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Developer Tools · head to head

Blacksmith vs Quantexa

Blacksmith logo

Blacksmith

Developer Tools

2x faster GitHub Actions with 60% cost savings

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Quantexa logo

Quantexa

Cybersecurity

Entity resolution and network analytics for financial crime investigation

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Blacksmith has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Blacksmith per-minute pricing model requires estimating usage to predict costs; Quantexa pricing is never published and lands in the seven figure range annually for a tier one deployment, so it is out of reach for mid-sized institutions no matter how well the analytics would fit.
  • They diverge on capability: Blacksmith covers Bare metal runners, Quantexa covers Entity resolution.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blacksmith and Quantexa actually diverge.

Attributes where Blacksmith and Quantexa differ
AttributeBlacksmithQuantexa
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsGitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOSWeb, Linux
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity

Identical on both: 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 Quantexa

  • Entity resolution
  • Network generation
  • Contextual monitoring
  • Investigation workspace
  • Data fusion
  • Deployment on customer cloud

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

Quantexa

  • A bank whose AML alert backlog is dominated by false positives and wants network context to close them fasternot Blacksmith
  • Sanctions investigation where the sanctioned party is not the account holder but a connected director or shareholdernot Blacksmith
  • Merging customer records across retail, commercial and wealth divisions after an acquisition to see total exposurenot Blacksmith
  • A tax or benefits agency looking for organised fraud rings rather than individual claimantsnot 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

Quantexa

  • Pricing is never published and lands in the seven figure range annually for a tier one deployment, so it is out of reach for mid-sized institutions no matter how well the analytics would fit.
  • Output quality is bounded by input data quality, and organisations without governed customer data spend the first phase of the programme fixing feeds rather than catching criminals.
  • Implementation typically requires a systems integrator and runs into quarters rather than weeks, so the business case has to survive a long period with no operational benefit.
  • The platform augments rather than replaces existing transaction monitoring, so you keep paying for the incumbent system alongside it and total compliance technology spend rises before it falls.
  • Skills are scarce; the platform needs people who understand both Spark scale data engineering and financial crime typologies, and those people are hard to recruit and easy to lose.

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

Quantexa

On request
  • Quantexa Platform$undefined/year
    • Entity resolution and network generation
    • Deployed in customer cloud tenancy
    • Priced by data volume and use case count

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 Quantexa if

  • You need entity resolution.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want network generation.
Quantexa review

Questions people ask

Is Blacksmith or Quantexa better?
Neither clearly leads. Blacksmith starts at Free and Quantexa at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Blacksmith or Quantexa?
Blacksmith has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Blacksmith and On request for Quantexa.
Does Blacksmith or Quantexa run on more platforms?
Blacksmith runs on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS. Quantexa runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use Blacksmith for free?
Yes. Blacksmith has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Quantexa starts at On request.
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 Quantexa is typically brought in for.
What can Blacksmith do that Quantexa cannot?
Blacksmith covers Bare metal runners, Multiple OS support, ARM support, Docker layer caching. Quantexa covers Entity resolution, Network generation, Contextual monitoring, Investigation workspace.

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
Quantexa: Does Quantexa replace our transaction monitoring system?

No. It usually sits alongside it, adding network context to the alerts that system generates and to investigations.

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
Quantexa: Where does our data go?

Into your own cloud tenancy in the normal deployment model. Quantexa does not require you to send customer data to a shared multi-tenant service.

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
Quantexa: How is it priced?

Not publicly. Expect an annual subscription scaled by data volume and number of use cases, plus separate implementation cost.

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