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Developer Tools · head to head

Buildkite vs Teleport

Buildkite logo

Buildkite

Developer Tools

CI/CD pipelines that run on your own compute

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Teleport logo

Teleport

Cybersecurity

Certificate-based access to servers, Kubernetes, databases and apps, replacing shared credentials and VPNs

From
On request
Free plan
No
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; Teleport pricing is not published and is described as active users plus protected resources, so an autoscaling estate cannot forecast the bill and finance teams discover the true cost only after the first true-up.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Buildkite and Teleport actually diverge.

Attributes where Buildkite and Teleport differ
AttributeBuildkiteTeleport
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebLinux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes, Cloud
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 Buildkite

Nothing recorded that Teleport does not also cover.

Only in Teleport

  • Short-lived certificates
  • Protocol coverage
  • Session recording and replay
  • Access Requests
  • Device Trust
  • Identity provider integration
  • Machine identity
  • FIPS and FedRAMP builds

What people use each for

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

Buildkite

  • CI/CD pipeline automationnot Teleport
  • Test execution at scalenot Teleport
  • Deployment automationnot Teleport

Teleport

  • Removing long-lived SSH keys and shared database passwords so that offboarding an engineer takes one action in the identity providernot Buildkite
  • Producing session recordings and per-user database audit trails as direct evidence for SOC 2 or FedRAMPnot Buildkite
  • Giving contractors or on-call engineers time-boxed, approved access to production instead of standing admin rightsnot Buildkite
  • Replacing a flat VPN with per-resource authorisation across servers, Kubernetes and internal web appsnot 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

Teleport

  • Pricing is not published and is described as active users plus protected resources, so an autoscaling estate cannot forecast the bill and finance teams discover the true cost only after the first true-up.
  • The proxy is a hard dependency on reaching production, so it needs its own high availability deployment and a tested break-glass path or an outage in Teleport becomes an outage in your ability to respond to outages.
  • The open source Community Edition omits Access Requests, Device Trust and the FIPS builds, which are exactly the controls an auditor asks about, so the free tier rarely survives a compliance review.
  • Self-hosting means running and upgrading a certificate authority and its backing store, and Teleport releases frequently enough that upgrade work becomes a standing operational commitment.
  • Coverage across protocols is uneven in depth, so teams with legacy systems, unusual databases or bespoke network appliances find gaps that still require the old VPN to remain in place alongside it.

Pricing, plan by plan

Buildkite

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 5 users
    • 10 concurrent jobs
    • 2000 Linux vCPU minutes monthly
  • Pro$30/month
    • Up to 50 users
    • 250 concurrent agents (10 included)
    • 4000 Linux vCPU minutes monthly
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Unlimited users (30 minimum)
    • Custom usage limits
    • Full platform access

Teleport

On request
  • Teleport Community Edition$undefined/year
    • Open source, self-hosted
    • SSH, Kubernetes, database and app access
    • Session recording
  • Teleport Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Cloud-hosted or self-hosted
    • Access Requests and approval workflow
    • Device Trust and hardware key enforcement

Which should you pick?

Choose Buildkite if

  • You want to start without paying.
Buildkite review

Choose Teleport if

  • You need short-lived certificates.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes, Cloud.
  • You also want protocol coverage.
Teleport review

Questions people ask

Is Buildkite or Teleport better?
Neither clearly leads. Buildkite starts at Free and Teleport at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Buildkite or Teleport?
Buildkite has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Buildkite and On request for Teleport.
Does Buildkite or Teleport run on more platforms?
Buildkite runs on Web. Teleport runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes, Cloud.
Can I use Buildkite for free?
Yes. Buildkite has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Teleport starts at On request.
What is Buildkite best used for?
Buildkite is most often used for ci/cd pipeline automation, test execution at scale, deployment automation. Of those, ci/cd pipeline automation and test execution at scale are not what Teleport is typically brought in for.
What can Buildkite do that Teleport cannot?
Teleport covers Short-lived certificates, Protocol coverage, Session recording and replay, Access Requests.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Buildkite: Can I use Buildkite without paying?

Yes, Buildkite offers a free plan that includes up to 5 users, 10 concurrent jobs, 2000 Linux vCPU minutes monthly, and 250k test executions per month at no cost.

Source
Teleport: Is the open source edition usable in production?

Yes, but it lacks Access Requests, Device Trust and FIPS builds, which most compliance programmes end up requiring.

Buildkite: What happens if I exceed my included compute minutes on Buildkite?

Hosted agent compute is charged separately at $0.004 per Linux vCPU minute and $0.02 per Mac vCPU minute, billed to the second with no minimums.

Source
Teleport: How is it priced?

Not publicly. The vendor prices on active users and protected resources and provides a quote after a sales conversation.

Buildkite: Do I need an annual commitment for Buildkite's Pro plan?

No, Buildkite's Pro plan is billed monthly at $30 per active user with no long-term contract required. All tiers include a 30-day all-access trial.

Source
Teleport: What happens if Teleport goes down?

Nobody reaches the resources behind it, so you need a highly available deployment and a documented break-glass procedure.

Buildkite: What user limits apply to each Buildkite plan?

Free plan supports up to 5 users, Pro plan supports up to 50 users, and Enterprise plan provides unlimited users with a 30-user minimum.

Source
Teleport: Does it replace our VPN?

For anything you put behind it, yes. Legacy systems and appliances it does not support will keep the VPN alive.

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