How does the free tier minute multiplier work?

GitHub deducts from your free minutes with multipliers: 1× for Linux, 2× for Windows, and 10× for macOS. So 100 macOS minutes consume 1,000 of your free quota. This means free tiers last much shorter with non-Linux runners.

Are GitHub-hosted larger runners more cost-effective?

Larger runners (4-core, 8-core) cost more per minute but complete builds faster. If a 2-core build takes 20 minutes and a 4-core build takes 8 minutes, the 4-core option costs 80% as much while finishing 2.5× faster.

Can I mix self-hosted and GitHub-hosted runners?

Yes, you can set runner labels per job. Many teams use self-hosted for heavy workloads (macOS builds, GPU tasks) and GitHub-hosted for lighter jobs, optimizing cost without managing all infrastructure.

Do organization-level minutes pool across repos?

Yes, minutes are billed at the organization or account level, not per repository. All repos under an organization share the same free minute allocation and billing. This enables centralized cost management.

How are partial minutes billed?

GitHub rounds up each job to the nearest minute. A 30-second job is billed as 1 minute. This makes many short jobs more expensive than fewer longer ones. Consider combining quick checks into single jobs.

What happens when free minutes run out?

Once free minutes are exhausted, all subsequent usage is billed at the per-minute rate for each OS type. GitHub sends email notifications as you approach your free tier limit. You can set spending limits to cap costs.

GitHub Actions Minutes Calculator

Calculate GitHub Actions costs by OS type. Estimate Linux, Windows, and macOS runner minutes with free tier deductions.

GitHub Plan

Linux Minutes/Month

min

Windows Minutes/Month

min

macOS Minutes/Month

min

Workflows per Month

Avg Duration (min)

min

Artifact Storage

Total Monthly Cost

$112.75

Compute $112.00 + Storage $0.75

Annual Estimate

$1,353.00

12-month projection at current usage

Linux Cost

$64.00

8,000.00 min at $0.008/min

Windows Cost

$32.00

2,000.00 min at $0.016/min (2x multiplier)

macOS Cost

$40.00

500.00 min at $0.08/min (10x multiplier)

Free Tier Savings

$24.00

3,000.00 free Linux-equiv minutes included

Cost per Workflow

$0.09

Across 1,200.00 workflow runs

Effective $/Minute

$0.0107

Blended rate across all runner types

Cost Breakdown by Runner OS

Linux

$64.00 (0.47%)

Windows

$32.00 (0.24%)

macOS

$40.00 (0.29%)

Annual Cost Projection

Period	Compute	Storage	Total
1 Month	$112.00	$0.75	$112.75
3 Months	$336.00	$2.25	$338.25
6 Months	$672.00	$4.50	$676.50
12 Months	$1,344.00	$9.00	$1,353.00

GitHub Actions Runner Rate Card

Runner Type	Per Minute	Multiplier	Per Hour	730-hr Month
Linux (2-core)	$0.008	1x	$0.48	$350.40
Linux (4-core)	$0.016	2x	$0.96	$700.80
Linux (8-core)	$0.032	4x	$1.92	$1,401.60
Linux (16-core)	$0.064	8x	$3.84	$2,803.20
Linux (32-core)	$0.128	16x	$7.68	$5,606.40
Linux (64-core)	$0.256	32x	$15.36	$11,212.80
Windows (2-core)	$0.016	2x	$0.96	$700.80
Windows (4-core)	$0.032	4x	$1.92	$1,401.60
Windows (8-core)	$0.064	8x	$3.84	$2,803.20
macOS (3-core)	$0.080	10x	$4.80	$3,504.00
macOS (12-core)	$0.120	15x	$7.20	$5,256.00

Plan Comparison

Plan	Free Minutes	Free Storage	Your Cost
Free	2,000.00	0.5 GB	$121.13/mo
Team (current)	3,000.00	2 GB	$112.75/mo
Enterprise	50,000.00	50 GB	$0.00/mo

Planning notes, formulas, and examples

About the GitHub Actions Minutes Calculator

GitHub Actions billing varies dramatically by runner operating system. Linux runners cost $0.008 per minute, Windows runners cost $0.016, and macOS runners cost $0.08 — a 10× difference between the cheapest and most expensive. This calculator helps you estimate your monthly GitHub Actions bill by OS usage.

GitHub provides free minutes for all accounts: 2,000 minutes on Free plans, 3,000 on Pro, and 50,000 on Enterprise. However, Windows minutes consume 2× and macOS minutes consume 10× from your free allowance, so the effective free allocation shrinks quickly with non-Linux runners.

Understanding these multipliers helps you make strategic decisions about which jobs run on which OS, potentially saving hundreds of dollars per month by moving platform-agnostic work to Linux runners.

When This Page Helps

GitHub Actions costs can surprise teams that use macOS or Windows runners heavily. This calculator shows the true cost after free tier deductions and by OS breakdown, helping you decide where to invest in self-hosted runners or cross-compilation strategies.

How to Use the Inputs

Enter the number of Linux runner minutes used per month.
Enter the number of Windows runner minutes per month.
Enter the number of macOS runner minutes per month.
Enter your plan's free minutes allowance (2,000 for Free, 3,000 for Pro).
Review the cost breakdown by OS and total monthly bill.
Experiment with shifting workloads between OS types to minimize costs.

Formula used

Linux Cost = linux_minutes × $0.008
Windows Cost = windows_minutes × $0.016
macOS Cost = macos_minutes × $0.08
Free Tier Usage = linux_min + (windows_min × 2) + (macos_min × 10)
Billable = max(0, total_cost − free_tier_value)

Example Calculation

Result: $47.20/month

Linux: 5,000 × $0.008 = $40.00. Windows: 1,000 × $0.016 = $16.00. macOS: 200 × $0.08 = $16.00. Gross total is $72.00. Free tier covers 3,000 equivalent minutes ($24.00 value). Net billable is $72.00 − $24.00 = $48.00.

Tips & Best Practices

Move platform-agnostic jobs (linting, type checking) to Linux runners to save up to 10×.
Use self-hosted macOS runners for heavy iOS/macOS builds to avoid $0.08/min charges.
Cache dependencies to reduce minutes consumed per build cycle.
Use larger runners for faster builds — sometimes 2× cost but 3× speed saves money overall.
Set up spending limits in GitHub to avoid bill surprises.
Schedule non-critical builds (like nightly) during off-peak times on self-hosted runners.

GitHub Actions Pricing Model

GitHub Actions uses a consumption-based pricing model where you pay per minute of runner time. The rates differ significantly by operating system, reflecting the underlying infrastructure costs. Linux runners are cheapest because they run on shared cloud infrastructure, while macOS runners require dedicated Apple hardware.

Optimizing Your GitHub Actions Bill

The most impactful optimization is moving work to Linux runners wherever possible. Cross-compilation, Docker-based builds, and platform-agnostic tasks should all run on Linux. Reserve Windows and macOS runners exclusively for platform-specific testing that cannot run elsewhere.

Self-Hosted Runner Economics

At approximately 5,000+ macOS minutes per month, a dedicated Mac mini ($599–$799) pays for itself in 1–2 months versus GitHub-hosted macOS runners. For Windows, the break-even point is higher due to the lower per-minute cost, but self-hosted still saves at scale.

Sources & Methodology

Last updated: February 8, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

GitHub deducts from your free minutes with multipliers: 1× for Linux, 2× for Windows, and 10× for macOS. So 100 macOS minutes consume 1,000 of your free quota. This means free tiers last much shorter with non-Linux runners.