GitHub dominates with 100M+ repositories and stronger community ecosystem, while GitLab offers more built-in DevOps features and better self-hosting options at lower cost, making it ideal for enterprises needing complete CI/CD control.
GitHub vs GitLab — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud-based Git repository hosting with collaboration tools and CI/CD automation via Actions.
All-in-one DevOps platform with Git repositories, CI/CD pipelines, and project management built-in.
Repository Market Share. Built-in CI/CD Pipelines. Self-Hosting Capability. Free Tier Storage. Code Review Features. Community Size & Third-party Integrations. Enterprise Pricing (100 users/year)
Choose GitHub if you prioritize the largest developer community, widest third-party ecosystem, and seamless open-source collaboration—it's the de facto standard with unmatched visibility for public projects. Choose GitLab if you need complete control over your DevOps pipeline, prefer self-hosting options, want native CI/CD without extra services, or operate in an enterprise environment where cost-per-user and compliance matter most.
GitHub: 2000 minutes with Actions | GitLab: 400 minutes with shared runners
GitHub: Enterprise edition only ($231/user/year minimum) | GitLab: Community and Enterprise editions available
GitHub: Unlimited LFS (with 1GB free tier) | GitLab: 5GB total
GitHub: Advanced with CodeQL (free on public repos) | GitLab: Built-in for all tiers
GitHub: Over 100 million developers | GitLab: Approximately 30 million users
GitHub: Yes, with unlimited repositories | GitLab: Yes, with 5GB storage limit
GitHub: $21 for Teams | GitLab: $10.50 for Premium
GitHub: ~200 million | GitLab: Unlimited on all plans
GitHub: Third-party plugin | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: 2,000 minutes (GitHub Actions) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: $4/user/month (GitHub Team) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: GitHub Functions (beta/limited) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: Via GitHub Pages or custom workflow | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: Version control & code collaboration | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: Unlimited repos, 100 GB/repo max | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: Basic insights for Actions only | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: 2,000 (GitHub Actions) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: GDPR-compliant (multiple regions) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: User analytics enabled by default | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: GitHub Enterprise (paid, proprietary) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: 2,000 (public) / 500 (private) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: Unlimited (97M+ total) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: Configurable required reviewers + CODEOWNERS enforcement | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: N/A (requires external CI/CD) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: Unlimited (via Actions) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: No (code storage only) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: Community integrations only | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: Unlimited (via GitHub Actions) | GitLab: 400 minutes/month
GitHub: $231+ (GitHub Enterprise) | GitLab: $99 (Premium Edition)
GitHub: GitHub Actions (separate workflow service) | GitLab: GitLab CI/CD (native pipeline engine)
GitHub: Pull Requests with detailed approval workflows | GitLab: Merge Requests with code owner enforcement
GitHub: Audit logs, SSO, IP allowlisting (Enterprise only) | GitLab: DORA metrics, advanced audit, compliance reporting (Premium+)
GitHub: GitHub Apps marketplace plugin | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: No, Enterprise tier required ($231/user/year) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: 10,000+ GitHub Apps | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: Unlimited repositories (1GB LFS limit) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: US-based servers, limited EU compliance | GitLab: N/A
Built-in Code Scanning & Security Features
GitHub: Advanced (SAST, secret scanning, dependency alerts) | GitLab: N/A
GitHub: For-profit (Microsoft subsidiary) | GitLab: N/A
Free Monthly CI/CD Minutes (Private Repos)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Included in Ultimate ($99/month per user)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Issues, Epics, Roadmaps, advanced Boards, Milestones
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Requires separate account/platform
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: 10 concurrent pipelines
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Yes (SAST, DAST, container, dependency)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Native Git (no external required)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Yes (issues, boards, wiki, milestones)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Yes (free Docker registry)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: $228/year ($19/month)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Third-party plugin required
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Yes (free Community Edition)
Maximum CI/CD Pipeline Minutes (free tier/month)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Built-in full-featured system
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Yes (GitLab CI/CD)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: 3 (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: 5 (SAST, DAST, dependency, secret, container)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Forgejo, GitLab Community Edition
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: $8.25 (Premium at $99/year)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: 400 minutes (shared)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Yes, included in all tiers
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: 10,000+ (with performance degradation)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Open-source Community Edition available
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Via third-party plugins/SAML
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Basic; limited test case tracking
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: 400+ via marketplace
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: $29 (Premium plan)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Included in Free tier (SAST, DAST, Dependency, Container)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: 600 (authenticated)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Community, Premium, and Ultimate editions
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Yes - includes 50,000 CI/CD minutes
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Native GitLab CI/CD
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: $2,900 (Premium tier at $29/user)
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: Unlimited public/private repos included
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: 400+ templates included
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: ~20 standard field types
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: 12 million+ monthly active users
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: SAST, DAST, dependency scanning included in Premium
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: 2-4 hours for basic CI/CD pipeline with templates
GitHub: N/A | GitLab: 500-1,000 per instance; sharding available
GitHub vs GitLab — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for GitHub vs GitLab. Contains 124 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
GitHub vs GitLab — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for GitHub vs GitLab.
Which platform has better CI/CD pipelines?
GitLab wins for built-in CI/CD—pipelines are native to the platform with 400 free minutes monthly. GitHub Actions offers unlimited free minutes but requires separate configuration and third-party service integration. For enterprises needing native DevOps without extra services, GitLab is superior; for those comfortable with modular tools, GitHub Actions provides more flexibility.
Yes, both support self-hosting. GitLab offers Community Edition (free) and Premium Edition ($99/user/year) for self-hosted deployment with full customization. GitHub Enterprise self-hosting costs $231+/user/year with limited customization. GitLab is significantly more cost-effective for self-hosted environments.
Which is better for open-source projects?
GitHub dominates open-source with 100M+ public repositories, superior project discoverability, and 10,000+ integrations. Open-source developers gain maximum visibility on GitHub. GitLab's 14M repositories and 2,500 integrations are respectable but significantly smaller—GitHub is the industry standard for open-source collaboration.
What's the cost difference for small teams?
Both offer free tiers with unlimited public and private repositories. For paid plans: GitHub Pro costs $4/user/month ($48/year), while GitLab Premium costs $29/month ($348/year) but includes native CI/CD. For small teams primarily using free tiers, costs are identical; GitHub Pro is cheaper if CI/CD is secondary.
Which platform has better security and compliance?
GitLab includes native DORA metrics, advanced compliance reporting, and enhanced audit logs in Premium+ editions—designed for regulated industries. GitHub Enterprise includes SSO and audit logs but requires more third-party integrations for comprehensive compliance. GitLab is stronger for security-focused enterprises; GitHub requires more custom tooling.
Repository Market Share: GitHub has 100+ million public repos, while GitLab has 14+ million public repos.
Built-in CI/CD Pipelines: GitHub has GitHub Actions (separate service, unlimited free minutes), while GitLab has GitLab CI/CD (native, 400 minutes/month free).
Self-Hosting Capability: GitHub has GitHub Enterprise (expensive, limited customization), while GitLab has GitLab Community/Premium editions (full self-hosted).
Free Tier Storage: GitHub has Unlimited public/private repos, no storage limits, while GitLab has Unlimited public/private repos, no storage limits.
Code Review Features: GitHub has Pull Requests with detailed approval workflows, while GitLab has Merge Requests with approval rules and code owners.
Consider: Community Size & Third-party Integrations
Community Size & Third-party Integrations: GitHub has 10,000+ marketplace apps and integrations, while GitLab has 2,500+ marketplace integrations.
Consider: Enterprise Pricing (100 users/year)
Enterprise Pricing (100 users/year): GitHub has $231 per user/year minimum, while GitLab has $99 per user/year minimum.