Which is cheaper, Buf or Depot?

Depot is 150.0x cheaper than Buf. Buf starts at $0/mo, Depot starts at $20/mo.

Does Buf have a free tier?

Yes, Buf offers a free tier with privateRepositories: 1.

Buf has moderate switching cost. Depot has drop-in switching cost. Depot is easier to switch away from.

Ci Cd

Buf

Protobuf and gRPC tooling platform with schema registry, linting, breaking change detection, and SDK generation

Switching Cost: moderate

Depot

← More affordable

Fast container builds and CI runners with persistent caching and GitHub Actions integration

Switching Cost: drop-in

You're paying a premium for Buf — expect around a 150.0x higher bill compared to Depot.

Startups take note: Buf provides a free tier, while Depot requires payment from day one.

Cost modeling varies: usage-based drives Buf pricing, while Depot uses flat-rate.

Price-conscious teams should choose Depot — the cost advantage is hard to ignore, especially for growing workloads.

Price-conscious teams should choose Depot — the cost advantage is hard to ignore, especially for growing workloads.

Price Difference

150.0x

Depot is cheaper by $2980/mo

Free Tier

Buf

Has a free tier option

Pricing Model

Different

Tools charge using different pricing philosophies

Switching Costs

Depot

Lower switching costs for easier migration