# Apple Xcode Cloud

Official pricing: https://developer.apple.com/xcode-cloud/  
Category: macos · Isolation: apple-vm

## Pricing regimes (raw)

- **Xcode Cloud compute hours (Xcode build/test only)** (sizes): Xcode Cloud compute hour (Apple-managed, spec not published) ? vCPU/? GiB $0.4/h [alt]

## Features

Yes: idle auto-stop, ≥24 h sessions, full VM (own kernel), arm64, macOS, Python, webhooks, gVisor or VM (no shared kernel)

No: snapshots, memory snapshots, fork/clone, pause/resume, persistent disk, volumes, custom image (Docker or snapshot), start from your own snapshot, your own Docker/OCI image, Docker inside, nested virtualization, root, systemd, browser, desktop GUI, computer-use API, code interpreter, browser + desktop control, anti-bot stealth, CAPTCHA solving, residential IPs, preinstalled agents, SSH, public IPv4, HTTPS preview URLs, custom domains, raw TCP inbound, egress allowlist, static egress IP, private networking, self-hosting, BYOC, open source, SOC 2, HIPAA, SSO, GPU, Windows, Node.js, GPU desktop, HTTP method/path egress rules, wake on request, live resize, live fork (no pause), memory fork, EU data residency, MCP server, automatic snapshots, snapshots on demand, agent harness API, hosted agent API (their own agent), inbound access rules, firewall inside (nftables), secret proxy, secret proxy for any API, extra volumes, shared volumes

Unknown: everything else. Evidence (source + quote) per feature: https://battleships.dev/data/providers/xcode-cloud.json → feature_evidence

## Caveats

- Xcode build/test workflows only: Xcode Cloud runs Xcode actions (build, test, analyze, archive) for Apple-platform apps. Shell runs only as the three custom build-script hooks (ci_post_clone.sh, ci_pre_xcodebuild.sh, ci_post_xcodebuild.sh) inside a workflow, without sudo ("You can't obtain administrator privileges by using sudo"), and files they create are deleted. No SSH, no interactive shell, no GUI/desktop automation: not usable as an agent sandbox or macOS desktop.
- Subscriptions are fixed hour packs with no published overage; beyond the pack you must upgrade. included_usd at $0.40/h approximates that; the 100 h pack is really $0.50/h.
- Billing granularity not published (granularity_s null); ephemeral build environments are destroyed after each build.
- Apple Developer Program membership ($99/year = $8.25/month) is required and is included in every plan fee here.
- Upgrading a subscription starts a new billing period immediately and resets the quota to 0 (new plan's hours replace, not add to, the remainder); downgrades take effect next period; cancel -> back to 25 h.
- Subscriptions are priced in USD or in local currency where available (local prices shown only in the Apple Developer app; localized web pages jp/cn list the same US$ prices).
- Hidden infrastructure-validation builds may run duplicate builds/custom scripts (opt-out in App Store Connect); Apple says they don't consume your build minutes.

## How this provider charges


Xcode Cloud is Apple's CI/CD for Xcode projects: build, test in parallel, archive and TestFlight. It sells **compute hours** in fixed monthly subscriptions on top of Apple Developer Program membership. It gives no shell, SSH or desktop access, so it is **not a general macOS sandbox** (the card's mode is flagged `alt`).

## Regime table

| # | Regime | When it applies | How billed | Numbers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Included | Apple Developer Program membership | Monthly allotment | **25 compute hours/month** | https://developer.apple.com/xcode-cloud/ |
| 2 | 100 h | Subscription | Monthly | **US$49.99/month** ($0.50/h) | same |
| 3 | 250 h | Subscription | Monthly | **US$99.99/month** ($0.40/h) | same |
| 4 | 1,000 h | Subscription | Monthly | **US$399.99/month** ($0.40/h) | same |
| 5 | 10,000 h | Subscription | Monthly | **US$3,999.99/month** ($0.40/h) | same |
| 6 | Compute hour definition | – | Summed task time: "running 5 tests of 12 minutes each equals one compute hour" | – | same |

## Gotchas

1. **There is no published overage.** Beyond your pack you upgrade (packs can be changed at any time). The card approximates this as $0.40/h, with plan `included_usd` = hours × $0.40.
2. **Parallel tests burn hours in parallel.**
3. Xcode workloads only. Environments are destroyed after each build.
4. The Apple Developer Program fee is extra and not modelled.

## Worked example

The reference workload (50 interactive 4 vCPU / 8 GiB sessions) **cannot run** on Xcode Cloud. If the same 8,800 hours were Xcode build/test time, they would need the **10,000 h pack at $3,999.99/month**. Snapshots and egress are not applicable.

Sources: https://developer.apple.com/xcode-cloud/