Software · head to head
Buildkite vs HCP Terraform

HCP Terraform
Software
Infrastructure as code provisioning and management, formerly Terraform Cloud
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Buildkite has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Buildkite free plan caps at 5 users and 10 concurrent jobs, with 2,000 Linux vCPU minutes per month and 30 day build retention; HCP Terraform billed per managed resource per month rather than per user: Essentials starts at $0.10 per resource per month, Standard at $0.47, and Premium at $0.99
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Buildkite and HCP Terraform actually diverge.
| Attribute | Buildkite | HCP Terraform |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Buildkite
- Free plan caps at 5 users and 10 concurrent jobs, with 2,000 Linux vCPU minutes per month and 30 day build retention
- Pro plan is $30 per active user per month, capped at 50 users, with only 10 of the up to 250 concurrent agents included before extra usage
- Enterprise plan enforces a 30 user minimum even though pricing itself is custom
- Hosted compute beyond included minutes is metered at $0.004 per vCPU minute on Linux and $0.02 per vCPU minute on Mac
HCP Terraform
- Billed per managed resource per month rather than per user: Essentials starts at $0.10 per resource per month, Standard at $0.47, and Premium at $0.99
- Standard and Premium tiers bundle HCP Waypoint, which is unavailable on Essentials
- Enterprise tier for self-managed deployments is quote only through sales
Pricing, plan by plan
Buildkite
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Buildkite review.
HCP Terraform
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the HCP Terraform review.
Which should you pick?
Choose HCP Terraform if
Nothing in the data separates HCP Terraform from Buildkite on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Buildkite or HCP Terraform better?
- Neither clearly leads. Buildkite starts at Free and HCP Terraform at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Buildkite or HCP Terraform?
- Buildkite has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Buildkite and On request for HCP Terraform.
- Does Buildkite or HCP Terraform run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Buildkite for free?
- Yes. Buildkite has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. HCP Terraform starts at On request.
Related pages
More on HCP Terraform
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