Bitbucket Pipelines is the CI/CD built into Bitbucket Cloud: you add a bitbucket-pipelines.yml file at the root of your repository, and it runs your commands in fresh containers. As of October 2026 the Free plan includes 50 build minutes a month, Standard 2,500 and Premium 3,500.
Here's the catch. Fifty minutes goes fast. One careless push storm can use it, and bigger step sizes burn build minutes faster than the clock suggests. Overage protection isn't included on Free, so it's worth knowing the limits before your first pipeline runs.
Bitbucket Pipelines build minutes by plan
These are the figures on Atlassian's limitations page, as of October 2026, in US dollars.
| Plan | Price (as of October 2026) | Build minutes a month | Large file storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, up to 5 users | 50 | 1 GB |
| Standard | $3 per user a month (a flat $15 for 1 to 5 users) | 2,500 | 5 GB |
| Premium | $6 per user a month (a flat $30 for 1 to 5 users) | 3,500 | 10 GB |
Some limits are the same everywhere. Every plan allows up to 100 steps per pipeline. Free allows up to 10 concurrent steps across the workspace. Standard and Premium include 4x and 8x pipeline sizes, and overage protection isn't part of the Free plan.
Step sizes and how they use minutes
Each step runs at a size, set as a multiple of the base. Bigger sizes give you more CPU and memory, but they use proportionally more build minutes, and the bigger sizes need Standard or Premium.
| Size | CPU | Memory |
|---|---|---|
| 1x | 2 | 4GB |
| 2x | 4 | 8GB |
| 4x | 8 | 16GB |
| 8x | 16 | 32GB |
| 32x | 64 | 128GB |
Proportional is the word to hold on to. A 10-minute step at 2x counts as 20 build minutes, and the same step at 8x counts as 80, which would be more than a Free workspace gets in a month. Bigger isn't always faster enough to be worth it, so try a slow step at 2x before jumping higher and see what you get back.
Limits that catch teams out
- A push containing more than five tags, bookmarks or branches runs no pipelines at all. Atlassian does this to stop accidental minute burn.
- Pipelines supports IPv4 only.
- max-time defaults to 120 minutes and can be set anywhere from 1 to 720.
- Clone depth defaults to 50. Set it to full if a step needs the whole history.
- Clone can be disabled for deployment steps that don't need the code.
Put the Free plan in those terms and it's tight. Fifty minutes is five 10-minute builds at 1x a month, or two and a half at 2x. A team pushing a few times a day will run through that in the first week, which is why the plan you pick matters more than any setting in the file.
The five-branch rule is the one that confuses people. Push six branches at once, such as after a big rebase or a mirror sync, and nothing runs, with no build to look at. That's on purpose. Push them in smaller groups if you need the builds.
max-time is your safety net. At the default, a stuck step can sit for two hours, which on a small plan is a big chunk of the month. Set it close to how long the step usually takes and a hang stops early.
How bitbucket-pipelines.yml is laid out
Everything lives in one file at the repository root. At the top you set the image your steps run in, then a pipelines section that says what runs and when.
| Part of the file | What it does |
|---|---|
| default | The default pipeline |
| branches | Pipelines for named branches |
| pull-requests | Pipelines for pull requests |
| tags | Pipelines for tags |
| custom | Manual pipelines that run only when someone starts them |
| parallel and stage | Ways to group steps |
| definitions | Holds caches and service containers such as redis or postgres |
Custom pipelines are worth using for anything heavy you don't need on every push, like a full test run before a release. They only run when someone starts them, so they never touch your minutes by accident.
How to set up your first pipeline
- Add a bitbucket-pipelines.yml file at the root of your repository.
- Set an image and a default pipeline with a step and a script.
- Commit and push, and the pipeline runs.
- Watch your build minutes against your plan, especially in the first week.
My verdict on Bitbucket Pipelines
I'd use it if your code is already in Bitbucket Cloud, because there's nothing else to connect: one file at the root and you've got builds. I'd start on Free to learn the file, keep steps at 1x and set max-time on anything that could hang. I'd move to Standard once the team pushes daily, because 50 minutes won't last, and Standard's 2,500 minutes come with the bigger step sizes. If you're still choosing where your code lives, see GitHub vs Bitbucket, and if the CI/CD idea is new to you, this explainer on continuous integration and delivery covers the basics.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Pipelines automate builds. I help teams automate the rest of their work with AI. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement, AI automation and GEO, which is about getting your business seen and cited in AI answers. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams, telecom companies and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bitbucket Pipelines free?
The Free plan includes 50 build minutes a month for up to 5 users, as of October 2026.
How many build minutes do Standard and Premium get?
Standard includes 2,500 build minutes a month and Premium 3,500, as of October 2026.
Where does the bitbucket-pipelines.yml file go?
At the root of your repository.
Why didn't my Bitbucket pipeline run?
If a push contains more than five tags, bookmarks or branches, no pipelines run, to stop accidental minute burn.
What is the default max-time for a Bitbucket Pipelines step?
120 minutes, and you can set it from 1 to 720.
Do bigger step sizes use more build minutes?
Yes. Bigger sizes use proportionally more build minutes and need Standard or Premium.
How many steps can a Bitbucket pipeline have?
Up to 100 steps per pipeline on every plan. Free allows up to 10 concurrent steps across the workspace.
Can I run a Bitbucket pipeline manually?
Yes. Custom pipelines run only when someone starts them.
Does Bitbucket Pipelines support IPv6?
No. Pipelines supports IPv4 only.
