Written by Masaki Sato
For teams using CI/CD, the specs of the build machine can have a significant impact on development productivity. Faster builds mean shorter fix-and-verify cycles, which speed up the overall development process. However, it’s hard to know how fast each CI/CD service actually is without comparing them under the same conditions.
In this article, I compare the iOS build speeds of GitHub Actions, Bitrise, and Codemagic using the same Flutter project, and compare them in terms of cost-performance as well.
Benchmark Conditions
Test Subject
For this benchmark, I used the open-source meditation app Medito. It has many reviews on the store, making it a production-level Flutter app of sufficient scale.
Measurement Method
I ran an iOS release build equivalent to flutter build ios --release --no-codesign on each service, and compared the total time from workflow start to finish.
Build logs for each run are available via the public links below.
Build Speed Benchmark
Let’s look at the benchmark results for each service.
GitHub Actions
GitHub Actions is a CI/CD service provided by GitHub, known for its seamless integration with GitHub repositories. The standard macOS runner (macos-15) offers Apple M1, 3-core CPU, 7GB RAM.
Build time: 16 min 10 sec
See the build log for details.
Bitrise
Bitrise is a CI/CD service specialized for mobile development, featuring a GUI-based workflow editor. The machine used for this test was the M2 Pro Large (6 CPU, 14GB RAM), available with the Pro plan.
Build time: 7 min 28 sec
See the build log for details.
Codemagic
Codemagic is a CI/CD service for mobile development, featuring extensive third-party integrations and the ability to preview apps in the browser. I tested with two different machine types.
Mac mini M2 Benchmark (8-core CPU, 8GB RAM)
Available on the free tier or pay-as-you-go plan.
Build time: 7 min 28 sec
See the build log for details.
Mac mini M4 Benchmark (10-core CPU, 16GB RAM)
Available on the pay-as-you-go plan.
Build time: 6 min 43 sec
See the build log for details.
Benchmark Comparison Summary
| Service | Machine | CPU | RAM | Build Time | Speed Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Actions | macos-15 (M1) | 3 cores | 7GB | 16 min 10 sec | N/A (Baseline) |
| Bitrise | M2 Pro Large | 6 CPU | 14GB | 7 min 28 sec | ~2.2x faster |
| Codemagic | Mac mini M2 | 8 cores | 8GB | 7 min 28 sec | ~2.2x faster |
| Codemagic | Mac mini M4 | 10 cores | 16GB | 6 min 43 sec | ~2.4x faster |
Speed comparison is calculated relative to GitHub Actions as the baseline.
This article focused on iOS builds, but benchmarks for other platforms and higher-tier machines are also available here.
Cost-Performance Comparison
In addition to build speed, cost is an important factor when choosing a CI/CD service. Let’s take a look at the pricing models for each service and then compare the build costs.
Pricing Models
GitHub Actions
- Pay-as-you-go: $0.062/min (macOS Standard runner)
- Free for public repositories
- Private repositories get 2,000 free minutes/month (macOS consumes at 10x rate, so effectively 200 minutes)
Bitrise
- Pro plan: from $218/month ($200/month if billed annually), which includes up to 250 builds per month (required to use M2 Pro Large)
- For higher build volumes or other plans, please refer to Bitrise’s pricing page and contact them for details
Codemagic
- Pay as you go: $0.095/min (M2), $0.114/min (M4)
- Fixed price: $3,990/year — unlimited M2 builds
Pricing is as of the time of writing. Please check each service’s official website for the latest information.
Cost Per Build
Here’s what each iOS build in our benchmark costs on each service.
| Service | Build Time | Build Cost |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Actions | 16 min 10 sec | ~$1.00 (pay-as-you-go at $0.062/min) |
| Bitrise | 7 min 28 sec | $218/mo flat rate (up to 250 builds/mo) |
| Codemagic M2 | 7 min 28 sec | ~$0.71 (pay-as-you-go at $0.095/min) |
| Codemagic M4 | 6 min 43 sec | ~$0.77 (pay-as-you-go at $0.114/min) |
Monthly Cost by Build Frequency
Based on the build times and per-minute rates above, here’s the estimated monthly cost by number of builds. For GitHub Actions, the free tier for private repositories (effectively 200 macOS minutes) is taken into account.
| Service | 30/month | 100/month | 250/month |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Actions | ~$18 | ~$88 | ~$240 |
| Bitrise | $218 | $218 | $218 |
| Codemagic M2 | ~$21 | ~$71 | ~$178 |
| Codemagic M4 | ~$23 | ~$77 | ~$193 |
Key takeaways:
- GitHub Actions has a generous free tier, making it cost-effective for projects with low build frequency. However, build speeds are slower compared to other services, and costs increase significantly as the number of builds grows.
- Bitrise’s Pro plan includes up to 250 builds per month at a flat rate, making costs predictable for teams with a consistent build volume. However, it can be expensive for teams with low build frequency.
- Codemagic offers a good balance of build speed and cost. At higher build volumes, switching to the fixed-price plan ($3,990/year) can significantly reduce costs with unlimited M2 builds.
Conclusion
In this article, we compared the build speed benchmarks of three CI/CD services using the same Flutter project. Based on the results, Codemagic offers a good balance of build speed and cost as a pay-as-you-go service. Bitrise’s Pro plan is a flat-rate option, making budgeting easier for teams with a consistent build frequency. For even higher build volumes, Codemagic’s fixed-price plan with unlimited M2 builds is the best choice. If minimizing costs is a priority and your build frequency is low, GitHub Actions with its generous free tier is also a viable option.
If you’re interested in Codemagic, give it a try here!
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