Development Tools · head to head
HCP Terraform vs Buildkite
HCP Terraform
Development Tools
Infrastructure as code provisioning and management, formerly Terraform Cloud
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Buildkite
Development Tools
CI/CD pipelines that run on your own compute
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Buildkite has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: HCP Terraform billed per managed resource per month rather than per user: Essentials starts at $0.10 per resource per month, Standard at $0.47, and Premium at $0.99; Buildkite free plan caps at 5 users and 10 concurrent jobs, with 2,000 Linux vCPU minutes per month and 30 day build retention
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which HCP Terraform and Buildkite actually diverge.
| Attribute | HCP Terraform | Buildkite |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Development Tools).
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
HCP Terraform
- Billed per managed resource per month rather than per user: Essentials starts at $0.10 per resource per month, Standard at $0.47, and Premium at $0.99
- Standard and Premium tiers bundle HCP Waypoint, which is unavailable on Essentials
- Enterprise tier for self-managed deployments is quote only through sales
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
Pricing, plan by plan
HCP Terraform
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the HCP Terraform review.
Buildkite
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Buildkite review.
Which should you pick?
Choose HCP Terraform if
Nothing in the data separates HCP Terraform from Buildkite on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is HCP Terraform or Buildkite better?
- Neither clearly leads. HCP Terraform starts at On request and Buildkite at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, HCP Terraform or Buildkite?
- Buildkite has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for HCP Terraform and Free for Buildkite.
- Does HCP Terraform or Buildkite 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. HCP Terraform starts at On request.
Related pages
More on HCP Terraform
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