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Nx Cloud vs Earthly

Nx Cloud logo

Nx Cloud

Developer Tools

Distributed CI and remote caching for monorepo teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Earthly logo

Earthly

Developer Tools

Engineering guardrails for the AI era

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Nx Cloud requires Nx workspace setup; integration limited to Nx build system; Earthly pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • They diverge on capability: Nx Cloud covers Nx Replay, Earthly covers Policy as code.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Nx Cloud and Earthly actually diverge.

Attributes where Nx Cloud and Earthly differ
AttributeNx CloudEarthly
Pricing modelcredits-basedNo pricing published on website
PlatformsWeb, CI/CD SystemsWeb, CLI
FoundedUnknown2020

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 Nx Cloud

  • Nx Replay
  • Nx Agents
  • Remote execution
  • Advanced analytics
  • Conformance rules
  • AI-powered recovery
  • Multi-repository visibility

Only in Earthly

  • Policy as code
  • Multi-stage enforcement
  • AI agent governance
  • Repository-wide policies
  • Incident response automation
  • Compliance management
  • Earthfiles build tool
  • Satellites

What people use each for

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

Nx Cloud

  • Accelerating monorepo CI pipelines with distributed task executionnot Earthly
  • Reducing build times through remote caching and incremental buildsnot Earthly
  • Scaling development teams across complex multi-package projectsnot Earthly
  • Enforcing consistency and standards across monorepo workspacesnot Earthly

Earthly

  • Enforcing engineering standards across AI and human developersnot Nx Cloud
  • Automating incident response procedures across all repositoriesnot Nx Cloud
  • Embedding compliance requirements into development workflowsnot Nx Cloud
  • Standardizing build processes with Earthfilesnot Nx Cloud

Where each one falls short

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

Nx Cloud

  • Requires Nx workspace setup; integration limited to Nx build system
  • Free tier restricted to 5 contributors; larger teams require paid plans
  • Credits system adds complexity to cost prediction vs flat-rate competitors
  • Self-hosted Enterprise deployment requires significant operational overhead

Earthly

  • Pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • Earthly Lunar is a recent launch (2025) with limited track record
  • Primarily GitHub-focused; limited integration with other platforms
  • No public documentation on pricing or feature tiers

Pricing, plan by plan

Nx Cloud

Free
  • HobbyFree
    • 50,000 monthly credits
    • 5 contributors
    • 10 concurrent CI connections
  • Team$29/month
    • Usage-based credits ($29 base plus overage)
    • Unlimited contributors
    • Remote caching
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Complete feature access
    • Conformance rules
    • Cross-repository visibility

Earthly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Earthly review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Nx Cloud if

  • You need nx replay.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CI/CD Systems.
  • You also want nx agents.
Nx Cloud review

Choose Earthly if

  • You need policy as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI.
  • You also want multi-stage enforcement.
Earthly review

Questions people ask

Is Nx Cloud or Earthly better?
Neither clearly leads. Nx Cloud starts at Free and Earthly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Nx Cloud or Earthly?
Nx Cloud starts at Free and Earthly at Free.
Does Nx Cloud or Earthly run on more platforms?
Nx Cloud runs on Web, CI/CD Systems. Earthly runs on Web, CLI.
Can I use Nx Cloud for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Nx Cloud best used for?
Nx Cloud is most often used for accelerating monorepo ci pipelines with distributed task execution, reducing build times through remote caching and incremental builds, scaling development teams across complex multi-package projects, enforcing consistency and standards across monorepo workspaces. Of those, accelerating monorepo ci pipelines with distributed task execution and reducing build times through remote caching and incremental builds are not what Earthly is typically brought in for.
What can Nx Cloud do that Earthly cannot?
Nx Cloud covers Nx Replay, Nx Agents, Remote execution, Advanced analytics. Earthly covers Policy as code, Multi-stage enforcement, AI agent governance, Repository-wide policies.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Nx Cloud: What is included in the free Hobby plan?

The Hobby plan includes 50,000 monthly credits, support for 5 contributors, 10 concurrent CI connections, and basic analytics at no cost with no credit card required.

Source
Earthly: What is the difference between Earthfiles and Earthly Lunar?

Earthfiles is an open-source build tool that reached 12,000 GitHub stars and is used by companies like NVIDIA, Intel, and Databricks. Earthly Lunar is a separate governance platform launched in 2025 for enforcing standards across development workflows.

Source
Nx Cloud: How are overages charged on the Team plan?

The Team plan starts at $29/month with included credits. Additional credits cost $5.50 per 10,000 credits, extra contributors cost $19 each, and additional CI connections cost $2.25 each.

Source
Earthly: How does Earthly Lunar enforce standards?

Lunar converts engineering standards, compliance requirements, and processes documented in AGENTS.md files, wikis, and incident postmortems into enforceable guardrails that apply consistently across repositories and development stages.

Source
Nx Cloud: Can Nx Cloud be self-hosted?

Yes, Enterprise customers can deploy Nx Cloud on-premises or on managed infrastructure to maintain full control over data and infrastructure.

Source
Earthly: What is the pricing for Earthly Lunar?

Pricing is not published on the website. Interested customers should contact Earthly's sales team for current pricing and feature tiers.

Source
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