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Developer Tools · head to head

Coder vs Depot

Coder logo

Coder

Developer Tools

Self-hosted platform for provisioning governed cloud development environments

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: Coder premium plan pricing is not published and requires contacting sales.; Depot developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development
  • They diverge on capability: Coder covers Self-hosted workspaces, Depot covers Depot CI.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Coder and Depot actually diverge.

Attributes where Coder and Depot differ
AttributeCoderDepot
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Platformsweb, linux, mac, windows, apiCloud, 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 Coder

  • Self-hosted workspaces
  • Multi-IDE support
  • AI coding agent support
  • OpenID Connect SSO
  • Audit logging
  • Resource quotas

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.

Coder

  • Running self-hosted development environments behind a corporate firewallnot Depot
  • Standardizing developer workspaces across a large engineering orgnot Depot
  • Giving approved AI coding agents governed, isolated workspacesnot Depot
  • Enforcing SSO and audit trails on developer environment accessnot Depot

Depot

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

Where each one falls short

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

Coder

  • Premium plan pricing is not published and requires contacting sales.
  • Requires self-hosting and managing the underlying infrastructure, unlike fully managed cloud IDEs.
  • High availability, audit logging, and RBAC are gated behind the paid Premium tier, so the free Community edition lacks enterprise controls.

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

Coder

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Unlimited workspaces and templates
    • Unlimited organization members
    • Multiple IDE support
  • Premium$undefined/month
    • Ticket-based support with SLA
    • Multi-organization access controls
    • Resource quotas and audit logging

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 Coder if

  • You need self-hosted workspaces.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, linux, mac, windows, api.
  • You also want multi-ide support.
Coder 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 Coder or Depot better?
Neither clearly leads. Coder 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, Coder or Depot?
Coder starts at Free and Depot at Free.
Does Coder or Depot run on more platforms?
Coder runs on web, linux, mac, windows, api. Depot runs on Cloud, GitHub, CLI.
Can I use Coder for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Coder best used for?
Coder is most often used for running self-hosted development environments behind a corporate firewall, standardizing developer workspaces across a large engineering org, giving approved ai coding agents governed, isolated workspaces, enforcing sso and audit trails on developer environment access. Of those, running self-hosted development environments behind a corporate firewall and standardizing developer workspaces across a large engineering org are not what Depot is typically brought in for.
What can Coder do that Depot cannot?
Coder covers Self-hosted workspaces, Multi-IDE support, AI coding agent support, OpenID Connect SSO. Depot covers Depot CI, Container builds, GitHub Actions runners, Distributed caching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Coder: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the Community edition is free and includes unlimited workspaces, templates, and organization members with OpenID Connect SSO, aimed at hobbyists and small teams.

Source
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
Coder: What does Premium add over Community?

Premium adds ticket-based SLA support, multi-organization access controls, resource quotas, audit logging, AI governance, workspace proxies, high availability, and custom branding.

Source
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
Coder: How is Coder priced?

Community is free; Premium is priced per user annually, with the exact rate available by contacting Coder.

Source
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
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