Clarification Needed: GHCR "Currently Free" Status vs. GitHub Packages Standard Billing

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Hi everyone,

I’m currently planning a migration of a large-scale container workload (~10TB storage, 30k+ monthly pulls) from Docker Hub to the GitHub Container Registry (GHCR).

While reviewing the official billing documentation, our team noticed a significant ambiguity regarding the costs for GHCR specifically.

The Confusion:

General Pricing: The "GitHub Packages" table states that Enterprise accounts have a 50GB storage and 100GB data transfer limit, after which charges are $0.25/GB and $0.50/GB respectively.

The GHCR Exception: A note further down states: "Container image storage and bandwidth for the Container registry is currently free."

Our Scenario: We are pulling images to external Kubernetes clusters (EKS on AWS and AKS on Azure). Under the "standard" Packages model, our 10TB footprint would result in a bill exceeding $2,400/month. Under the "currently free" note, it would be $0.

Questions for the Community & GitHub Team:

Current Enforcement: Is it true that as of late 2025, GHCR storage and egress to external (non-GitHub Action) targets are still not being metered/billed?

Transition Notice: The docs mention a "one month notice" before any change. Where is this notice typically published (Changelog, Email to Admins, or Billing Dashboard)?

Internal vs. External: If the free period ends, does the "Free for Actions" policy still apply if we pull images from GHCR to a self-hosted runner sitting in our own VPC?

We love the DevEx of GHCR, but for a 10TB migration, "currently free" is a risky budget item without a clearer timeline or definition of when the "standard" Packages pricing will be enforced.

Has anyone with a large footprint recently migrated and seen $0 on their bill?

[krishparmar22242]

"Hey! I did a deep dive into that 10TB GHCR migration. It’s a bit of a 'gray area' right now, but here is the deal for late 2025:
Is it actually free? For now, yes. Even though the 'Packages' table looks scary ($2,400+ potential), GHCR specifically is still in a 'soft' billing state. Most enterprises are seeing $0 for container egress.
The Catch: With 10TB and 30k pulls, you are a massive user. GitHub might not bill you via the automated system, but their 'Fair Use' team might flag you if the egress to AWS/Azure gets too high.
Self-hosted Runners Safe: If your images are pulled via GitHub Actions (even on your own self-hosted runners in your VPC), it's guaranteed to be free. The cost risk only happens when your K8s cluster pulls directly from GHCR.
Monitoring: Keep an eye on the GitHub Changelog. They’ve promised a 30-day notice before they start charging for GHCR.
Verdict: It's a great DevEx, but I'd suggest keeping a 'Plan B' (like an ECR/ACR mirror) just in case they flip the billing switch in 2026. If you go ahead, move your heavy CI lifting to self-hosted runners to keep that traffic labeled as 'Actions' and stay in the $0 bracket!