Developer Tools
Semaphore
Usage-priced CI/CD with cloud, self-hosted and open-source editions.
What it is
Semaphore is a CI/CD platform offered as a managed cloud service, a free open-source Community Edition and a commercial self-hosted Enterprise Edition. Cloud pipelines are stored as YAML under .semaphore, can use hosted or self-hosted agents, and are billed from compute, storage, transfer and optional support usage rather than one flat subscription.
Key features
YAML pipelines
Connects dependency-aware blocks and jobs from files in the .semaphore directory.
Hosted and self-hosted agents
Runs jobs on listed cloud machines or customer-managed agent capacity.
Secrets
Injects governed environment variables or files into selected jobs and pipelines.
Promotions
Chains pipelines into release and deployment workflows with configurable conditions.
Strengths and trade-offs
What works well
- Deployment choice: Offers managed cloud, open-source Community Edition and commercial self-hosted editions.
- Repository pipelines: Defines connected blocks, dependencies, jobs and promotions in versioned YAML files.
- Execution options: Cloud supports Linux, Docker and macOS agents, while self-hosted agents add customer-controlled machines.
- Usage visibility: Current pricing publishes per-minute compute and separate artifact allowances and overages.
Where it falls short
- Variable monthly cost: Machine minutes, artifact transfer, storage and optional services can all affect spend.
- Platform boundary: Hosted Windows jobs are not listed; Windows is documented through self-hosted agents.
- Operational burden shifts: Community or self-hosted deployment requires the customer to operate its own CI infrastructure.
- Support tiers are separate: Advanced troubleshooting, response commitments and engineering assistance are paid additions.
Who it is for
Software teams seeking usage-priced cloud CI/CD or a Semaphore-compatible self-hosted path and willing to own pipeline and cost governance.
Our verdict
Choose Semaphore after pricing representative jobs and deciding who operates each agent; treat compute, artifacts and support as separate cost lines and verify edition-specific features before migration.
Closest alternatives we track
Same category, ordered by verified starting price.
What we checked
- Public APIOffers a documented API you can build against.Yes
- Mobile appHas a native app for iOS or Android, not just a mobile website.No
- Open source / self-hostableSource is open and the tool can be run on your own infrastructure.Yes
- SSO (SAML)Supports SAML single sign-on on at least one plan.No
“Not checked” means exactly that — we have not verified it, and we do not guess.
Evidence and freshness
Status: Official sources reviewedReviewed: 2026-08-24
- Semaphore — Pricing ↗
Checked 2026-08-24 · Supports: per-minute cloud compute, self-hosted usage price, included concurrency, free credits, artifact allowances and overages, support add-ons
- Semaphore Docs — About Semaphore ↗
Checked 2026-08-24 · Supports: Cloud edition, open-source Community Edition, commercial Enterprise Edition, self-hosting responsibility, API reference availability
- Semaphore Docs — Pipelines ↗
Checked 2026-08-24 · Supports: pipeline YAML, block dependencies, parallel blocks, promotions, cloud agent platforms, self-hosted agents, rerun behavior
- Semaphore Docs — Secrets ↗
Checked 2026-08-24 · Supports: environment-variable secrets, file secrets, job access, organization access, secret updates
- Semaphore Docs — Self-hosted agents ↗
Checked 2026-08-24 · Supports: customer-managed machines, agent setup, supported plans, agent requirements, job execution
Limit: Vendor pages and documentation were reviewed; ToolCompare did not open an account, run cloud or self-hosted jobs, install Community or Enterprise Edition, measure performance, inspect isolation, calculate a production bill or test support response times.