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Cloud Native Buildpacks vs Depot

Cloud Native Buildpacks logo

Cloud Native Buildpacks

Developer Tools

Specification and tooling that turns source code into OCI images without Dockerfiles

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Depot logo

Depot

Developer Tools

Cloud-based builds and CI runs 55x faster with less cost

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cloud Native Buildpacks the operational cost is real: you own builder images, base image refresh cadence and migrations between specification versions, which currently sit at Buildpack API 0.10 and Platform API 0.12 with published migration guides, so breaking changes are a recurring chore.; Depot developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development
  • They diverge on capability: Cloud Native Buildpacks covers Detect and build lifecycle, Depot covers Depot CI.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cloud Native Buildpacks and Depot actually diverge.

Attributes where Cloud Native Buildpacks and Depot differ
AttributeCloud Native BuildpacksDepot
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeUnknown
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, CLI, Docker, KubernetesCloud, GitHub, CLI
FoundedUnknown2022

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Developer Tools).

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 Cloud Native Buildpacks

  • Detect and build lifecycle
  • Image rebasing
  • Reproducible layers
  • Builder images
  • Automatic SBOM output
  • pack CLI

Only in Depot

  • Depot CI
  • Container builds
  • GitHub Actions runners
  • Distributed caching
  • Build API
  • Depot Registry
  • Cross-platform builds
  • SSH debugging

What people use each for

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

Cloud Native Buildpacks

  • Patching a base image once and rebasing hundreds of application images rather than rebuilding and redeploying eachnot Depot
  • Removing per-team Dockerfiles at an organisation where inconsistent base images have become an audit findingnot Depot
  • Giving application teams a supported path to a hardened image without teaching every team container securitynot Depot
  • Choosing a build system that a risk committee will accept because governance is vendor neutral rather than single vendornot Depot

Depot

  • Accelerating Docker builds for container-based developmentnot Cloud Native Buildpacks
  • Replacing GitHub Actions runners with faster infrastructurenot Cloud Native Buildpacks
  • Distributing cache across Monorepo buildsnot Cloud Native Buildpacks
  • Debugging failed CI builds interactively with SSHnot Cloud Native Buildpacks

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cloud Native Buildpacks

  • The operational cost is real: you own builder images, base image refresh cadence and migrations between specification versions, which currently sit at Buildpack API 0.10 and Platform API 0.12 with published migration guides, so breaking changes are a recurring chore.
  • A cold build with no warm cache is noticeably slower than a well layered Dockerfile, and because the cache lives in a cache image or volume, ephemeral continuous integration runners pay full price on every run unless you deliberately warm them.
  • Reproducibility depends on discipline rather than defaults, because buildpacks resolve runtime patch versions at build time unless you pin them and stability is only as good as the builder image tag you point at.
  • The specification is neutral but the buildpacks are not, and in practice you depend on Paketo, Heroku or Google, whose roadmaps, support levels and update cadences differ; CNCF also records contributing organisations down 12 per cent year on year.
  • Native dependencies, unusual monorepo layouts and non-standard project structures push you into writing custom buildpacks or extensions, which is a genuine engineering investment and not a configuration change.

Depot

  • Developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development
  • Startup plan at $200/mo is expensive for smaller teams
  • Business plan requires custom pricing consultation
  • macOS M2 runners not available on Developer plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Cloud Native Buildpacks

Free
  • Cloud Native BuildpacksFree
    • Apache-2.0, hosted by the CNCF
    • No commercial edition from the project itself
    • Commercial support only from vendors of specific buildpack distributions

Depot

Free
  • Developer$20/month
    • 1 user
    • 500 Docker build minutes per month
    • 2,000 Depot CI minutes per month
  • Startup$200/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 5,000 Docker build minutes per month
    • 20,000 Depot CI minutes per month
  • Business$undefined/custom
    • Custom pricing
    • Unlimited users
    • Custom monthly compute

Which should you pick?

Choose Cloud Native Buildpacks if

  • You need detect and build lifecycle.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, CLI, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want image rebasing.
Cloud Native Buildpacks review

Choose Depot if

  • You need depot ci.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, GitHub, CLI.
  • You also want container builds.
Depot review

Questions people ask

Is Cloud Native Buildpacks or Depot better?
Neither clearly leads. Cloud Native Buildpacks starts at Free and Depot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cloud Native Buildpacks or Depot?
Cloud Native Buildpacks starts at Free and Depot at Free.
Does Cloud Native Buildpacks or Depot run on more platforms?
Cloud Native Buildpacks runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, CLI, Docker, Kubernetes. Depot runs on Cloud, GitHub, CLI.
Can I use Cloud Native Buildpacks for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cloud Native Buildpacks best used for?
Cloud Native Buildpacks is most often used for patching a base image once and rebasing hundreds of application images rather than rebuilding and redeploying each, removing per-team dockerfiles at an organisation where inconsistent base images have become an audit finding, giving application teams a supported path to a hardened image without teaching every team container security, choosing a build system that a risk committee will accept because governance is vendor neutral rather than single vendor. Of those, patching a base image once and rebasing hundreds of application images rather than rebuilding and redeploying each and removing per-team dockerfiles at an organisation where inconsistent base images have become an audit finding are not what Depot is typically brought in for.
What can Cloud Native Buildpacks do that Depot cannot?
Cloud Native Buildpacks covers Detect and build lifecycle, Image rebasing, Reproducible layers, Builder images. Depot covers Depot CI, Container builds, GitHub Actions runners, Distributed caching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cloud Native Buildpacks: What does CNCF graduation actually change?

Nothing technically, but it signals audited governance, security review and multi-vendor maintenance, which is usually what a procurement or risk team needs before approving a build system.

Depot: How much faster are Depot runners compared to GitHub Actions?

Depot runners offer 30% faster CPUs and 10x faster networking than standard GitHub-hosted runners, enabling builds to complete significantly faster.

Source
Cloud Native Buildpacks: How is this different from writing a Dockerfile?

Container build knowledge lives with the platform team in a builder image rather than in every repository, and rebasing lets you patch the runtime base of many images without rebuilding them.

Depot: What is included in the Developer plan?

Developer plan ($20/month) includes 500 Docker build minutes, 2,000 Depot CI minutes, 2,000 GitHub Actions minutes, 25 GB storage, unlimited concurrency, and community support.

Source
Cloud Native Buildpacks: Does it cost anything?

No. The specification and tooling are Apache-2.0 and free. You pay only if you buy commercial support for a specific buildpack distribution from Broadcom, Heroku or Google.

Depot: Can I use Depot with my own AWS account?

Yes, Depot Managed allows deployment within customer AWS accounts. This is available to interested customers; contact sales for details.

Source
Cloud Native Buildpacks: Is it slower than a Dockerfile?

On a cold build with no cache, yes. Warm builds are competitive, but continuous integration runners that start empty every time will feel the difference.

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