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Buildhound vs AWS CodeBuild

AWS CodeBuild can run GitHub Actions jobs as runners in your own AWS account, one build per job, billed by the build minute. Buildhound runs them on machines you already have, for a flat price per machine.

Set up by hand

What a month costs

Minutes a month
  • Buildhound Teamone machine you already have$24
  • AWS CodeBuildLinux Small, 2 vCPU, 4 GiB, list price$25
  • GitHub-hostedubuntu-latest, list price$30

One machine you already have costs $24 a month on Team. AWS CodeBuild costs $25, and GitHub-hosted $30.

List prices, before free minutes or credits on either side. One machine runs these minutes a job at a time; Personal is $10 a machine on a personal account.

Choose the one that fits

Choose AWS CodeBuild when

  • Your team already runs on AWS and wants CI on its bill.
  • You want Linux, Arm, Windows or GPU runners of many sizes there.
  • Your jobs need to reach resources inside your AWS account.

Choose Buildhound when

  • Your CI includes macOS, which CodeBuild sells only as reserved Macs with a 24-hour minimum.
  • You would rather use machines you already have than pay for build minutes.
  • You want GitHub-hosted kept as the fallback when no machine can take a job.

Side by side

AWS CodeBuild from its own pages, checked 17 October 2026

Two ways to run the same workflow
Clean runners on machines you already have$24a machine a month on Team
AWS CodeBuildRunners in your AWS account, by the minute$0.005a Linux Small build minute

Price

How it is priced
BuildhoundFlat, per machine$10 a machine a month on a personal account, $24 in an organisation, counted only on days it runs a job. Public repositories free.
AWS CodeBuildBy the build minuteOn your AWS bill, with 100 free build minutes a month on the smallest size.
macOS
BuildhoundYour MacA fresh macOS VM per job; Apple allows two per Mac.
AWS CodeBuildReserved Macs onlyM2 fleets with a 24-hour minimum charge.
Linux
BuildhoundYour Mac or Linux boxA fresh Linux VM per job, arm64 on a Mac.
AWS CodeBuild$0.005 a minuteLinux Small, 2 vCPU, 4 GiB; Arm sizes too.
Windows
BuildhoundNot yetWindows jobs stay on GitHub-hosted.
AWS CodeBuildWindows ServerMedium and larger, on your AWS bill.

Where it runs

Machines
BuildhoundYoursA spare Mac, a Linux box, or a laptop while plugged in and not in use.
AWS CodeBuildYour AWS account
Each job
BuildhoundA fresh VM, destroyed afterIt reaches the internet and never your network.
AWS CodeBuildAn ephemeral runnerOne CodeBuild build per job, ended when the job completes.
Secrets
BuildhoundOn your hardwareOnly on a machine a person marked Trusted.
AWS CodeBuildIn your AWS account

When things change

Setup
BuildhoundOne prompt to your coding agentOr two commands by hand.
AWS CodeBuildA CodeBuild runner projectWith a webhook, then a codebuild- label in runs-on.

One line in runs-on

Both ask you to change the runner label in your workflow. Your coding agent makes the Buildhound change in a pull request.

AWS CodeBuildruns-on: codebuild-<project>-${{ github.run_id }}-${{ github.run_attempt }}The job runs where AWS CodeBuild runs it.
Buildhoundruns-on: ${{ vars.BUILDHOUND_LINUX || 'ubuntu-latest' }}The job runs on your machine while one can take it, and on GitHub-hosted when none can.

Put the machines you already have to work.

A spare Mac, a Linux box, or the laptop you code on while it is plugged in and not in use. One prompt into Claude Code, Codex or Cursor: Linux jobs run within minutes, macOS jobs once the Mac has built its image.

Set up by hand
  • The Buildhound agent holds no GitHub credential
  • A fresh VM per job, off your network
  • Your agent prepares, you approve
  • How security works