GitHub Actions vs Woodpecker CI

Open-source, container-based CI engine you host yourself

GitHub ActionsCI/CD and automation built into GitHub

Woodpecker CISimple, container-based open-source CI engine

Which to pick

Pick GitHub Actions if you want…

Integrated CI/CD on GitHub
Integrations with Node.js, Python or Java (on GitHub Actions' list, not Woodpecker CI's)

Pick Woodpecker CI if you want…

Simple, Docker-based CI pipelines
Self-hosted CI with minimal configuration
A free, open-source tool

GitHub Actions: Built into GitHub, not self-hosted

Side by side

What it is: GitHub Actions:GitHub Actions automates CI/CD and other workflows directly from GitHub repositories.; Woodpecker CI:Woodpecker CI is an open-source, container-based CI/CD engine for building pipelines.
Best for: GitHub Actions:Integrated CI/CD on GitHub; Woodpecker CI:Simple, Docker-based CI pipelines
Who it’s for: GitHub Actions:Developers and teams using GitHub who need build, test, and deployment automation.; Woodpecker CI:Developers and teams needing self-hosted CI/CD pipelines.
Pricing: GitHub Actions:Freemium; Woodpecker CI:Free
Plans: GitHub Actions:Free $0; Woodpecker CI:—
Open source: GitHub Actions:—; Woodpecker CI:Yes, 7,939 GitHub stars
Works with: GitHub Actions:Node.js, Python, Java, Ruby, PHP, Go, Rust, .NET; Woodpecker CI:Docker

GitHub Actions features

Hosted runners. Run jobs on Linux, macOS, Windows, ARM, GPU, or containers using GitHub-provided VMs.
Matrix builds. Execute the same workflow across multiple OSes and runtime versions in parallel.
Secret store. Store encrypted secrets at repository, environment, or organization level.
Multi-container testing. Add docker-compose to workflows to test services together.
Event-driven triggers. Start workflows on any GitHub event, from pushes to issue comments.
Actions Marketplace. Discover and reuse community-built actions for common tasks.

Woodpecker CI features

Open-source and free. The engine is fully open-source and always free to use.
Docker container execution. Runs each pipeline step inside Docker containers for isolation.
Extensible plugins. Create custom plugins to extend pipeline capabilities beyond standard images.
Multiple workflows. Define several workflows per project, with dependencies between them.
Self-hostable. Can be deployed on any infrastructure you control.

GitHub Actions vs Woodpecker CI FAQ

Is GitHub Actions or Woodpecker CI free?+

GitHub Actions has a free plan and paid plans. Woodpecker CI is free.

Is GitHub Actions or Woodpecker CI open source?+

Woodpecker CI is open source (woodpecker-ci/woodpecker on GitHub, Apache-2.0 license). DevHunt has no public source repository on record for GitHub Actions.

Do GitHub Actions and Woodpecker CI integrate with the same tools?+

Partly. Both list Docker. GitHub Actions also lists Node.js, Python, Java, Ruby and 5 more.

On DevHunt

GitHub Actions

Listed by DevHunt

GitHub Actions on DevHunt →GitHub Actions alternatives

Woodpecker CI