Is Blacksmith or Recraft better?

Neither clearly leads. Blacksmith starts at Free and Recraft at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Blacksmith or Recraft?

Blacksmith starts at Free and Recraft at Free.

Does Blacksmith or Recraft run on more platforms?

Blacksmith runs on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS. Recraft 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 Recraft is typically brought in for.

What can Blacksmith do that Recraft cannot?

Blacksmith covers Bare metal runners, Multiple OS support, ARM support, Docker layer caching.

Developer Tools · head to head

Blacksmith vs Recraft

Blacksmith

Developer Tools

2x faster GitHub Actions with 60% cost savings

From: Free
Free plan: Yes

Visit Blacksmith Full review

Recraft

Design

AI image and vector generation for design teams

From: Free
Free plan: Yes

Visit Recraft Full review

The short version

Blacksmith is a GitHub Actions runner service.
Recraft is free; Blacksmith starts at $0.004/mo.
Where Blacksmith falls short: per-minute pricing model requires estimating usage to predict costs.
Where Recraft falls short: free plan images are owned by Recraft and made publicly visible; commercial ownership rights only apply while subscribed to a paid plan.
Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blacksmith and Recraft actually diverge.

Attributes where Blacksmith and Recraft differ
Attribute	Blacksmith	Recraft
Platforms	GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS	Web
Category	Developer Tools	Design

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

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 Recraft

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

Recraft

AI-powered image generation and design creationnot Blacksmith
Commercial-licensed asset creation for businessesnot 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

Recraft

Free plan images are owned by Recraft and made publicly visible; commercial ownership rights only apply while subscribed to a paid plan
Subscription credits reset every month and do not carry over, unlike separately purchased top-up credits which never expire
Refunds are only considered within 30 days and only if fewer than 30 credits have been used
Annual billing is required to get the 20% discount over paying monthly

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

Recraft

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Recraft review.

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 Recraft if

You want to start without paying.

Recraft review

Questions people ask

Is Blacksmith or Recraft better?: Neither clearly leads. Blacksmith starts at Free and Recraft at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Blacksmith or Recraft?: Blacksmith starts at Free and Recraft at Free.
Does Blacksmith or Recraft run on more platforms?: Blacksmith runs on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS. Recraft 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 Recraft is typically brought in for.
What can Blacksmith do that Recraft 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

Recraft: Is Recraft free?

Recraft offers a free plan where images generated are publicly visible in the community gallery and not licensed for commercial use. Paid plans (Basic, Pro, Teams) unlock full ownership and commercial rights but specific prices are not published.

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

Recraft: How does Recraft's credit system work?

Recraft charges based on monthly credit allocation included with each plan. Additional top-up credits can be purchased separately and never expire, used automatically after monthly credits run out.

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

Blacksmith vs Recraft

Blacksmith

Recraft

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Blacksmith

Only in Recraft

What people use each for

Blacksmith

Recraft

Where each one falls short

Blacksmith

Recraft

Pricing, plan by plan

Blacksmith

Recraft

Which should you pick?

Choose Blacksmith if

Choose Recraft if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Blacksmith

More on Recraft

Keep looking

Other head to heads