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Buildkite vs LangSmith

Buildkite logo

Buildkite

Software

CI/CD pipelines that run on your own compute

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
L

LangSmith

Software

Know what your agents are really doing

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; LangSmith usage beyond the included trace allotment is billed in LangChain Compute Units at $1.50 per LCU and Storage Units at $1.00 per LSU, an unfamiliar metering unit compared to flat per-seat pricing, as of August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Buildkite and LangSmith actually diverge.

Attributes where Buildkite and LangSmith differ
AttributeBuildkiteLangSmith
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo

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

LangSmith

  • Usage beyond the included trace allotment is billed in LangChain Compute Units at $1.50 per LCU and Storage Units at $1.00 per LSU, an unfamiliar metering unit compared to flat per-seat pricing, as of August 2026.

Pricing, plan by plan

Buildkite

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Buildkite review.

LangSmith

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the LangSmith review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Buildkite if

  • You want to start without paying.
Buildkite review

Choose LangSmith if

Nothing in the data separates LangSmith from Buildkite on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

LangSmith review

Questions people ask

Is Buildkite or LangSmith better?
Neither clearly leads. Buildkite starts at Free and LangSmith at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Buildkite or LangSmith?
Buildkite has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Buildkite and On request for LangSmith.
Does Buildkite or LangSmith 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. LangSmith starts at On request.
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Related pages

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