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Software · head to head

Buildkite vs Poolside

Buildkite logo

Buildkite

Software

CI/CD pipelines that run on your own compute

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Poolside logo

Poolside

Software

Open-weight foundation models built for agentic software engineering

From
$0.06/month
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; Poolside no self-serve public application; access is largely through enterprise sales or third-party model gateways

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Buildkite and Poolside actually diverge.

Attributes where Buildkite and Poolside differ
AttributeBuildkitePoolside
Starting priceFree$0.06/month
Pricing modelfreemiumusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebweb, api, mac, windows, linux
FoundedUnknown2023

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Buildkite

Nothing recorded that Poolside does not also cover.

Only in Poolside

  • Laguna S 2.1
  • Laguna XS 2.1
  • Desktop and CLI tools
  • Open-weight models
  • Third-party gateway access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Buildkite

No use cases recorded yet. See the Buildkite review.

Poolside

  • Enterprises deploying AI coding assistance across large developer organizationsnot Buildkite
  • Government and defense agencies needing on-premise or sovereign coding modelsnot Buildkite
  • Teams building custom coding agents on open-weight foundation modelsnot Buildkite
  • Organizations wanting on-device lightweight coding modelsnot Buildkite

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

Poolside

  • No self-serve public application; access is largely through enterprise sales or third-party model gateways
  • Pricing for the flagship enterprise and government offering is not public and requires a sales conversation
  • Targets organizations with large (5,000+) developer headcounts, making it a poor fit for individuals or small teams
  • Documentation and product surface area are thin compared to consumer-facing coding assistants

Pricing, plan by plan

Buildkite

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Buildkite review.

Poolside

$0.06/month
  • Laguna XS 2.1$undefined/month
    • $0.06 per 1M input tokens
    • $0.12 per 1M output tokens
    • Available via OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway
  • Laguna S 2.1$undefined/month
    • $0.10 per 1M input tokens
    • $0.20 per 1M output tokens
    • 1M token context window
  • Enterprise / Government$undefined/month
    • Custom contracts for large engineering organizations
    • Sales-quoted pricing
    • On-premise or dedicated deployment options

Which should you pick?

Choose Buildkite if

  • You want to start without paying.
Buildkite review

Choose Poolside if

  • You need laguna s 2.1.
  • You work on web, api, mac, windows, linux.
  • You also want laguna xs 2.1.
Poolside review

Questions people ask

Is Buildkite or Poolside better?
Neither clearly leads. Buildkite starts at Free and Poolside at $0.06/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Buildkite or Poolside?
Buildkite has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Buildkite and $0.06/month for Poolside.
Does Buildkite or Poolside run on more platforms?
Buildkite runs on Web. Poolside runs on web, api, mac, windows, linux.
Can I use Buildkite for free?
Yes. Buildkite has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Poolside starts at $0.06/month.
What can Buildkite do that Poolside cannot?
Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1, Laguna XS 2.1, Desktop and CLI tools, Open-weight models.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Poolside: How is Poolside's Laguna model usage priced?

Laguna XS 2.1 is priced at $0.06 per 1M input tokens and $0.12 per 1M output tokens; Laguna S 2.1 is $0.10 per 1M input tokens and $0.20 per 1M output tokens.

Source
Poolside: Where can I access Poolside's models?

Laguna models are available through third-party gateways OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway, as well as via Poolside's own desktop and CLI tools.

Source
Poolside: Does Poolside offer enterprise or government pricing?

Yes, Poolside offers custom, sales-quoted contracts for large enterprises and government/defense customers, including on-premise or dedicated deployment options.

Source
Poolside: How do I get started building with Poolside's models?

Poolside's documentation provides a quickstart guide for installing the `pool` CLI and running an agent task, alongside API documentation for custom integrations.

Source
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