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Blacksmith vs CloudAMQP

Blacksmith logo

Blacksmith

Developer Tools

2x faster GitHub Actions with 60% cost savings

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
CloudAMQP logo

CloudAMQP

Technology

Managed RabbitMQ and LavinMQ clusters, hosted and fully managed

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Blacksmith per-minute pricing model requires estimating usage to predict costs; CloudAMQP free tier messaging limits are low: 1-2M messages/month
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blacksmith and CloudAMQP actually diverge.

Attributes where Blacksmith and CloudAMQP differ
AttributeBlacksmithCloudAMQP
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsGitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOSWeb
CategoryDeveloper ToolsTechnology

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 CloudAMQP

Nothing recorded that Blacksmith does not also cover.

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 CloudAMQP
  • Accelerating CI build times for organizations with heavy CI loadnot CloudAMQP
  • Reducing cloud spend on GitHub Actions by 60% or morenot CloudAMQP
  • Supporting ARM architecture builds without GitHub runnersnot CloudAMQP

CloudAMQP

  • Message queue servicesnot Blacksmith
  • Message brokers for distributed systemsnot Blacksmith
  • RabbitMQ and LavinMQ hostingnot Blacksmith
  • Asynchronous task processingnot 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

CloudAMQP

  • Free tier messaging limits are low: 1-2M messages/month
  • Free tier connection limits are restrictive: 20-40
  • Multi-tenant plans have queue limits (200-2,000 max)
  • Dedicated plans expensive at scale: up to $14,995-$17,495/month
  • Extra disk space add-on at $0.35/month per GB may add significant cost

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

CloudAMQP

Free
  • LavinMQ - Loyal Lemming (Free)Free
    • 2 million messages per month
    • 40 connection limit
    • 200 queue maximum
  • RabbitMQ - Little Lemur (Free)Free
    • 1 million messages per month
    • 20 connection limit
    • 100 queue maximum
  • LavinMQ - Elegant Ermine$19/month
    • 20 million messages per month
    • 200 connections
    • 2,000 queue maximum
  • RabbitMQ - Tough Tiger$19/month
    • 10 million messages per month
    • 100 connections
    • 1,000 queue maximum

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 CloudAMQP if

  • You want to start without paying.
CloudAMQP review

Questions people ask

Is Blacksmith or CloudAMQP better?
Neither clearly leads. Blacksmith starts at Free and CloudAMQP at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Blacksmith or CloudAMQP?
Blacksmith starts at Free and CloudAMQP at Free.
Does Blacksmith or CloudAMQP run on more platforms?
Blacksmith runs on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS. CloudAMQP 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 CloudAMQP is typically brought in for.
What can Blacksmith do that CloudAMQP cannot?
Blacksmith covers Bare metal runners, Multiple OS support, ARM support, Docker layer caching.

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
CloudAMQP: Does CloudAMQP offer free plans?

Yes, CloudAMQP offers free tiers: LavinMQ Loyal Lemming with 2M messages/month, and RabbitMQ Little Lemur with 1M messages/month. Both include connection and queue limits.

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
CloudAMQP: What is the cheapest paid plan?

Both LavinMQ Elegant Ermine and RabbitMQ Tough Tiger cost $19/month. LavinMQ includes 20M messages/month with 200 connections; RabbitMQ includes 10M messages/month with 100 connections.

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
CloudAMQP: How are messages charged on CloudAMQP?

CloudAMQP plans include monthly message quotas. All plans are charged on a per-second basis with monthly billing cycles.

Source
CloudAMQP: What add-ons are available?

CloudAMQP offers Virtual Private Cloud add-on at $99/month, and extra disk space at $0.35/month per GB (25-2,000 GB available).

Source
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