GitHub Actions is free for public repositories and integrated directly into GitHub with unlimited minutes, while Travis CI charges for private repository builds and requires external setup. GitHub Actions has become the dominant choice for most teams due to its native integration and cost advantages.
GitHub Actions vs Travis CI — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Free CI/CD automation platform natively integrated with GitHub repositories.
GitHub-native CI/CD platform with simple YAML configuration and tight GitHub integration.
Cost for Private Repos. Native Integration. Public Repository Cost. Workflow Setup Complexity. Market Share (CI/CD tools). Marketplace Actions Available. Free Minutes Per Month (Private Repos)
GitHub Actions is the superior choice for most teams in 2026, offering superior cost-effectiveness with free 3,000-minute allowances for private repos, seamless GitHub integration, and a thriving marketplace of 10,000+ actions. Choose GitHub Actions if you use GitHub and want zero setup overhead; choose Travis CI only if you have existing legacy workflows or use non-GitHub repositories and have budget for paid CI/CD services.
GitHub Actions: 3,000 (public repos) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 1 (GitHub only) | Travis CI: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
GitHub Actions: 256 concurrent | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 5 minutes | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 20,000+ actions | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Standard support available | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Supported with basic controls | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 1-2 weeks | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 15 minutes to first workflow | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 10000+ actions | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 2000 minutes (GitHub-hosted runners) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: GitHub only (primary) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Low - Simple YAML syntax | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Cloud-hosted and self-hosted | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Limited by GitHub account quotas | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: $231/user/year (GitHub Enterprise) | Travis CI: N/A
Free Monthly CI/CD Minutes (Private Repos)
GitHub Actions: 2,000 minutes | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 0.5 GB per project | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 11,000+ Actions | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: $200/month (Advanced Security tier) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Enterprise Server tier (paid only, $231+/month) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Issues, basic Boards, limited automation | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Integrated (GitHub-only) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 20 matrix configurations | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 13,000+ actions | Travis CI: N/A
Monthly Infrastructure Cost (10-developer team)
GitHub Actions: $25 (usage-based + GitHub Team) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 2,000 (private) / unlimited (public) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 1 week (YAML basics) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 20 (GitHub-hosted runners) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Native (zero additional setup) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: No (GitHub cloud default, Enterprise option) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 5-15 minutes | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 2,000-3,000 | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Not required | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: GitHub (primary), limited others | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 6 years (since 2019) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 18,000+ actions | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Microsoft, GitHub, 60% of public repos | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Self-hosted runners available | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: $0 (free tier available) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 2,000 (private repos) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 360 (6 hours) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Native (built-in) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 11,000+ | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 5-10 (YAML config only) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 2,000 (unlimited for public repos) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 20 concurrent jobs | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 10,000+ | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 750,000+ | Travis CI: N/A
Configuration File Complexity (1-5 scale)
GitHub Actions: 4 (complex YAML, matrix builds) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: GitHub only | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 3,000 minutes | Travis CI: 0 minutes
GitHub Actions: $0 (free tier available) | Travis CI: $69/month
GitHub Actions: 10,000+ verified actions | Travis CI: 500+ community apps
GitHub Actions: 42% of CI/CD users (2024) | Travis CI: 8% of CI/CD users (2024)
GitHub Actions: $0.008 | Travis CI: $0.012
GitHub Actions: GitHub only | Travis CI: 4 major platforms (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea)
GitHub Actions: 5 minutes (native UI) | Travis CI: 10 minutes (external setup)
GitHub Actions: 3 (Linux, Windows, macOS) | Travis CI: 3 (Linux, Windows, macOS)
GitHub Actions: 2,000 (public repos only) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: $0.008/minute | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Standard caching (1x baseline) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 15,000+ actions | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Not supported | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 2-3 minutes (native) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 2,000 minutes/month | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: $0.008 per minute | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Requires plugins | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 1-2 hours | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Free (2,000 min/month included) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 2,000 (public: unlimited) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 20,000+ | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: Via third-party actions (workaround) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 6 years (2019) | Travis CI: N/A
Monthly Cost (5 Private Repos, 100 builds/month)
GitHub Actions: $14.40 (2,000 free min + 1,800 excess min × $0.008) | Travis CI: N/A
Default Concurrent Jobs (Free/Base Tier)
GitHub Actions: 1 (GitHub only) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 10,000+ public actions | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 5GB (per repository) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 2-3 minutes (GitHub integration native) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: No (fully managed by GitHub) | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: 20 jobs maximum per repository | Travis CI: N/A
GitHub Actions: N/A | Travis CI: Unlimited for open-source
GitHub Actions: N/A | Travis CI: 5-10 minutes
GitHub Actions: N/A | Travis CI: 1 concurrent job
GitHub Actions: N/A | Travis CI: $69 per month
GitHub Actions: N/A | Travis CI: Limited support
GitHub Actions: N/A | Travis CI: Available on Enterprise plan only
GitHub Actions: N/A | Travis CI: Limited marketplace (~50 integrations)
GitHub Actions: N/A | Travis CI: 0 (deprecated)
GitHub Actions: N/A | Travis CI: GitHub primary, limited others
GitHub Actions: N/A | Travis CI: Not available
Configuration File Complexity (1-10 scale)
GitHub Actions: N/A | Travis CI: 2 (very simple)
How to choose between GitHub Actions and Travis CI
GitHub Actions vs Travis CI — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for GitHub Actions vs Travis CI. Contains 104 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
GitHub Actions vs Travis CI — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for GitHub Actions vs Travis CI.
How much do GitHub Actions and Travis CI actually cost for private repositories?
GitHub Actions provides 3,000 free minutes per month for private repositories when using GitHub Pro ($4/month for individuals), making it effectively free for most small teams. Travis CI requires a paid plan starting at $69/month with zero free minutes allocated for private builds, making it significantly more expensive for teams with private repositories.
Can I use Travis CI if I don't host code on GitHub?
Yes, Travis CI supports GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Gitea repositories, giving it flexibility across multiple Git hosting platforms. GitHub Actions is exclusively tied to GitHub repositories and cannot be used with alternative hosting platforms, making Travis CI the only option for non-GitHub users.
What's the difference in setup complexity between GitHub Actions and Travis CI?
Both use YAML configuration files (.github/workflows for GitHub Actions, .travis.yml for Travis CI), but GitHub Actions integrates directly into the GitHub UI with a visual editor and templates. Travis CI requires external configuration and setup on the Travis website, adding extra steps but providing more flexibility across platforms.
Which platform has better community support and available integrations?
GitHub Actions dominates with 10,000+ verified actions in the official marketplace covering most common development tasks. Travis CI has approximately 500 community applications but a smaller ecosystem, meaning you may need to write custom scripts for specialized workflows in Travis CI.
Why is GitHub Actions becoming the industry standard?
GitHub Actions achieved 42% market adoption by 2024 (vs Travis CI's 8%) due to four factors: (1) free tier with 3,000 monthly minutes for private repos, (2) seamless GitHub native integration with zero external setup, (3) 10x larger marketplace of reusable actions, and (4) GitHub's dominance as the primary code hosting platform for 96% of developers.
How to Choose Between GitHub Actions and Travis CI
Cost for Private Repos: GitHub Actions has Free (3,000 minutes/month), while Travis CI has Paid plans from $69/month.
Native Integration: GitHub Actions has Built into GitHub interface, while Travis CI has External third-party service.
Public Repository Cost: GitHub Actions has Free unlimited, while Travis CI has Free with $0 cost.
Workflow Setup Complexity: GitHub Actions has YAML in .github/workflows folder, while Travis CI has .travis.yml in repo root.
Market Share (CI/CD tools): GitHub Actions has 42% adoption rate (2024), while Travis CI has 8% adoption rate (2024).
Marketplace Actions Available: GitHub Actions has 10,000+ verified actions, while Travis CI has Limited to Travis ecosystem.
Consider: Free Minutes Per Month (Private Repos)
Free Minutes Per Month (Private Repos): GitHub Actions has 3,000 minutes, while Travis CI has 0 minutes (pay-only).