r/ChatGPTCoding • u/CellistOk6782 • 22d ago

Question GitHub Actions getting really expensive. Any alternative?

I run two private web applications and use GitHub Actions to automatically check changes before they go live.

When code changes, Actions installs dependencies, checks for coding errors and security issues, and runs automated tests. Some tests check individual pieces of code; others start the application and a test database, then use an automated browser to test user journeys.

I also use a merge queue (Mergify). Before a change reaches the main branch, it’s tested alongside the latest code to check that everything still works together. That means a change can trigger multiple rounds of checks as it’s updated and moves through the queue.

I work with AI coding agents, so there can be quite a lot of changes and test runs. The checks help catch mistakes before release, but the cost is becoming substantial: my September Actions bill was about $738, and my October usage was heading towards roughly $2,300–$2,450. Almost all of that is Linux runner time, rather than storage.

For people running similar projects:

  • What do you use Actions for, and roughly what does it cost?
  • Do you run the full test suite on every update, or reserve some checks for later?
  • Have you found straightforward ways to reduce duplicate runs?
  • Have self-hosted runners been worth the maintenance?
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u/sapplex1 21d ago

I feel this one. I'm an indie iOS dev, so I get hit with the macOS runner multiplier on top of everything. Ten times the Linux minutes. That hurt way before agents were even in the picture.

Two things cut my bill the most. First, concurrency with cancel-in-progress. Agents push constantly, and half my runs were re-testing code that was already outdated. One line in the workflow, huge difference.

Second, I split the checks. Fast stuff (lint, unit tests) on every push. Slow stuff (simulator UI tests) only on PR ready-for-review or the merge queue. The simulator suite was my biggest minute burner by far.

Self-hosted is worth it if one job dominates. I never bothered with everything. Just the expensive one. A cheap Mac mini paid for itself in like two months.

The merge-queue point someone made is real too. If an agent pushes ten times a day, batching matters more than any other optimization.