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Blacksmith vs DashThis

Blacksmith logo

Blacksmith

Developer Tools

2x faster GitHub Actions with 60% cost savings

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit BlacksmithFull review
DashThis logo

DashThis

Business Intelligence

Fixed-price marketing dashboards for agencies billed by dashboard, not by seat

From
$44/month
Free plan
No
Visit DashThisFull review

The short version

  • Blacksmith is a GitHub Actions runner service.
  • Blacksmith has a free plan, then $0.004/mo; DashThis starts at $44/mo.
  • Only Blacksmith lists bare metal runners; only DashThis lists unlimited users.
  • Where Blacksmith falls short: per-minute pricing model requires estimating usage to predict costs.
  • Where DashThis falls short: there is no free tier at all, and the fourteen day trial is short for an agency wanting to rebuild forty client reports before committing.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blacksmith and DashThis actually diverge.

Attributes where Blacksmith and DashThis differ
AttributeBlacksmithDashThis
Starting priceFree$44/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsGitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOSWeb
CategoryDeveloper ToolsBusiness Intelligence

Not yet recorded: pricing model 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 DashThis

  • Unlimited users
  • Preset templates
  • Multi-source widgets
  • Calculated widgets
  • White labelling
  • Scheduled delivery
  • Data source library
  • Comment annotations

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

DashThis

  • A twenty-person agency that wants every account manager and every client to have a login without per-seat billingnot Blacksmith
  • A PPC team producing the same monthly report for forty accounts and wanting it emailed automaticallynot Blacksmith
  • An in-house marketing lead who needs one cross-channel view for the board without involving a data teamnot Blacksmith
  • An SEO consultancy white labelling client reports under its own domain and sending addressnot 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

DashThis

  • Dashboards are the billing unit, so an agency that gives each client a summary and a channel detail view consumes its allowance at twice the expected rate and upgrades jump by roughly a hundred dollars a step
  • There is no data warehouse, SQL layer or real data modelling, so anything requiring joins beyond simple multi-source widgets has to be done in another tool first
  • Historical data depends on what each connected API will return, so switching to DashThis does not retroactively give you years of comparable history
  • There is no free tier at all, and the fourteen day trial is short for an agency wanting to rebuild forty client reports before committing
  • Visualisation options are limited to a fixed widget set, so clients who want a specific chart type or layout often cannot get it

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

DashThis

$44/month
  • Individual$44/mo
    • 3 dashboards
    • 15 data sources
    • Unlimited users
  • Professional$139/mo
    • 10 dashboards
    • 40 data sources
    • Unlimited users
  • Business$279/mo
    • 25 dashboards
    • 100 data sources
    • Unlimited users
  • Standard$429/mo
    • 50 dashboards
    • 200 data sources
    • Unlimited users

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 DashThis if

  • You need unlimited users.
  • You also want preset templates.
DashThis review

Questions people ask

Is Blacksmith or DashThis better?
Neither clearly leads. Blacksmith starts at Free and DashThis at $44/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Blacksmith or DashThis?
Blacksmith has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Blacksmith and $44/month for DashThis.
Does Blacksmith or DashThis run on more platforms?
Blacksmith runs on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS. DashThis runs on Web.
Can I use Blacksmith for free?
Yes. Blacksmith has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. DashThis starts at $44/month.
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 DashThis is typically brought in for.
What can Blacksmith do that DashThis cannot?
Blacksmith covers Bare metal runners, Multiple OS support, ARM support, Docker layer caching. DashThis covers Unlimited users, Preset templates, Multi-source widgets, Calculated widgets.

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
DashThis: Does DashThis charge per user?

No. Every plan includes unlimited users and client viewers; you pay for dashboards and data sources.

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
DashThis: Is there a free plan?

No. Pricing starts at 44 US dollars a month for three dashboards, after a short trial.

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
DashThis: Can I blend data from several ad accounts?

Yes, through multi-source widgets and calculated widgets, but there is no general purpose join or SQL layer.

DashThis: Does it white label fully?

Yes, including logo, colours, sending email address and a custom domain on the higher plans.

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