WarpBuild alternative: Sengi vs WarpBuild for GitHub Actions runners
What is the best WarpBuild alternative for GitHub Actions runners?
Sengi. Every job runs on an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D desktop CPU boosting past 5 GHz, on bare metal with local NVMe, in a fresh VM for every job, and 2 vCPU jobs start on a pre-booted VM in 2 seconds. Builds finish up to 1.9× faster than on GitHub’s runners, for up to 74% less per build. Against WarpBuild, every minute costs 25% less: $0.003 against $0.004 at 2 vCPU, $0.006 against $0.008 at 4 and $0.012 against $0.016 at 8. The same Rust, TypeScript and Docker builds cost $0.069 on Sengi against $0.097 on WarpBuild, and the cache is included instead of metered.
Last checked October 23, 2026, against WarpBuild's pricing page. Linux x64, USD, list prices per minute.
How do Sengi and WarpBuild compare?
Both keep your CI in GitHub Actions and replace the machine behind runs-on. Here is where they differ.
| Buyer question | Sengi | WarpBuild |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D desktop CPUs boosting past 5 GHz, on bare metal, with local NVMe at 296k random-read IOPS. A fresh VM for every job; 2 vCPU jobs ready in 2 seconds. | Cloud runners; the CPU model is not listed on WarpBuild's pricing page. |
| Price per minute, x64 | $0.003 at 2 vCPU / 8 GB, 25% less. 4 vCPU: $0.006. 8 vCPU: $0.012. | $0.004 at 2 vCPU / 8 GB. 4 vCPU: $0.008. 8 vCPU: $0.016. |
| Cache | Included: actions/cache, the setup actions' caches and Docker layer caching, with no per-GB or per-operation charge. | $0.20 per GB-month of storage, plus $0.0001 per cache write or restore. |
| Rust, TypeScript and Docker builds, 4 vCPU | $0.069 for all three. RunsOn's open benchmark harness, run on Sengi October 9, 2026. | $0.097, RunsOn's published result. |
| Personal repositories | Yes, at every size. | Not stated on WarpBuild's pricing page. |
WarpBuild figures: WarpBuild's pricing page, checked October 23, 2026.
What does Sengi cost against WarpBuild?
| Size, Linux x64 | WarpBuild | Sengi | Sengi saves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 vCPU, 8 GB | $0.004 | $0.003 | 25% |
| 4 vCPU, 16 GB | $0.008 | $0.006 | 25% |
| 8 vCPU, 32 GB | $0.016 | $0.012 | 25% |
A team running 20,000 minutes a month at 4 vCPU pays $120 on Sengi against $160 at WarpBuild's rate, before WarpBuild's cache storage and operation charges, which Sengi does not have. 3,000 minutes are included on Sengi every month. Try your own numbers in the GitHub Actions cost calculator, or see Sengi runner pricing.
The same builds cost less in total, too. On RunsOn's open benchmark harness at 4 vCPU, a Rust build, a TypeScript typecheck and a production Docker image cost $0.069 together on Sengi against $0.097 on WarpBuild in RunsOn's published results. See every provider in the GitHub Actions runner comparison.
How fast is Sengi?
Against GitHub’s runner of the same size on RunsOn’s open benchmark harness at 4 vCPU, Sengi builds a production Docker image 1.9× faster at 74% less per build, with 15× the random-read disk speed (296k against 19.6k IOPS). On the same 2 vCPU as GitHub’s ubuntu-latest, it delivers up to 3× the multi-core and 1.65× the single-core CPU. More in faster GitHub Actions runners.
How do I switch from WarpBuild to Sengi?
Change runs-on from the WarpBuild x64 label to the Sengi label of the same size, and merge.
jobs:
build:
runs-on: sengi-standard-4-ubuntu-2404 # or sengi-standard-2-ubuntu-2404, sengi-standard-8-ubuntu-2404Your cache steps keep working, served from Sengi's own cache. Or give your coding agent one prompt and it opens the pull request. See how switching works. Switching back is one revert.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best WarpBuild alternative for GitHub Actions runners?
Sengi. Every job runs on an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D desktop CPU boosting past 5 GHz, on bare metal with local NVMe, in a fresh VM; 2 vCPU jobs start on a pre-booted VM in 2 seconds. Each minute costs 25% less than WarpBuild's x64 runners at every size, $0.003 against $0.004 at 2 vCPU, and the cache is included rather than metered.
How much does WarpBuild cost?
WarpBuild lists its Linux x64 runners at $0.004 a minute for 2 vCPU and 8 GB, $0.008 for 4 vCPU and 16 GB and $0.016 for 8 vCPU and 32 GB, billed per minute. Cache storage is $0.20 per GB-month plus $0.0001 per cache write or restore. Sengi charges $0.003, $0.006 and $0.012 for the same sizes, cache included.
Is Sengi cheaper than WarpBuild?
Yes. Sengi is 25% under WarpBuild per minute at 2, 4 and 8 vCPU on Linux x64. On RunsOn's open benchmark harness, the same Rust, TypeScript and Docker builds at 4 vCPU cost $0.069 in total on Sengi against $0.097 on WarpBuild.
WarpBuild vs Blacksmith: which costs less?
They list the same x64 rates: $0.004, $0.008 and $0.016 a minute at 2, 4 and 8 vCPU. Sengi is $0.003, $0.006 and $0.012, 25% under both, and includes Docker layer caching, which WarpBuild meters per GB-month and per operation and Blacksmith sells at $0.50 per GB per month.
Does Sengi charge for cache reads and writes?
No. actions/cache, the setup actions' caches and Docker layer caching through type=gha are served from Sengi's own cache with no per-GB and no per-operation charge.
How do I switch from WarpBuild to Sengi?
Change runs-on from the WarpBuild x64 label to the Sengi label of the same size, sengi-standard-2-ubuntu-2404, sengi-standard-4-ubuntu-2404 or sengi-standard-8-ubuntu-2404, and merge. Your coding agent can open the pull request for you from the Sengi prompt.
The fastest hardware for your GitHub Actions.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D desktop CPUs boosting past 5 GHz, on bare metal with local NVMe, a fresh VM for every job, and 2 vCPU jobs ready in 2 seconds. Builds finish up to 1.9× faster than on GitHub’s runners, and at up to half GitHub’s price per minute they cost up to 74% less per build. Change one runs-on line, or give your coding agent one prompt and it opens the pull request for you.