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CircleCI vs Pulumi: Pricing Comparison 2026

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

Bottom line: CircleCI starts at $15/mo, making it $25/mo cheaper than Pulumi ($40/mo). CircleCI offers a free plan.

Last updated: March 16, 2026

Data compiled by Arthur Jacquemin
Updated March 16, 2026

CircleCI vs Pulumi: Quick Pricing Facts

FeatureCircleCIPulumi
Starting Price$15/mo$40/mo
Number of Plans34
Free TierYesYes
Pricing Modelusage-basedusage-based
Annual DiscountN/AN/A

CircleCI is the more affordable option, starting at $15/mo compared to Pulumi's $40/mo. Both are Dev Tools with 7 combined pricing plans and 28 features compared.

Both tools offer free plans, making them accessible for teams on a budget.

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
CircleCI
CircleCI
Try it free
Tier 1
Free
$0/monthCheapest
Start with Free
Individual
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • IaC state management
  • Unlimited projects, stacks, and environments
  • Unlimited updates and history
  • 500 free deployments minutes
Start with Individual
Tier 2
Performance
$15/monthCheapest
Start with Performance
Team
$40/month
Includes
  • Up to 10 users
  • Secure collaboration and CI/CD
  • AI assistance with Pulumi Neo
  • Resource search
  • OIDC and Org Access Tokens
  • Webhooks
  • Automatic secrets rotation
  • Community support
Start with Team
Tier 3
Scale
Custom pricing
Start with Scale
Enterprise
$400/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Unlimited users
  • SAML/SSO and RBAC
  • Internal developer platform (IDP)
  • Audit logs
  • Drift detection and remediation
  • Time-to-live stacks
  • Customer Managed Keys
  • Priority feature requests
  • 12x5 Enterprise Support available
Start with Enterprise
Tier 4
Business Critical
Custom pricing
Includes
  • Self-hosting available
  • Built-in compliance (NIST, PCI, and more)
  • Automatic group & user sync (SCIM)
  • Audit logs export
  • Volume pricing and invoicing
  • Private Slack and Professional Services
  • 24x7 Enterprise Support available
Start with Business Critical

Swipe to compare plans →

CircleCI

Continuous integration and delivery platform

View all CircleCI plans

Pulumi

Infrastructure as code using real programming languages

View all Pulumi plans
Our Pick

Pulumi

Pulumi offers a free plan, offers 4 tiers vs 3.

Based on pricing data only. Review the full comparison below for your specific needs.

Best value: Pulumi

Try Pulumi free

Which Should You Choose?

Choose CircleCI if:

  • You want lower per-user costs—CircleCI starts at $15/mo, saving $25/mo compared to Pulumi at $40/mo
  • You prefer CircleCI's free tier features—features
  • You want CircleCI's approach to incremental feature unlocking across its 3 pricing tiers

Choose Pulumi if:

  • You prefer Pulumi's free tier features—IaC state management, Unlimited projects, stacks, and environments
  • You need 4 pricing tiers for flexible team sizing—more options mean less overpaying for features you don't need
  • You want more features built-in—Pulumi offers 28 additional features across its plans

Both CircleCI and Pulumi offer free plans [1], eliminating cost barriers for evaluation. This means you can test both tools thoroughly with your actual workflows before any financial commitment. The free tiers differ in scope: CircleCI includes multiple features, while Pulumi includes 4 features. Evaluate which free tier matches your evaluation needs before deciding to upgrade. Your best approach is to activate both free trials and evaluate which tool's workflow, integrations, and user experience align better with your team's needs before committing to paid plans.

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Frequently Asked Questions: CircleCI vs Pulumi

Which is cheaper, CircleCI or Pulumi?
As of March 2026, CircleCI starts at a lower price point. CircleCI starts at $15/mo while Pulumi starts at $40/mo. However, the best value depends on the features you need at each tier.
How many pricing plans does CircleCI have vs Pulumi?
CircleCI offers 3 pricing plans, while Pulumi offers 4 plans. More plans typically means more flexibility to match your exact needs and budget.
Does CircleCI or Pulumi offer a free plan?
Yes, both CircleCI and Pulumi offer free plans. Compare the feature limits of each free tier to see which better fits your use case before upgrading.
Does CircleCI or Pulumi offer custom enterprise pricing?
Yes, both CircleCI and Pulumi offer custom enterprise pricing tiers with quote-based pricing. Contact each vendor for a tailored quote.
How do CircleCI and Pulumi compare for Dev Tools?
Both CircleCI and Pulumi are Dev Tools. CircleCI offers 3 plans starting at $15/mo, while Pulumi offers 4 plans starting at $40/mo. Review the feature breakdowns above to see which better fits your Dev Tools needs.

Sources

  1. CircleCI Official PricingVendor pricing page
  2. Pulumi Official PricingVendor pricing page

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