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Developer Tools · head to head

Blacksmith vs Clockwise

Blacksmith logo

Blacksmith

Developer Tools

2x faster GitHub Actions with 60% cost savings

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit BlacksmithFull review
C

Clockwise

Project Management

Intelligent calendar management for teams

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit ClockwiseFull review

The short version

  • Blacksmith is a GitHub Actions runner service; Clockwise is an AI-powered calendar assistant.
  • Free plans on both; paid from $0.004/mo and $6.75/mo.
  • Only Blacksmith lists bare metal runners; only Clockwise lists focus Time protection.
  • Where Blacksmith falls short: per-minute pricing model requires estimating usage to predict costs.
  • Where Clockwise falls short: service discontinued and shut down on March 27, 2026.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blacksmith and Clockwise actually diverge.

Attributes where Blacksmith and Clockwise differ
AttributeBlacksmithClockwise
PlatformsGitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOSWeb
CategoryDeveloper ToolsProject Management

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Blacksmith, founded for Blacksmith.

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Blacksmith

  • Bare metal runners
  • Multiple OS support
  • ARM support
  • Docker layer caching
  • Sticky disks
  • GitHub Actions observability
  • Free tier
  • Static IPs

Only in Clockwise

  • Focus Time protection
  • Meeting optimization
  • Scheduling links
  • Team analytics
  • Conflict resolution
  • Google Calendar
  • Slack
  • Zoom

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Blacksmith

  • Replacing GitHub Actions runners with faster, cheaper infrastructurenot Clockwise
  • Accelerating CI build times for organizations with heavy CI loadnot Clockwise
  • Reducing cloud spend on GitHub Actions by 60% or morenot Clockwise
  • Supporting ARM architecture builds without GitHub runnersnot Clockwise

Clockwise

  • Schedulingnot Blacksmith
  • Appointment bookingnot Blacksmith
  • Time trackingnot Blacksmith
  • Resource managementnot Blacksmith
  • Team coordinationnot Blacksmith

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Blacksmith

  • Per-minute pricing model requires estimating usage to predict costs
  • macOS M4 pricing ($0.08/min) is significantly higher than GitHub Actions
  • Docker layer caching and sticky disks are paid add-ons at $0.50/GB/mo
  • Static IP add-on costs $100/IP/mo

Clockwise

  • Service discontinued and shut down on March 27, 2026
  • All user data was deleted upon shutdown
  • Integration with Asana was removed during product lifecycle

Pricing, plan by plan

Blacksmith

Free
  • Ubuntu x64$0.004/minute
    • 3,000 free minutes per month
    • 2x faster hardware
    • 4x faster cache downloads
  • Ubuntu ARM$0.0025/minute
    • 3,000 free minutes per month
    • 2x faster hardware
    • 4x faster cache downloads
  • Windows x64$0.008/minute
    • 3,000 free minutes per month
    • 2x faster hardware
    • 4x faster cache downloads
  • macOS M4$0.08/minute
    • 3,000 free minutes per month
    • 2x faster hardware
    • 4x faster cache downloads

Clockwise

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Focus Time
    • Meeting optimization
    • Personal analytics
  • Teams$6.75/mo
    • Team analytics
    • Flexible meetings
    • Admin controls

Which should you pick?

Choose Blacksmith if

  • You need bare metal runners.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want multiple os support.
Blacksmith review

Choose Clockwise if

  • You need focus time protection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want meeting optimization.
Clockwise review

Questions people ask

Is Blacksmith or Clockwise better?
Neither clearly leads. Blacksmith starts at Free and Clockwise at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Blacksmith or Clockwise?
Blacksmith starts at Free and Clockwise at Free.
Does Blacksmith or Clockwise run on more platforms?
Blacksmith runs on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS. Clockwise runs on Web.
Can I use Blacksmith for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Blacksmith best used for?
Blacksmith is most often used for replacing github actions runners with faster, cheaper infrastructure, accelerating ci build times for organizations with heavy ci load, reducing cloud spend on github actions by 60% or more, supporting arm architecture builds without github runners. Of those, replacing github actions runners with faster, cheaper infrastructure and accelerating ci build times for organizations with heavy ci load are not what Clockwise is typically brought in for.
What can Blacksmith do that Clockwise cannot?
Blacksmith covers Bare metal runners, Multiple OS support, ARM support, Docker layer caching. Clockwise covers Focus Time protection, Meeting optimization, Scheduling links, Team analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Blacksmith: How much do Blacksmith runners cost compared to GitHub Actions?

Blacksmith offers 60-75% cost savings depending on OS. Ubuntu x64 costs $0.004/min vs GitHub at $0.012/min. All plans include 3,000 free minutes monthly.

Source
Clockwise: What happened to Clockwise?

Clockwise was acquired by Salesforce and shut down on March 27, 2026. The company announced the team was joining Salesforce to work on Agentforce. User data was deleted and prorated refunds were issued to paying customers.

Source
Blacksmith: Can I use Docker layer caching with Blacksmith?

Yes, Docker layer caching is available as an add-on at $0.50/GB/mo. Managed Docker layer persistence is included with the base service.

Source
Clockwise: What integrations did Clockwise support?

Clockwise integrated with Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Slack, and previously Asana (though this integration was discontinued).

Source
Blacksmith: What is the SLA for Enterprise plans?

Enterprise Blacksmith plans include a 99.9% SLA guarantee along with 24/7 priority support, dedicated Slack channels, white-glove onboarding, and CI optimization support.

Source
Clockwise: What were Clockwise's key features?

Clockwise offered AI-powered focus time protection, automatic meeting buffers, Slack status sync, smart lunch breaks, and team calendar synchronization to optimize schedules and prevent burnout.

Source
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