Depot
Remote container builds and fast CI runners with persistent caching on real hardware.
why this verdict
Keep paying — Microsoft has not replaced it
Microsoft's version overlaps, but does not finish the dev tools job, so this one still earns its $20/mo.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- GitHub Actions larger runners and Copilot-era CI bundled into the platform. Microsoft, May 19, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers not the job editorial call
- Parts of it. The job still needs the tool to get finished.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 1 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Buildkite.
- What the call is worth $240/yr
- $20/mo at the entry paid tier — $240 a year per seat.
- Threatened by
- Microsoft
- Since
- May 19, 2025
- List price
- $20/mo
- Per year
- $240
The backstory
Depot runs Docker builds and CI jobs on fast machines with a persistent shared cache, which often cuts build times dramatically compared with default hosted runners. GitHub sells larger runners and keeps folding more of the pipeline into the platform, which competes directly. Depot wins on the thing teams actually feel, which is wall-clock build time, and agent-driven development means far more builds per day. Faster iteration is worth more now, not less.
Escape hatches
Drop-in faster GitHub Actions runners with caching
blacksmith.sh open_in_newRemote build and test infrastructure with fast caching
namespace.so open_in_newCI orchestration running agents on your own machines
buildkite.com open_in_new1 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.
