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Depot

Build acceleration company from YC W23 that speeds up Docker image builds and GitHub Actions with a shared remote cache, and now runs its own Depot CI engine.

7.9/10
Overall Score
Recommend

Depot started by making Docker builds much faster with persistent shared caches and native ARM machines, then added GitHub Actions runners, sandboxes, and its own CI engine.

Best for

Teams with slow Docker or multi-platform image builds that want faster builds in CI and on laptops through a shared cache.

Not ideal for

Teams with small, fast builds that would not use the cache, or buyers who need a fully custom enterprise quote to see prices.

Verdict

Depot is worth using for teams whose Docker builds are the slowest part of CI, especially with ARM or multi-platform images. Its shared cache also speeds up local builds for developers. Teams with small, fast builds will see less benefit.

Score Breakdown

How Depot scores in the categories that matter to its buyers.

Buyer outcomes

Docker build speed
8.6
Shared build cache
8.5
GitHub Actions runners
8.2
Business-tier price transparency
6.8

Company & commercial

Innovation & product leadership
8.0
Project management & communication
7.8
Pricing
7.8
Contract fairness
7.7

Pricing

Depot publishes Developer and Startup plan prices plus per-minute overage rates.

PlanPriceWhat stands out
Developer$20 / month1 user; 500 Docker build minutes; 2,000 Depot CI and 2,000 GitHub Actions minutes
Startup$200 / monthUnlimited users; 5,000 Docker build minutes; 20,000 CI and 20,000 Actions minutes
BusinessCustomCustom minutes and support
OveragePer minuteDocker builds $0.04; GitHub Actions $0.006; sandboxes $0.01

The Field at a Glance

How Depot compares with other AI CI and build acceleration vendors we reviewed, by Overall Score and relative typical engagement cost.

6 7 8 9 Overall Score $ $$ $$$ $$$$ Relative typical engagement cost Blacksmith Namespace WarpBuild Depot 7.9
Depot Blacksmith Namespace WarpBuild

Depot scores 7.9 in AI CI and build acceleration, under Blacksmith (8.0), level with Namespace (7.9), and ahead of WarpBuild (7.8). Relative cost lands lower for this subcategory.

Use-case matrix

Use caseFitNotes
Docker image buildsStrongPersistent remote cache and native multi-arch builders.
ARM and multi-platform imagesStrongNative ARM avoids slow emulation.
GitHub Actions runnersStrongManaged runners with fast cache throughput.
Local developer buildsStrongLaptops share the same build cache.
Business plan pricingWeakAbove Startup, pricing is custom.
Teams with tiny buildsWeakCache gains are small for quick builds.

Who it’s for

Good fit

  • Teams shipping container images
  • Platform and DevOps engineers
  • ARM and multi-arch builders

Poor fit

  • Teams with tiny builds
  • Buyers needing list enterprise prices
  • Non-container workloads only

Review Excerpts

Below are excerpts from public reviews. Our team scoured public reviews, forums, and chat rooms to get a balanced view of customers' experience with this company. Paid reviews and pay-for-play sites such as Clutch were excluded.

How it's used

“Depot took our build and push from 30 minutes to 4, and with cache it should be around 12 seconds.”

nacho (@ignacioaal), post shown as a company testimonial published by Depot · depot.dev
What people like

“Since migrating from the default GitHub runner, our Docker image build times have literally been cut in half.”

Dan Loewenherz (@dwlz), post shown as a company testimonial published by Depot · depot.dev
What people don't like

Depot's Developer plan includes 500 Docker build minutes a month, and extra Docker build time costs $0.04 a minute, so busy teams move to Startup at $200 a month.

Product fact · Depot pricing

Company Facts

Founded
2022 (CB Insights)
Headquarters
Beaverton, Oregon, United States (CB Insights)
Employees
About 22 (Y Combinator)
Total funding raised
$14.6M (CB Insights)
Key investors
Y Combinator, Pioneer Fund, Felicis, Tokyo Black, Aviso Ventures (CB Insights)
Accelerator
Y Combinator, Winter 2023 batch (Y Combinator)
Website
depot.dev

Key Leadership

Kyle Galbraith

Kyle Galbraith

Co-founder and CEO

Methodology

This page is an independent evaluation of Depot for buyers comparing options in ai ci and build acceleration. AI Industry Reviews accepts no sponsorships, advertising, or pay-for-placement fees. Depot did not pay for this review.

What we scored

The headline number is an Overall Score on a 0-10 scale. Eight criteria sit under it in two groups.

  • Buyer outcomes (for ai ci and build acceleration)
    • Docker build speed
    • Shared build cache
    • GitHub Actions runners
    • Business-tier price transparency
  • Company & commercial
    • Innovation & product leadership
    • Project management & communication
    • Pricing
    • Contract fairness

Pricing measures whether the price looks fair for the value delivered, including packaging and renewal friction that show up in real buying cycles.

Score Composition

InputWeightWhat it covers
Reviews40%A proprietary read of what practitioners say about likes, complaints, and day-to-day use, including public review sites, forums, and private chat rooms. Paid reviews and pay-for-play sites such as Clutch are out of scope.
Product35%Hands-on look at screens and workflows.
Pricing15%Whether the price looks fair for what you get.
Docs & training10%Docs, tutorials, and training material.

How we balanced the evidence

The Overall Score is the simple average of the eight criteria. Recommendation language follows that score and the fit pattern described above.

Scope

Depot is graded here as ai ci and build acceleration. Criteria scores can move as more review volume and product checks are added.

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