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Buildkite vs Dagger: Pricing Comparison 2026

Side-by-side pricing comparison of Buildkite and Dagger. See all plans, features, and costs at a glance.

Bottom line: Buildkite starts at $30/mo, making it $20/mo cheaper than Dagger ($50/mo). Buildkite offers a free plan.

Last updated: July 2, 2026

Data compiled by Arthur Jacquemin
Updated July 2, 2026
Try Buildkite freeTry Dagger freeUpdated this monthUpdated this month

Buildkite vs Dagger: Quick Pricing Facts

FeatureBuildkiteDagger
Starting Price$30/mo$50/mo
Number of Plans33
Free TierYesYes
Pricing Modelper-seatopen-source
Annual DiscountN/AN/A

Buildkite is the more affordable option, starting at $30/mo compared to Dagger's $50/mo. Both are Dev Tools with 6 combined pricing plans and 23 features compared.

Both tools offer free plans, making them accessible for teams on a budget. Buildkite uses per-seat pricing while Dagger uses open-source pricing, which may affect your total cost at scale.

Review the detailed tier-by-tier comparison above to see exactly which features are included at each price point and find the best fit for your Dev Tools needs.

Pricing Plans
Buildkite
Buildkite
Try free
Dagger
Dagger
Try free
Tier 1
Personal
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • 3 concurrent jobs (hosted+self-hosted) per org/mo
  • 50k test executions/mo
  • 1GB storage & bandwidth (combined)/mo
  • 500 minutes/month
Free
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Observability for one
  • Community Support
Tier 2
ProPopular
$30/monthCheapest
$30 / year
Includes
  • 10 concurrent self-hosted agents per org/mo
  • Unlimited test executions
  • 250 managed tests per org/mo
  • 20GB storage & bandwidth (combined) per org/mo
  • 2,000 minutes/month
  • SSO
  • Priority email support
Team
$50/month
$4 / year
Includes
  • Observability and module sharing for up to 10 users
  • Email Support
Tier 3
Enterprise
Custom pricing
Includes
  • Build the perfect plan for your business
  • Unlimited pipelines
  • Volume discounts
  • Advanced governance & control
  • Custom SCIM, SAML, ADFS
  • User & API activity audit logs
  • Build exports
Enterprise
Custom pricing
Includes
  • Enterprise-level confidence and support for teams running Dagger at scale

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Buildkite

CI/CD platform running builds on your own infrastructure

View all Buildkite plans

Dagger

Programmable CI/CD engine running pipelines in containers

View all Dagger plans

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Buildkite if:

  • You need a full CI/CD orchestration platform with a managed control plane and hosted dashboard
  • Build agent management at scale across multiple pipelines and teams is the requirement
  • You want Buildkite's enterprise features: RBAC, secrets, and audit logs

Choose Dagger if:

  • You want portable, container-native pipelines that run identically locally and in CI
  • Standardizing how your team defines builds across platforms with Dagger's caching matters
  • You want CI/CD portability that works inside Buildkite, GitHub Actions, or any other runner

Dagger can run inside Buildkite Pipelines - they're complementary. Dagger provides the portable pipeline definition; Buildkite provides the orchestration and agents. Dagger is open source with a cloud tier. Buildkite starts at $350/month. For teams on Buildkite, adding Dagger improves pipeline portability without replacing the platform.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Buildkite vs Dagger

Which is cheaper, Buildkite or Dagger?
As of July 2026, Buildkite starts at a lower price point. Buildkite starts at $30/mo while Dagger starts at $50/mo. However, the best value depends on the features you need at each tier.
How many pricing plans does Buildkite have vs Dagger?
Buildkite offers 3 pricing plans, while Dagger offers 3 plans. More plans typically means more flexibility to match your exact needs and budget.
Does Buildkite or Dagger offer a free plan?
Yes, both Buildkite and Dagger offer free plans. Compare the feature limits of each free tier to see which better fits your use case before upgrading.
Can I save money by paying annually for Buildkite or Dagger?
Both Buildkite and Dagger offer annual billing options. Check each plan's yearly pricing for potential savings compared to monthly billing.
What is the most popular Buildkite plan?
The Pro plan is Buildkite's most popular tier, priced at $30/mo. Key features include 10 concurrent self-hosted agents per org/mo, Unlimited test executions, 250 managed tests per org/mo.
Does Buildkite or Dagger offer custom enterprise pricing?
Yes, both Buildkite and Dagger offer custom enterprise pricing tiers with quote-based pricing. Contact each vendor for a tailored quote.
What pricing models do Buildkite and Dagger use?
Buildkite uses a per-seat pricing model, while Dagger uses open-source pricing. The right model depends on your team size and usage patterns.
AI Recommendations

Sources

  1. Buildkite Official Pricing- Vendor pricing page
  2. Dagger Official Pricing- Vendor pricing page

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