Buildkite Agent vs Gitea Act Runner
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted ci/cd & build options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Buildkite Agent
Self-hosted CI/CD agent for your own infrastructure
VS
Gitea Act Runner
CI/CD runner for Gitea Actions
| Feature | Buildkite Agent | Gitea Act Runner |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,035 | ★ 800 |
| First released | 2014 | 2023 |
| Replaces | GitHub Actions, CircleCI | GitHub Actions |
Why pick each one
Choose Buildkite Agent if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Choose Gitea Act Runner if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Buildkite Agent or Gitea Act Runner better?
Neither is universally better. Buildkite Agent has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Buildkite Agent and Gitea Act Runner free and open-source?
Yes. Buildkite Agent is licensed under MIT and Gitea Act Runner under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Buildkite Agent and Gitea Act Runner with Docker?
Buildkite Agent: yes. Gitea Act Runner: yes.