Self-hosted alternative to GitHub-hosted macOS runners
kinhin runs GitHub Actions macOS jobs on an Apple Silicon Mac that you own. Like GitHub-hosted runners, each job gets a fresh VM that is deleted when the job ends. The difference is where the Mac lives and who pays for it: kinhin is free and open source under Apache-2.0, and the hardware, power and upkeep are yours.
When kinhin fits
- You already have Apple Silicon Macs, or you are willing to buy one, and you run many macOS jobs. A busy Mac can cost less than per-minute macOS runner charges.
- You want jobs to run on your own network, with your own toolchains and caches. See Toolchains.
- You need several jobs at once. kinhin runs a fleet on one Mac; see How scaling works.
When GitHub-hosted runners fit better
- You need Intel macOS. kinhin needs an Apple Silicon Mac.
- You do not want hardware. Nothing to buy, power, update or repair.
- Your jobs are rare. A Mac that waits for work all day is wasted money.
Other options
Several hosted macOS services exist, along with other self-hosted tools. The comparison covers them with what each does well.
To start, follow How to run GitHub Actions on a self-hosted Mac.