---
title: "CodeRabbit alternative: Review Runners compared"
description: "Compare CodeRabbit and StarSling Review Runners: where AI code review runs, who holds the model and provider key, reviewer definitions, billing and security."
url: https://starsling.dev/compare/coderabbit
canonicalUrl: https://starsling.dev/compare/coderabbit
---

# Review Runners vs CodeRabbit for AI code review

- [How StarSling works](https://starsling.dev/)

[Comparisons](https://starsling.dev/compare) / Review Runners vs CodeRabbit for AI code review

Last updated: 2026-09-27

Review Runners is StarSling's product for AI code review: review runs as a GitHub Actions job on the `starsling-review` runner, on your own model and provider key.

CodeRabbit reviews pull requests as a hosted service installed through a GitHub App, and Review Runners run review as a job in your own GitHub Actions workflow, calling your own model through your own provider key. Hosted review bots let you customize their reviewer. Review Runners let you run your own.

## Table of contents

- [Head to head](#head-to-head)
- [Customize a hosted reviewer, or run your own](#customize-a-hosted-reviewer-or-run-your-own)
- [Where the review runs and who holds the key](#where-the-review-runs-and-who-holds-the-key)
- [What each one bills](#what-each-one-bills)
- [Best fit](#best-fit)
- [Sources](#sources)
- [References](#references)

<a id="head-to-head"></a>

## Head to head

| Category | Review Runners | CodeRabbit |
|---|---|---|
| Where review runs | In a GitHub Actions job in your pull request workflow, on the `starsling-review` runner. | In CodeRabbit's hosted service, installed as a GitHub App that comments on each pull request. |
| Model and provider key | You bring your own model through your own provider key, and pay the provider directly. | An ensemble of models run by CodeRabbit. The Enterprise self-hosted option connects your own model provider. |
| Reviewer definitions | Skills and instructions in your repository, loaded from the trusted base branch. | A `.coderabbit.yaml` at the repository root, Quiet, Chill and Assertive review profiles, and guideline files such as `AGENTS.md`, `CLAUDE.md` and `.cursorrules`, detected automatically. |
| Changing the reviewer | A change to a skill takes effect once it merges to the base branch, so a pull request cannot rewrite its own reviewer. | The configuration in the branch under review is used for that review, and CodeRabbit learns from your usage over time. |
| GitHub integration | Runs as a job in the pull request workflow you already have. | A GitHub App with a CodeRabbit check run that reports review status, plus linters and SAST tools run during review. |
| Billing model | $0.004 a minute for the `starsling-review` runner, plus your model provider's bill for the tokens. | Per-developer monthly plans, charged for developers who create pull requests, with free reviews on public repositories. |
| Security model | The review job reads the repository (`contents: read`) and holds `pull-requests: write` to leave its review as comments on the pull request. | The GitHub App holds read and write access to checks, code, commit statuses, issues, pull requests and workflows. CodeRabbit states that it never uses customer code for model training. |
| Availability | Early access, starting from the [Review Runners page](/products/review-runners). | GitHub, GitHub Enterprise Server, GitLab, Azure DevOps and Bitbucket. |

<a id="customize-a-hosted-reviewer-or-run-your-own"></a>

## Customize a hosted reviewer, or run your own

Hosted review bots let you customize their reviewer. Review Runners let you run your own.

CodeRabbit is configured through a `.coderabbit.yaml` at the repository root. It detects guideline files such as `AGENTS.md`, `CLAUDE.md` and `.cursorrules` and applies them as review criteria, offers Quiet, Chill and Assertive review profiles, supports custom pre-merge checks on its Team plan and above, and learns from your usage.

With Review Runners, the reviewer is yours: its skills and instructions live in your repository and load from the trusted base branch, and it calls the model you choose through your own provider key.

<a id="where-the-review-runs-and-who-holds-the-key"></a>

## Where the review runs and who holds the key

CodeRabbit runs review in its hosted service and posts on the pull request through its GitHub App. An Enterprise self-hosted deployment runs CodeRabbit inside your own infrastructure and connects your own model provider.

A Review Runner is a GitHub Actions job in the workflow you already have, on the `starsling-review` runner. The job reads the repository with `contents: read`, holds `pull-requests: write` to leave its review as comments, and calls your model through your own provider key. [AI code review in GitHub Actions](/ai-code-review-github-actions) walks through model choice and reviewer context.

<a id="what-each-one-bills"></a>

## What each one bills

CodeRabbit sells per-developer monthly plans and charges for developers who create pull requests, with free reviews on public repositories.

Review Runners bill $0.004 a minute for the `starsling-review` runner that executes the review job, and your model provider bills your own key for the tokens. [How to run automated code review in GitHub Actions](/automated-code-review) covers the setup and the cost of a review job.

<a id="best-fit"></a>

## Best fit

**Choose Review Runners if:** Teams that want AI review to run inside their own GitHub Actions workflow, on their own model and provider key, with reviewer skills versioned in the repository.

**Choose CodeRabbit if:** Teams that want a hosted review service across GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps or Bitbucket, configured through a repository file and review profiles.

## FAQ

### Is Review Runners a CodeRabbit alternative?

Review Runners is a way to run AI code review yourself: as a GitHub Actions job on the `starsling-review` runner, calling your own model through your own provider key, with reviewer skills loaded from your repository's trusted base branch. CodeRabbit reviews as a hosted service installed through a GitHub App. Review Runners is in early access, starting from the [Review Runners page](/products/review-runners).

### Can CodeRabbit be customized?

Yes. CodeRabbit reads a `.coderabbit.yaml` from the repository root, detects guideline files such as `AGENTS.md`, `CLAUDE.md` and `.cursorrules`, offers Quiet, Chill and Assertive review profiles, and learns from your usage. Review Runners run reviewers you define in your own repository.

### Who pays for the model with Review Runners?

You do, through your own provider key. Your provider bills you for the tokens, and StarSling bills $0.004 a minute for the `starsling-review` runner that executes the review job.

<a id="sources"></a>

## Sources

- [CodeRabbit home page](https://www.coderabbit.ai/), read 2026-09-28
- [CodeRabbit pricing](https://www.coderabbit.ai/pricing), read 2026-09-28
- [CodeRabbit docs: GitHub.com integration](https://docs.coderabbit.ai/platforms/github-com), read 2026-09-28
- [CodeRabbit docs: YAML configuration](https://docs.coderabbit.ai/getting-started/yaml-configuration), read 2026-09-28
- [CodeRabbit docs: code guidelines](https://docs.coderabbit.ai/knowledge-base/code-guidelines), read 2026-09-28
- [CodeRabbit docs: self-hosted overview](https://docs.coderabbit.ai/self-hosted/overview), read 2026-09-28
- [CodeRabbit docs: FAQ](https://docs.coderabbit.ai/faq), read 2026-09-28

## Other comparisons

- [StarSling vs GitHub Actions](https://starsling.dev/compare/github-actions)
- [StarSling vs Depot for GitHub Actions](https://starsling.dev/compare/depot)
- [StarSling vs Blacksmith runners for GitHub Actions](https://starsling.dev/compare/blacksmith)
- [StarSling vs WarpBuild](https://starsling.dev/compare/warpbuild)
- [Buildkite vs GitHub Actions: where StarSling fits](https://starsling.dev/compare/buildkite)
- [StarSling vs Namespace runners for GitHub Actions](https://starsling.dev/compare/namespace)
- [StarSling vs RunsOn runners for GitHub Actions](https://starsling.dev/compare/runs-on)
- [StarSling vs Ubicloud runners for GitHub Actions](https://starsling.dev/compare/ubicloud)
- [Compare GitHub Actions runners and CI platforms: StarSling vs GitHub-hosted, Depot, Blacksmith, WarpBuild, Buildkite, and Namespace](https://starsling.dev/compare)

<a id="references"></a>

## References

- [Review Runners](https://starsling.dev/products/review-runners)
- [AI code review in GitHub Actions](https://starsling.dev/ai-code-review-github-actions)
- [How to run automated code review in GitHub Actions](https://starsling.dev/automated-code-review)
- [All StarSling comparisons](https://starsling.dev/compare)