [the runner benchmarks](/docs/runners/benchmarks) with full methodology (hardware, baseline, cache state, sample size). Depot's performance claims are restated from Depot's marketing copy where cited.
* **Updates**: we re-verify Depot's pricing and product scope each quarter and on every update to this page. Changes are visible via the `dateModified` shown above and in this repository's git history.

Quick comparison [#quick-comparison]

| Dimension             | Tenki                                          | Depot                                                                   |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Core product          | Full GitHub Actions runner replacement         | Remote Docker build cache + GitHub Actions runners                      |
| Hardware              | Bare-metal x64 and Apple Silicon M4 Pro        | AWS bare-metal / EC2                                                    |
| Standard runner price | $0.004/min (2 vCPU / 4 GB Linux)               | See [depot.dev/pricing](https://depot.dev/pricing)                      |
| Free tier             | $10 in free credit per month, renewed monthly  | See Depot's current free-tier terms                                     |
| macOS runners         | Apple M4 Pro bare-metal                        | Linux-first; check availability                                         |
| Isolation             | Ephemeral microVM per job                      | Build-sandbox per job                                                   |
| Primary pitch         | Full workflow replacement with bare-metal perf | Fastest Docker builds with shared remote cache                          |
| Migration effort      | One-line `runs-on` change                      | One-line `runs-on` change (for runners); separate setup for build cache |
| AI code review        | Included product (Tenki Code Reviewer)         | Not offered                                                             |

When to choose Tenki [#when-to-choose-tenki]

* You want to replace GitHub-hosted runners wholesale with bare-metal capacity.
* You need macOS runners (M4 Pro) alongside Linux.
* You care about microVM-level isolation between jobs.
* You want AI-powered pull-request review as part of the same product.
* You want $10 in free credit every month to evaluate.

When to choose Depot [#when-to-choose-depot]

* Docker image builds are your bottleneck and you want an optimised remote build cache.
* You're already invested in Depot's caching layer and want to consolidate runners with it.
* You need AWS-hosted runners for regulatory or data-gravity reasons.

Migration [#migration]

Migrating to Tenki takes one line in your workflow YAML:

```yaml
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: tenki-standard-medium-4c-8g # was: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
      - run: ./scripts/build.sh
```

No other workflow changes are required. See the [Runners Quickstart](/docs/runners/quick-start-runners) for the full walkthrough including the two-click Migration Wizard.

FAQ [#faq]

Is Tenki cheaper than Depot? [#is-tenki-cheaper-than-depot]

On the standard 2 vCPU / 4 GB Linux profile, Tenki is $0.004 per minute. Depot's current pricing is published at [depot.dev/pricing](https://depot.dev/pricing), compare the specific profile you run. Both are substantially cheaper than GitHub-hosted runners.

Can I use Tenki and Depot together? [#can-i-use-tenki-and-depot-together]

Yes. Tenki's runners work with any third-party GitHub Action, including Depot's build-cache actions. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Does Tenki support macOS? [#does-tenki-support-macos]

Yes. Tenki operates Apple M4 Pro bare-metal macOS runners for iOS, macOS, and cross-platform CI/CD workflows. Depot's macOS availability should be checked on its pricing page.

How does isolation differ? [#how-does-isolation-differ]

Tenki runs every job in an ephemeral microVM that is destroyed immediately after the job finishes, no persistent state between runs, no noisy-neighbor interference. Depot uses its own build-sandbox per job.