Semaphore is an open-source, agent-native CI/CD platform with usage-based pricing, Docker/Kubernetes support, and SOC 2 Type II security. See pricing,…
Category
DevOps
Pricing
Usage-based, pay-per-minute compute pricing with no per-seat fees ($15 free credit included monthly)
Semaphore is a continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) platform built to run fast, production-identical pipelines for software teams and, increasingly, AI coding agents. Founded in 2011 by Darko Fabijan and Marko Anastasov, Semaphore lets teams set up CI/CD in minutes and automatically monitors pipeline health to flag slow steps and flaky tests. The platform covers the full pipeline lifecycle: continuous integration, deployments and automation, metrics and observability, and a developer toolkit with a public API and CLI. It supports Docker and Kubernetes workflows, native iOS and Android build environments, and self-hosted agents for teams that want to run jobs on their own infrastructure. Semaphore has open-sourced its core platform under the Apache 2.0 license, so it can be read, run, and self-hosted, while also offering a fully managed cloud service. Pricing is usage-based: compute is billed per minute across Ubuntu x64, Ubuntu ARM, macOS, and self-hosted runners, with $15 of free credit included every month and no per-seat charges. For security-conscious teams, Semaphore is SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified and supports SAML SSO, role-based access control, audit logs, and managed secrets. The company describes itself as a 100% remote team serving more than 1,000 customers across 100+ countries.
Key Features
Continuous Integration Pipelines — Fast CI pipelines with parallel and matrix jobs that run in production-identical sandboxes.
Deployments & Automation — Automate build, test, and deployment workflows end to end.
Docker & Kubernetes Support — Auto-scale Docker images with support for public/private registries and Kubernetes workflows.
iOS & Android Build Environments — Dedicated native build environments for shipping mobile apps faster.
Security & Compliance — SAML SSO, role-based access control, audit logs, and managed secrets; SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified.
Developer Toolkit (API & CLI) — Public API and CLI for scripting pipelines and building custom integrations.
Self-Hosted Agents & Open Source Core — Core platform is open source (Apache 2.0) and can be self-hosted, with self-hosted agent support for the managed cloud.
AI Coding Agent Integration (MCP Server) — MCP server and plugin-based integration lets AI coding agents like Claude Code and Codex set up and run CI directly.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Usage-based pricing with no per-seat fees, plus $15 free credit every month
Open-source core (Apache 2.0) that can be self-hosted for full control
SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified for enterprise security requirements
Native support for Docker, Kubernetes, iOS, and Android pipelines
Built-in metrics/observability to catch slow steps and flaky tests automatically
Cons
Usage-based compute pricing can be harder to budget for than flat per-seat plans as usage scales
Priority/SLA support tiers and add-ons (dedicated cache server, private registry) cost extra on top of compute
Company/founding details are sparse on the public site beyond the About page