GitHub larger runners: pricing, specs and who can use them

How much do GitHub larger runners cost?

GitHub’s Linux x64 larger runners cost $0.012 a minute for 4 cores and 16 GB, $0.022 for 8 cores and 32 GB, and up to $0.252 for 96 cores. They are open only to organizations on GitHub Team or Enterprise Cloud, need a payment method on file, and never draw on a plan’s included minutes. Sengi runs the same 4 and 8 vCPU sizes for $0.006 and $0.012 a minute, on AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D bare metal boosting past 5 GHz, on personal repositories too: builds up to 1.9× faster for up to 74% less per build.

Last checked October 23, 2026, against GitHub's Actions runner pricing reference and its larger-runner specifications. Linux x64, USD, per minute.

GitHub larger runner prices and specs

Every Linux x64 larger runner, with its memory, SSD and per-minute rate:

Linux arm64 larger runners are $0.005, $0.008 and $0.014 a minute at 2, 4 and 8 cores; Windows x64 larger runners are $0.022 at 4 cores and $0.042 at 8. The standard runner behind ubuntu-latest on a private repository is 2 vCPU with 8 GB and a 14 GB SSD, at $0.006 a minute. Sources: GitHub's Actions runner pricing reference and larger-runner specifications, checked October 23, 2026. For every GitHub rate and plan allowance, see GitHub Actions pricing in 2026; for the standard runners' specs, public and private, see GitHub Actions runner specs.

Who can use GitHub larger runners?

• Organizations on GitHub Team or Enterprise Cloud. GitHub's runner pricing reference states larger runners are only available to them. A personal account cannot use one.
• With a payment method on file and an Actions spending limit above zero, per GitHub's larger-runner documentation.
• Billed from the first minute. Included minutes cannot be used for larger runners, and each job's minutes are rounded up to the next whole minute.
• Created by an owner. An organization or enterprise owner creates each larger runner, chooses its size and image, and controls which repositories can use it through runner groups. Static IP addresses are available to Enterprise Cloud customers.

What is the alternative to GitHub larger runners?

Sengi’s 4 and 8 vCPU runners: half and 45% under GitHub’s price, on faster hardware, with nothing to create.

• Faster per core and per build. Every job runs on an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D desktop CPU boosting past 5 GHz, on bare metal with local NVMe. Against GitHub’s 4 vCPU runner on RunsOn’s open benchmark harness, run October 9, 2026, Sengi built a production Docker image 1.9× faster at 74% less per build (7m34s against 14m36s; $0.045 against $0.175), with 15× the random-read disk speed.
• Personal repositories at every size. No Team or Enterprise Cloud plan needed.
• Nothing to create. No runner groups or images to set up: put the Sengi label in runs-on.
• A fresh VM for every job, with 2 vCPU jobs ready in 2 seconds and the cache included.

A team running 20,000 minutes a month at 4 vCPU pays $240 on GitHub’s larger runner and $120 on Sengi, before Sengi’s shorter build times cut the minutes further. Sengi includes 3,000 minutes every month. See Sengi runner pricing, the GitHub Actions cost calculator and faster GitHub Actions runners.

How do I move a job off a larger runner?

Change runs-on from the larger runner's name to the Sengi label of the same size, and merge.

jobs:
  build:
-   runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-8core
+   runs-on: sengi-standard-8-ubuntu-2404

Or give your coding agent one prompt and it opens the pull request. See how switching works and the runner comparison.

Frequently asked questions

How much do GitHub larger runners cost?

GitHub lists Linux x64 larger runners at $0.012 a minute for 4 cores, $0.022 for 8, $0.042 for 16, $0.082 for 32, $0.162 for 64 and $0.252 for 96. The 2-core larger runner is $0.006. Windows is $0.022 for 4 cores and $0.042 for 8. Minutes are rounded up per job, and included plan minutes never apply.

What are the specs of GitHub larger runners?

Linux x64 larger runners come with 4 GB of memory per core: 4 cores with 16 GB and a 150 GB SSD, 8 cores with 32 GB and 300 GB, 16 cores with 64 GB and 600 GB, 32 cores with 128 GB and 1,200 GB, 64 cores with 256 GB and 2,040 GB, and 96 cores with 384 GB and 2,040 GB. The 2-core larger runner has 8 GB and a 75 GB SSD.

Can I use GitHub larger runners on a personal account?

No. GitHub makes larger runners available only to organizations and enterprises on the Team or Enterprise Cloud plans, with a payment method on file. Sengi runs its 4 and 8 vCPU runners on personal repositories as well as organization repositories.

Do included minutes apply to larger runners?

No. GitHub's runner pricing reference states that included minutes cannot be used for larger runners, so every larger-runner minute is billed from the first one.

What is a cheaper alternative to GitHub larger runners?

Sengi. Its 4 vCPU, 16 GB runner costs $0.006 a minute against GitHub's $0.012, and its 8 vCPU, 32 GB runner $0.012 against $0.022, on AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D bare metal boosting past 5 GHz. Against GitHub's 4-core runner on RunsOn's open benchmark harness, it built a production Docker image 1.9× faster at 74% less per build.

How do I use a larger runner in a workflow?

An organization owner creates the larger runner in the organization's settings, picks its size and image, and gives it a name; workflows then put that name in runs-on. With Sengi there is nothing to create: put sengi-standard-4-ubuntu-2404 or sengi-standard-8-ubuntu-2404 in runs-on.