CircleCI pricing explained (2026): credits, add-ons & real cost
CircleCI's "from $15/month" headline hides a credit-based model with several add-ons. Here's how the plans, credits and extra fees actually work in 2026 — and what they add up to.
CircleCI bills in credits — its unit of compute, ~$0.0006 each, consumed per second by machine type. The base plans:
- Free → $0, 30,000 credits/mo (~6,000 Linux min), 5 users, credits expire monthly.
- Performance → from $15/mo, 30,000 credits, +$15/user, +$15 per 25,000 credits.
- Scale → custom enterprise (~$2,000+/mo). Server → self-hosted.
The plans
CircleCI plans at a glance
| Plan | Price | Included | Users | Concurrency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 30,000 credits/mo (~6,000 Linux min) | up to 5 | 30x |
| Performance | from $15/mo | 30,000 credits; +$15 per 25,000 | 5 incl., +$15 each | 80x |
| Scale | custom (~$2,000+/mo) | 500,000+ credits | custom | unlimited |
| Server | custom | self-hosted, behind your firewall | — | — |
Source: CircleCI pricing & price list. Compiled June 2026.
The fine print
The add-ons that surprise people
Docker Layer Caching
200 credits per job run (~$0.12). At 500 runs/month that's about $60 just in DLC — a common hidden line item for container-heavy pipelines.
macOS minutes
macOS machines cost 100–300 credits/min (~$0.06–$0.18) and aren't on the Free plan — expensive for iOS/macOS build farms.
IP ranges & data
The IP ranges feature costs 450 credits/GB of data, and network/storage overage runs 420 credits/GB (~$0.252/GB).
Expiring free credits
Free-plan credits don't roll over — unused capacity is lost monthly. Only purchased paid credits roll over (and expire after a year).
A worked example
What a real month can look like
8-person team, container pipeline
- Performance base: $15/mo (includes 5 users).
- 3 extra users × $15 = $45/mo.
- Docker Layer Caching at ~500 runs/mo (200 credits each) ≈ $60/mo.
- Compute beyond the included 30,000 credits — variable, billed at $15 per 25,000.
Even before extra compute, the "$15/month" headline is closer to $120/month for a modest team — and the compute line moves every month. That unpredictability, not the base rate, is what sends teams looking.
The alternative
Flat pricing you can forecast
Buddy charges flat per-seat plans plus visible pipeline GB-minutes — Free €0, Pro €29/mo, Hyper €99/mo — with caching included rather than billed per run. You get a number you can budget against before the month starts.
Keep reading
Related CircleCI guides
Common questions
Frequently asked
How much does CircleCI cost in 2026?
CircleCI's Free plan is $0 with 30,000 credits/month (about 6,000 Linux build minutes) for up to 5 active users. The Performance plan starts at $15/month with 30,000 credits included, extra users at $15/month each, and extra credits at $15 per 25,000 (about $0.0006 per credit). The Scale plan is custom enterprise pricing, and a self-hosted Server option is also available.
What is a CircleCI credit?
A credit is CircleCI's unit of compute, consumed by the second at a rate that depends on the machine type and resource class a job uses. Credits cost about $0.0006 each. Because consumption scales with machine size and run time, the monthly total is harder to predict than a flat per-minute or per-seat plan.
Why is my CircleCI bill higher than expected?
Usually because of add-ons and machine choice: Docker Layer Caching costs 200 credits per job run (~$0.12), macOS machines run 100–300 credits/min, IP ranges cost 450 credits/GB, and network/storage overage is 420 credits/GB. Larger resource classes also burn credits faster. These stack on top of the base plan and per-user fees.
Do CircleCI free credits roll over?
No. On the Free plan the 30,000 monthly credits expire at the end of each month and do not roll over. Paid (purchased) credits do roll over month to month and expire after a year.
Is flat pricing cheaper than CircleCI credits?
Not always, but it is more predictable. A flat per-seat platform like Buddy (Free €0, Pro €29/mo, Hyper €99/mo plus pipeline GB-minutes) gives you a fixed number to budget against, where CircleCI's credits move with usage. For teams burned by surprise bills, predictability is often worth more than the headline rate.