DR
2 min read
GitHub vs GitLab 2026: Features & Pricing
GitHub
Cloud-based Git repository hosting platform with collaboration, CI/CD, and web-based workflows.
Open-source developers, public projects, teams leveraging Microsoft tools, startups seeking maximum community exposure
Score71%
VS
GitLab
Unified DevOps platform with integrated CI/CD, container registry, and project management.
Enterprise teams, organizations requiring self-hosting, DevOps-focused workflows, companies prioritizing cost efficiency and compliance
Score71%
162 attributes7 differences14 pros/cons
Quick Answer
AI SummaryGitHub 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.
Read full verdictChoose 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.
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Best pickOpen-source developers, public projects, teams leveraging Microsoft tools, startups seeking maximum community exposure
Choose GitLab if
Enterprise teams, organizations requiring self-hosting, DevOps-focused workflows, companies prioritizing cost efficiency and compliance
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Key Differences at a Glance
- Repository Market Share:✓ GitHub wins(100+ million public repos vs 14+ million public repos)
- Built-in CI/CD Pipelines:✓ GitLab wins(GitLab CI/CD (native, 400 minutes/month free) vs GitHub Actions (separate service, unlimited free minutes))
- Self-Hosting Capability:✓ GitLab wins(GitLab Community/Premium editions (full self-hosted) vs GitHub Enterprise (expensive, limited customization))
Key Facts & Figures
88 numeric metrics compared
| Metric | GitHub | GitLab | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in CI/CD Minutes (Free Plan)(minutes/month) | 2000 minutes with Actions | 400 minutes with shared runners | |
| Storage (Free Plan)(GB) | Unlimited LFS (with 1GB free tier) | 5GB total | |
| Monthly Active Users(millions) | Over 100 million developers | Approximately 30 million users | |
| Starting Price (Per User/Month)(USD) | $21 for Teams | $10.50 for Premium | |
| Total Active Users(millions) | 100 million | — | — |
| Starting Price (Pro Plan)(USD/month) | $21 | — | — |
| Third-party Integrations(integrations) | ~1000+ | — | — |
| Average Time to Get Started(hours) | 1-2 hours | — | — |
| Enterprise Server Minimum Cost(USD/month) | $231 | $29 (Premium tier, no separate enterprise pricing) | |
| Free Tier Build Minutes Per Month(minutes) | 2,000 minutes (GitHub Actions) | — | — |
| Minimum Paid Plan Cost(USD/month) | $4/user/month (GitHub Team) | — | — |
| Repository Storage Limit (Free)(GB) | Unlimited repos, 100 GB/repo max | — | — |
| Public Repositories Hosted(repositories) | 100+ million | — | — |
| Free CI/CD Minutes (Private Repos)(minutes/month) | 2,000 (GitHub Actions) | — | — |
| Pricing for Private Repositories(USD/month) | Free (unlimited) | — | — |
| Free Tier Monthly CI/CD Minutes(minutes/month) | 2,000 (public) / 500 (private) | — | — |
| Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD) | $4 | $11.90 | |
| Marketplace Extensions Available(count) | 7,500+ | — | — |
| Public Repositories(count) | Unlimited (97M+ total) | — | — |
| Enterprise Cloud Platform Uptime SLA(percent) | 99.9% | — | — |
| Third-Party Integrations(count) | 10,000+ | — | — |
| GitHub Actions Free Tier Minutes(minutes/month) | 3,000 | — | — |
| Public Repositories (Total)(repositories) | 100,000,000+ | 14,000,000+ | |
| Free Tier CI/CD Minutes(minutes/month) | 2,000 | 400 minutes/month | |
| Self-Hosting Cost (Per User/Year)(USD) | $231+ (GitHub Enterprise) | $99 (Premium Edition) | |
| Marketplace Integrations(integrations) | 10,000+ | 2,500+ | |
| Monthly Cost per User (Team Plan)(USD) | $21 | — | — |
| Active Developer Community(developers) | 100M+ registered | — | — |
| Free CI/CD Minutes per Month(minutes) | 2,000 (GitHub Actions) | — | — |
| Public Open-Source Repositories(millions) | 80M+ public repos | — | — |
| Third-Party Integrations Available(integrations) | 10,000+ GitHub Apps | — | — |
| Version Control Systems Supported(count) | 3 systems (Git, SVN, Mercurial) | — | — |
| Developer Adoption Rate (2024 Survey)(percent) | 95% | — | — |
| Total Repositories(count) | 100+ million | — | — |
| Free Repository Storage Limit(GB) | Unlimited repositories (1GB LFS limit) | — | — |
| Monthly Cost (Team Plan, 5 users)(USD) | $19.25/user/month ($96.25 total) | — | — |
| CI/CD Pipeline Minutes (Free Tier)(minutes/month) | 6,000 minutes (GitHub Actions) | — | — |
| Public Integrations Available(count) | 20,000+ marketplace apps | — | — |
| Setup Time to Production(minutes) | 5-10 minutes (sign up) | — | — |
| Community Contributors (Main Project)(count) | 5,000+ GitHub contributors | — | — |
| Annual Cost per 50 Users (Typical Org)(USD) | $13,800 (GitHub Teams: $21/month per user) | — | — |
| Total User Base(developers) | 100+ million | 30+ million | |
| Free Plan Cost(USD/month) | $0 (public repos only) | $0 (includes 5GB storage, private repos) | |
| Available Integrations(count) | 5,000+ | 1,200+ | |
| Self-Hosted Community Edition Cost(USD/month) | Not available | $0 (free community edition) | — |
| Average Deploy Time (Next.js)(seconds) | 180 seconds | — | — |
| Global Edge Locations(cities/regions) | 0 (not applicable) | — | — |
| Starter Plan Price(USD/month) | $0 (Pro from $4) | — | — |
| Serverless Function Cold Start(milliseconds) | 300-500ms (via Actions) | — | — |
| Minimum Cost for Team (5 users)(USD/month) | $20 (GitHub Team at $4/user/month, 2026) | — | — |
| Developer Adoption Rate(%) | ~90% of hosted repositories (94M on GitHub, 2025) | — | — |
| Free Monthly CI/CD Minutes (Private Repos)(minutes) | 400 minutes | 400 minutes | |
| Container Registry Free Storage(GB) | 5 GB per project | 5 GB per project | |
| Marketplace Ecosystem Size(actions/templates) | 900+ Templates | 900+ Templates | |
| Enterprise Security (SAST) Cost(USD/month per user) | Included in Ultimate ($99/month per user) | Included in Ultimate ($99/month per user) | |
| Maximum Parallel Jobs (Free Tier)(concurrent jobs) | 10 concurrent pipelines | 10 concurrent pipelines | |
| Job Startup Time(seconds) | 12-15 seconds | 12-15 seconds | |
| Free Tier Monthly Minutes(minutes) | 400 minutes | 400 minutes | |
| Self-Hosted Annual Cost (Single User)(USD) | $990 | $990 | |
| Setup Time to First Pipeline(minutes) | 45-60 minutes | 45-60 minutes | |
| Pre-built Integration Orbs/Templates(count) | 80+ Templates | 80+ Templates | |
| Pro Plan Annual Cost (per user)(USD) | $228/year ($19/month) | $228/year ($19/month) | |
| Maximum CI/CD Pipeline Minutes (free tier/month)(minutes) | 400 minutes/month | 400 minutes/month | |
| Minimum RAM Requirement(GB) | 4GB | 4GB | |
| Setup Time (Fresh Installation)(minutes) | 30-45 minutes | 30-45 minutes | |
| Database Options Supported(count) | 3 (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite) | 3 (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite) | |
| API Rate Limit (Unauthenticated)(requests/hour) | 300 | 300 | |
| Security Scanning Features(count) | 5 (SAST, DAST, dependency, secret, container) | 5 (SAST, DAST, dependency, secret, container) | |
| Community-Maintained Forks/Mirrors(count) | Forgejo, GitLab Community Edition | Forgejo, GitLab Community Edition | |
| Monthly Cost (Single User, Premium)(USD) | $8.25 (Premium at $99/year) | $8.25 (Premium at $99/year) | |
| Free CI/CD Minutes Monthly(minutes) | 400 minutes (shared) | 400 minutes (shared) | |
| Maximum Concurrent Users Supported(users) | 10,000+ (with performance degradation) | 10,000+ (with performance degradation) | |
| Platform Integration Count(integrations) | 400+ via marketplace | 400+ via marketplace | |
| Free Tier Storage Limit(GB) | 10 GB (projects) | 10 GB (projects) | |
| CI/CD Minutes Included (Free Tier)(minutes/month) | 400 minutes | 400 minutes | |
| Pro Plan Cost Per User(USD/month) | $29 (Premium plan) | $29 (Premium plan) | |
| API Rate Limits (free tier)(requests/minute) | 600 (authenticated) | 600 (authenticated) | |
| Community Forum Members (approx)(members) | 150000 | 150000 | |
| Cloud Pricing (Starting Tier)(USD/user/month) | $29/month | $29/month | |
| Agile Board Templates(number) | 5-8 built-in | 5-8 built-in | |
| Base Monthly Cost (100 users)(USD) | $2,900 (Premium tier at $29/user) | $2,900 (Premium tier at $29/user) | |
| Custom Issue Field Types(field types) | ~20 standard field types | ~20 standard field types | |
| Global Active Users(millions) | 12 million+ monthly active users | 12 million+ monthly active users | |
| Setup Time (Initial Configuration)(hours) | 2-4 hours for basic CI/CD pipeline with templates | 2-4 hours for basic CI/CD pipeline with templates | |
| Maximum Scalable Team Size(users) | 500-1,000 per instance; sharding available | 500-1,000 per instance; sharding available | |
| Pro/Standard Plan Monthly Cost(USD/month) | $8.25/month (Premium) | $8.25/month (Premium) | |
| Self-Hosted Enterprise Plan(USD/year) | $9,900/year (Premium self-managed) | $9,900/year (Premium self-managed) | |
| Enterprise Market Adoption(% of Fortune 500) | 20% (estimated enterprise adoption) | 20% (estimated enterprise adoption) |
Sourced from publicly available data ·
Key Differences
7 attributes compared head-to-head
GitLab leads2 ties
GitHub
Attribute
GitLab
- 100+ million public repos(winner)Repository Market Share14+ million public repos
- GitHub Actions (separate service, unlimited free minutes)Built-in CI/CD PipelinesGitLab CI/CD (native, 400 minutes/month free)(winner)
- GitHub Enterprise (expensive, limited customization)Self-Hosting CapabilityGitLab Community/Premium editions (full self-hosted)(winner)
- Unlimited public/private repos, no storage limitsFree Tier StorageUnlimited public/private repos, no storage limits
- Pull Requests with detailed approval workflowsCode Review FeaturesMerge Requests with approval rules and code owners
- 10,000+ marketplace apps and integrations(winner)Community Size & Third-party Integrations2,500+ marketplace integrations
- $231 per user/year minimumEnterprise Pricing (100 users/year)$99 per user/year minimum(winner)
- Repository Market Share
GitHub
100+ million public repos(winner)
GitLab
14+ million public repos
- Built-in CI/CD Pipelines
GitHub
GitHub Actions (separate service, unlimited free minutes)
GitLab
GitLab CI/CD (native, 400 minutes/month free)(winner)
- Self-Hosting Capability
GitHub
GitHub Enterprise (expensive, limited customization)
GitLab
GitLab Community/Premium editions (full self-hosted)(winner)
- Free Tier Storage
GitHub
Unlimited public/private repos, no storage limits
GitLab
Unlimited public/private repos, no storage limits
- Code Review Features
GitHub
Pull Requests with detailed approval workflows
GitLab
Merge Requests with approval rules and code owners
Full Comparison
| Attribute | GitHub | GitLab |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in CI/CD Minutes (Free Plan)(minutes/month) | 2000 minutes with Actions(winner) | 400 minutes with shared runners |
| Built-in CI/CD Included | Yes (Actions) | — |
| Built-in CI/CD Pipeline(included) | Native GitLab CI/CD | — |
| Self-Hosting Support | Enterprise edition only ($231/user/year minimum) | Community and Enterprise editions available |
| Self-Hosting Option | GitHub Enterprise (paid, proprietary) | — |
| Setup Time to Production(minutes) | 5-10 minutes (sign up) | — |
| Self-Hosted Option Available | Yes (free Community Edition) | — |
| Self-Hosted Edition Available | Community, Premium, and Ultimate editions | — |
| Storage (Free Plan)(GB) | Unlimited LFS (with 1GB free tier) | 5GB total(winner) |
| SAST Security Scanning | Advanced with CodeQL (free on public repos) | Built-in for all tiers |
| Built-in Code Scanning & Security Features | Advanced (SAST, secret scanning, dependency alerts) | — |
| Built-in Security Scanning Features(features included) | Requires paid Advanced Security ($45/repo/month) | SAST, DAST, dependency scanning included in Premium |
| Security Scanning Features(count) | 5 (SAST, DAST, dependency, secret, container) | — |
| Built-in Security Scanning Tools | Included in Free tier (SAST, DAST, Dependency, Container) | — |
Show 2 more attributesIntegrated Security Scanning SAST, DAST, dependency scanning included in Premium — SAST Security Scanning Free tier and above — | ||
| Monthly Active Users(millions) | Over 100 million developers(winner) | Approximately 30 million users |
| Global Active Users(millions) | 12 million+ monthly active users | — |
| Free Plan Available | Yes, with unlimited repositories | Yes, with 5GB storage limit |
| Starting Price (Per User/Month)(USD) | $21 for Teams | $10.50 for Premium(winner) |
| Starting Price (Pro Plan)(USD/month) | $21 | — |
| Enterprise Server Minimum Cost(USD/month) | $231 | $29 (Premium tier, no separate enterprise pricing)(winner) |
| Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD) | $4(winner) | $11.90 |
Show 19 more attributesFree Tier CI/CD Minutes(minutes/month) 2,000 400 minutes/month Self-Hosting Cost (Per User/Year)(USD) $231+ (GitHub Enterprise) $99 (Premium Edition) Free Public Repo Storage(GB) Unlimited Unlimited Monthly Cost per User (Team Plan)(USD) $21 — Monthly Cost (Team Plan, 5 users)(USD) $19.25/user/month ($96.25 total) — Annual Cost per 50 Users (Typical Org)(USD) $13,800 (GitHub Teams: $21/month per user) — Free Plan Cost(USD/month) $0 (public repos only) $0 (includes 5GB storage, private repos) Self-Hosted Community Edition Cost(USD/month) Not available $0 (free community edition) Free Tier Bandwidth(GB/month) Not applicable — Starter Plan Price(USD/month) $0 (Pro from $4) — Minimum Cost for Team (5 users)(USD/month) $20 (GitHub Team at $4/user/month, 2026) — Free Tier Monthly Minutes(minutes) 400 minutes — Self-Hosted Annual Cost (Single User)(USD) $990 — Monthly Cost (Single User, Premium)(USD) $8.25 (Premium at $99/year) — Free Tier Storage Limit(GB) 10 GB (projects) — Pro Plan Cost Per User(USD/month) $29 (Premium plan) — Cloud Pricing (Starting Tier)(USD/user/month) $29/month — Free Tier Access Yes - includes 50,000 CI/CD minutes — Base Monthly Cost (100 users)(USD) $2,900 (Premium tier at $29/user) — | ||
| Total Active Users(millions) | 100 million | — |
| Active Developer Community(developers) | 100M+ registered | — |
| Community Contributors (Main Project)(count) | 5,000+ GitHub contributors | — |
| Community-Maintained Forks/Mirrors(count) | Forgejo, GitLab Community Edition | — |
| Community Forum Members (approx)(members) | 150000 | — |
| Public Repositories | ~200 million | Unlimited on all plans |
| Free Private Repositories | Unlimited | — |
| Serverless Functions Support | GitHub Functions (beta/limited) | — |
| Built-in Analytics Dashboard | Basic insights for Actions only | — |
| Serverless Function Support | No (code storage only) | — |
| Free Private Repository Limit | Unlimited repos | — |
Show 14 more attributesCode Repository Hosting(included) Yes, native — Built-in CI/CD GitHub Actions included in Pro/Team/Enterprise plans — Native Security Scanning(features) Yes (SAST, DAST, container, dependency) — Built-in Project Management(status) Yes (issues, boards, wiki, milestones) — Container Registry Included Yes (free Docker registry) — Maximum CI/CD Pipeline Minutes (free tier/month)(minutes) 400 minutes/month — Issue Tracking & Project Management Built-in full-featured system — Built-in CI/CD Included Yes (GitLab CI/CD) — Container Registry Support Native (included) — Self-Hosting Capability Open-source Community Edition available — Git Repository Hosting Integrated — Agile Board Templates(number) 5-8 built-in — Native Git Repository Support Unlimited public/private repos included — Built-in CI/CD Pipelines 400+ templates included — | ||
| Jira Integration Quality | Third-party plugin | — |
| Source Control Integration | Native Git (no external required) | — |
| Third-party Integrations(integrations) | ~1000+ | — |
| Marketplace Extensions Available(count) | 7,500+ | — |
| Native Jira Integration | GitHub Apps marketplace plugin | — |
| Jira Integration Quality(rating) | Third-party plugin required | — |
| Average Time to Get Started(hours) | 1-2 hours | — |
| Command-Line Commands (Core)(count) | Web UI (visual alternative to commands) | — |
| Free Tier Build Minutes Per Month(minutes) | 2,000 minutes (GitHub Actions) | — |
| Minimum Paid Plan Cost(USD/month) | $4/user/month (GitHub Team) | — |
| Free Tier Deployments Per Day(deployments/day) | Unlimited (via Actions) | — |
| Free Monthly CI/CD Minutes (Private Repos)(minutes) | 400 minutes | — |
| Deploy Preview Generation | Via GitHub Pages or custom workflow | — |
| Primary Use Case | Version control & code collaboration | — |
| Repository Storage Limit (Free)(GB) | Unlimited repos, 100 GB/repo max | — |
| Public Repositories Hosted(repositories) | 100+ million | — |
| Free CI/CD Minutes (Private Repos)(minutes/month) | 2,000 (GitHub Actions) | — |
| Data Privacy Compliance(null) | GDPR-compliant (multiple regions) | — |
| Data Tracking & Analytics(null) | User analytics enabled by default | — |
| Data Residency Compliance | US-based servers, limited EU compliance | — |
| Pricing for Private Repositories(USD/month) | Free (unlimited) | — |
| Free CI/CD Minutes per Month(minutes) | 2,000 (GitHub Actions) | — |
| Free Tier Monthly CI/CD Minutes(minutes/month) | 2,000 (public) / 500 (private) | — |
| Public Repositories(count) | Unlimited (97M+ total) | — |
| Enterprise Cloud Platform Uptime SLA(percent) | 99.9% | — |
| Code Review Required Approvers(feature depth) | Configurable required reviewers + CODEOWNERS enforcement | — |
| HIPAA Compliance Eligible(boolean) | No | — |
| Average Deployment Time(seconds) | N/A (requires external CI/CD) | — |
| Edge Function Latency Reduction(milliseconds) | Not applicable | — |
| Average Deploy Time (Next.js)(seconds) | 180 seconds | — |
| Serverless Function Cold Start(milliseconds) | 300-500ms (via Actions) | — |
| Maximum Parallel Jobs (Free Tier)(concurrent jobs) | 10 concurrent pipelines | — |
Show 2 more attributesJob Startup Time(seconds) 12-15 seconds — API Rate Limit (Unauthenticated)(requests/hour) 300 — | ||
| Next.js Framework Integration | Community integrations only | — |
| Third-Party Integrations(count) | 10,000+ | — |
| Pre-built Integration Orbs/Templates(count) | 80+ Templates | — |
| GitHub Actions Free Tier Minutes(minutes/month) | 3,000 | — |
| CI/CD Minutes Included (Free Tier)(minutes/month) | 400 minutes | — |
| Public Repositories (Total)(repositories) | 100,000,000+(winner) | 14,000,000+ |
| Total User Base(developers) | 100+ million(winner) | 30+ million |
| Built-in CI/CD Integration | GitHub Actions (separate workflow service) | GitLab CI/CD (native pipeline engine) |
| Native CI/CD Pipeline Integration(boolean) | Yes (GitHub Actions) | — |
| CI/CD Pipeline Minutes (Free Tier)(minutes/month) | 6,000 minutes (GitHub Actions) | — |
| CI/CD Inclusion(included or paid) | Included but billed at $0.008/minute | Fully included, unlimited minutes |
| Built-in Container Registry | Free tier and above | — |
| Marketplace Integrations(integrations) | 10,000+(winner) | 2,500+ |
| Third-Party Integrations Available(integrations) | 10,000+ GitHub Apps | — |
| Public Integrations Available(count) | 20,000+ marketplace apps | — |
| Available Integrations(count) | 5,000+(winner) | 1,200+ |
| Marketplace Ecosystem Size(actions/templates) | 900+ Templates | — |
Show 1 more attributePlatform Integration Count(integrations) 400+ via marketplace — | ||
| Web-based Code Review | Pull Requests with detailed approval workflows | Merge Requests with code owner enforcement |
| Enterprise Compliance Features | Audit logs, SSO, IP allowlisting (Enterprise only) | DORA metrics, advanced audit, compliance reporting (Premium+) |
| Team-Level SSO Support (Non-Enterprise) | No, Enterprise tier required ($231/user/year) | — |
| Enterprise Security (SAST) Cost(USD/month per user) | Included in Ultimate ($99/month per user) | — |
| Public Open-Source Repositories(millions) | 80M+ public repos | — |
| Monthly Active Users(millions) | 94 million | — |
| Developer Adoption Rate(%) | ~90% of hosted repositories (94M on GitHub, 2025) | — |
| Free Private Repositories(limit) | Unlimited | — |
| Version Control Systems Supported(count) | 3 systems (Git, SVN, Mercurial) | — |
| Developer Adoption Rate (2024 Survey)(percent) | 95% | — |
| Enterprise Support Tier(level) | GitHub Enterprise with SLA guarantees | — |
| API Rate Limits (Unauthenticated)(requests/hour) | 60 requests/hour | — |
| Total Repositories(count) | 100+ million | — |
| Free Repository Storage Limit(GB) | Unlimited repositories (1GB LFS limit) | — |
| Organization Type | For-profit (Microsoft subsidiary) | — |
| Memory Requirements(MB) | N/A (managed cloud) | — |
| Global Edge Locations(cities/regions) | 0 (not applicable) | — |
| Database Options Supported(count) | 3 (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite) | — |
| Data Sovereignty(text) | Limited (Microsoft cloud) | — |
| Installation Size(MB) | Browser-based (no local installation) | — |
| Offline Capability | Limited (local clone only; push/PR requires internet) | — |
| Public Repository Limit | Unlimited (free tier) | — |
| Container Registry Free Storage(GB) | 5 GB per project | — |
| Built-in Project Management Features | Issues, Epics, Roadmaps, advanced Boards, Milestones | — |
| Custom Issue Field Types(field types) | ~20 standard field types | — |
| Native GitHub Integration Required | Requires separate account/platform | — |
| Setup Time to First Pipeline(minutes) | 45-60 minutes | — |
| Setup Time (Fresh Installation)(minutes) | 30-45 minutes | — |
| Setup Time (Initial Configuration)(hours) | 2-4 hours for basic CI/CD pipeline with templates | — |
| Free Tier Private Repositories(repositories) | Unlimited (up to 5 users) | — |
| Pro/Standard Plan Monthly Cost(USD/month) | $8.25/month (Premium) | — |
| Self-Hosted Enterprise Plan(USD/year) | $9,900/year (Premium self-managed) | — |
| Pro Plan Annual Cost (per user)(USD) | $228/year ($19/month) | — |
| Minimum RAM Requirement(GB) | 4GB | — |
| Free CI/CD Minutes Monthly(minutes) | 400 minutes (shared) | — |
| Maximum Concurrent Users Supported(users) | 10,000+ (with performance degradation) | — |
| Maximum Team Members (Free Tier)(users) | Unlimited | — |
| API Rate Limits (free tier)(requests/minute) | 600 (authenticated) | — |
| Maximum Scalable Team Size(users) | 500-1,000 per instance; sharding available | — |
| Active Directory Integration | Via third-party plugins/SAML | — |
| Test Case Management Module | Basic; limited test case tracking | — |
| Enterprise Market Adoption(% of Fortune 500) | 20% (estimated enterprise adoption) | — |
| Jira Integration Depth(text) | Manual webhook-based integration | — |
GitHubGitLabBuilt-in CI/CD Minutes (Free Plan)(minutes/month)
2000 minutes with Actions
400 minutes with shared runners
Built-in CI/CD Included
Yes (Actions)
—
Built-in CI/CD Pipeline(included)
Native GitLab CI/CD
—
Self-Hosting Support
Enterprise edition only ($231/user/year minimum)
Community and Enterprise editions available
Self-Hosting Option
GitHub Enterprise (paid, proprietary)
—
Setup Time to Production(minutes)
5-10 minutes (sign up)
—
Self-Hosted Option Available
Yes (free Community Edition)
—
Self-Hosted Edition Available
Community, Premium, and Ultimate editions
—
Storage (Free Plan)(GB)
Unlimited LFS (with 1GB free tier)
5GB total
SAST Security Scanning
Advanced with CodeQL (free on public repos)
Built-in for all tiers
Built-in Code Scanning & Security Features
Advanced (SAST, secret scanning, dependency alerts)
—
Built-in Security Scanning Features(features included)
Requires paid Advanced Security ($45/repo/month)
SAST, DAST, dependency scanning included in Premium
Security Scanning Features(count)
5 (SAST, DAST, dependency, secret, container)
—
Built-in Security Scanning Tools
Included in Free tier (SAST, DAST, Dependency, Container)
—
Show 2 more attributes
Integrated Security Scanning
SAST, DAST, dependency scanning included in Premium
—
SAST Security Scanning
Free tier and above
—
Monthly Active Users(millions)
Over 100 million developers
Approximately 30 million users
Global Active Users(millions)
12 million+ monthly active users
—
Free Plan Available
Yes, with unlimited repositories
Yes, with 5GB storage limit
Starting Price (Per User/Month)(USD)
$21 for Teams
$10.50 for Premium
Starting Price (Pro Plan)(USD/month)
$21
—
Enterprise Server Minimum Cost(USD/month)
$231
$29 (Premium tier, no separate enterprise pricing)
Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD)
$4
$11.90
Show 19 more attributes
Free Tier CI/CD Minutes(minutes/month)
2,000
400 minutes/month
Self-Hosting Cost (Per User/Year)(USD)
$231+ (GitHub Enterprise)
$99 (Premium Edition)
Free Public Repo Storage(GB)
Unlimited
Unlimited
Monthly Cost per User (Team Plan)(USD)
$21
—
Monthly Cost (Team Plan, 5 users)(USD)
$19.25/user/month ($96.25 total)
—
Annual Cost per 50 Users (Typical Org)(USD)
$13,800 (GitHub Teams: $21/month per user)
—
Free Plan Cost(USD/month)
$0 (public repos only)
$0 (includes 5GB storage, private repos)
Self-Hosted Community Edition Cost(USD/month)
Not available
$0 (free community edition)
Free Tier Bandwidth(GB/month)
Not applicable
—
Starter Plan Price(USD/month)
$0 (Pro from $4)
—
Minimum Cost for Team (5 users)(USD/month)
$20 (GitHub Team at $4/user/month, 2026)
—
Free Tier Monthly Minutes(minutes)
400 minutes
—
Self-Hosted Annual Cost (Single User)(USD)
$990
—
Monthly Cost (Single User, Premium)(USD)
$8.25 (Premium at $99/year)
—
Free Tier Storage Limit(GB)
10 GB (projects)
—
Pro Plan Cost Per User(USD/month)
$29 (Premium plan)
—
Cloud Pricing (Starting Tier)(USD/user/month)
$29/month
—
Free Tier Access
Yes - includes 50,000 CI/CD minutes
—
Base Monthly Cost (100 users)(USD)
$2,900 (Premium tier at $29/user)
—
Total Active Users(millions)
100 million
—
Active Developer Community(developers)
100M+ registered
—
Community Contributors (Main Project)(count)
5,000+ GitHub contributors
—
Community-Maintained Forks/Mirrors(count)
Forgejo, GitLab Community Edition
—
Community Forum Members (approx)(members)
150000
—
Public Repositories
~200 million
Unlimited on all plans
Free Private Repositories
Unlimited
—
Serverless Functions Support
GitHub Functions (beta/limited)
—
Built-in Analytics Dashboard
Basic insights for Actions only
—
Serverless Function Support
No (code storage only)
—
Free Private Repository Limit
Unlimited repos
—
Show 14 more attributes
Code Repository Hosting(included)
Yes, native
—
Built-in CI/CD
GitHub Actions included in Pro/Team/Enterprise plans
—
Native Security Scanning(features)
Yes (SAST, DAST, container, dependency)
—
Built-in Project Management(status)
Yes (issues, boards, wiki, milestones)
—
Container Registry Included
Yes (free Docker registry)
—
Maximum CI/CD Pipeline Minutes (free tier/month)(minutes)
400 minutes/month
—
Issue Tracking & Project Management
Built-in full-featured system
—
Built-in CI/CD Included
Yes (GitLab CI/CD)
—
Container Registry Support
Native (included)
—
Self-Hosting Capability
Open-source Community Edition available
—
Git Repository Hosting
Integrated
—
Agile Board Templates(number)
5-8 built-in
—
Native Git Repository Support
Unlimited public/private repos included
—
Built-in CI/CD Pipelines
400+ templates included
—
Jira Integration Quality
Third-party plugin
—
Source Control Integration
Native Git (no external required)
—
Third-party Integrations(integrations)
~1000+
—
Marketplace Extensions Available(count)
7,500+
—
Native Jira Integration
GitHub Apps marketplace plugin
—
Jira Integration Quality(rating)
Third-party plugin required
—
Average Time to Get Started(hours)
1-2 hours
—
Command-Line Commands (Core)(count)
Web UI (visual alternative to commands)
—
Free Tier Build Minutes Per Month(minutes)
2,000 minutes (GitHub Actions)
—
Minimum Paid Plan Cost(USD/month)
$4/user/month (GitHub Team)
—
Free Tier Deployments Per Day(deployments/day)
Unlimited (via Actions)
—
Free Monthly CI/CD Minutes (Private Repos)(minutes)
400 minutes
—
Deploy Preview Generation
Via GitHub Pages or custom workflow
—
Primary Use Case
Version control & code collaboration
—
Repository Storage Limit (Free)(GB)
Unlimited repos, 100 GB/repo max
—
Public Repositories Hosted(repositories)
100+ million
—
Free CI/CD Minutes (Private Repos)(minutes/month)
2,000 (GitHub Actions)
—
Data Privacy Compliance(null)
GDPR-compliant (multiple regions)
—
Data Tracking & Analytics(null)
User analytics enabled by default
—
Data Residency Compliance
US-based servers, limited EU compliance
—
Pricing for Private Repositories(USD/month)
Free (unlimited)
—
Free CI/CD Minutes per Month(minutes)
2,000 (GitHub Actions)
—
Free Tier Monthly CI/CD Minutes(minutes/month)
2,000 (public) / 500 (private)
—
Public Repositories(count)
Unlimited (97M+ total)
—
Enterprise Cloud Platform Uptime SLA(percent)
99.9%
—
Code Review Required Approvers(feature depth)
Configurable required reviewers + CODEOWNERS enforcement
—
HIPAA Compliance Eligible(boolean)
No
—
Average Deployment Time(seconds)
N/A (requires external CI/CD)
—
Edge Function Latency Reduction(milliseconds)
Not applicable
—
Average Deploy Time (Next.js)(seconds)
180 seconds
—
Serverless Function Cold Start(milliseconds)
300-500ms (via Actions)
—
Maximum Parallel Jobs (Free Tier)(concurrent jobs)
10 concurrent pipelines
—
Show 2 more attributes
Job Startup Time(seconds)
12-15 seconds
—
API Rate Limit (Unauthenticated)(requests/hour)
300
—
Next.js Framework Integration
Community integrations only
—
Third-Party Integrations(count)
10,000+
—
Pre-built Integration Orbs/Templates(count)
80+ Templates
—
GitHub Actions Free Tier Minutes(minutes/month)
3,000
—
CI/CD Minutes Included (Free Tier)(minutes/month)
400 minutes
—
Public Repositories (Total)(repositories)
100,000,000+
14,000,000+
Total User Base(developers)
100+ million
30+ million
Built-in CI/CD Integration
GitHub Actions (separate workflow service)
GitLab CI/CD (native pipeline engine)
Native CI/CD Pipeline Integration(boolean)
Yes (GitHub Actions)
—
CI/CD Pipeline Minutes (Free Tier)(minutes/month)
6,000 minutes (GitHub Actions)
—
CI/CD Inclusion(included or paid)
Included but billed at $0.008/minute
Fully included, unlimited minutes
Built-in Container Registry
Free tier and above
—
Marketplace Integrations(integrations)
10,000+
2,500+
Third-Party Integrations Available(integrations)
10,000+ GitHub Apps
—
Public Integrations Available(count)
20,000+ marketplace apps
—
Available Integrations(count)
5,000+
1,200+
Marketplace Ecosystem Size(actions/templates)
900+ Templates
—
Show 1 more attribute
Platform Integration Count(integrations)
400+ via marketplace
—
Web-based Code Review
Pull Requests with detailed approval workflows
Merge Requests with code owner enforcement
Enterprise Compliance Features
Audit logs, SSO, IP allowlisting (Enterprise only)
DORA metrics, advanced audit, compliance reporting (Premium+)
Team-Level SSO Support (Non-Enterprise)
No, Enterprise tier required ($231/user/year)
—
Enterprise Security (SAST) Cost(USD/month per user)
Included in Ultimate ($99/month per user)
—
Public Open-Source Repositories(millions)
80M+ public repos
—
Monthly Active Users(millions)
94 million
—
Developer Adoption Rate(%)
~90% of hosted repositories (94M on GitHub, 2025)
—
Free Private Repositories(limit)
Unlimited
—
Version Control Systems Supported(count)
3 systems (Git, SVN, Mercurial)
—
Developer Adoption Rate (2024 Survey)(percent)
95%
—
Enterprise Support Tier(level)
GitHub Enterprise with SLA guarantees
—
API Rate Limits (Unauthenticated)(requests/hour)
60 requests/hour
—
Total Repositories(count)
100+ million
—
Free Repository Storage Limit(GB)
Unlimited repositories (1GB LFS limit)
—
Organization Type
For-profit (Microsoft subsidiary)
—
Memory Requirements(MB)
N/A (managed cloud)
—
Global Edge Locations(cities/regions)
0 (not applicable)
—
Database Options Supported(count)
3 (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)
—
Data Sovereignty(text)
Limited (Microsoft cloud)
—
Installation Size(MB)
Browser-based (no local installation)
—
Offline Capability
Limited (local clone only; push/PR requires internet)
—
Public Repository Limit
Unlimited (free tier)
—
Container Registry Free Storage(GB)
5 GB per project
—
Built-in Project Management Features
Issues, Epics, Roadmaps, advanced Boards, Milestones
—
Custom Issue Field Types(field types)
~20 standard field types
—
Native GitHub Integration Required
Requires separate account/platform
—
Setup Time to First Pipeline(minutes)
45-60 minutes
—
Setup Time (Fresh Installation)(minutes)
30-45 minutes
—
Setup Time (Initial Configuration)(hours)
2-4 hours for basic CI/CD pipeline with templates
—
Free Tier Private Repositories(repositories)
Unlimited (up to 5 users)
—
Pro/Standard Plan Monthly Cost(USD/month)
$8.25/month (Premium)
—
Self-Hosted Enterprise Plan(USD/year)
$9,900/year (Premium self-managed)
—
Pro Plan Annual Cost (per user)(USD)
$228/year ($19/month)
—
Minimum RAM Requirement(GB)
4GB
—
Free CI/CD Minutes Monthly(minutes)
400 minutes (shared)
—
Maximum Concurrent Users Supported(users)
10,000+ (with performance degradation)
—
Maximum Team Members (Free Tier)(users)
Unlimited
—
API Rate Limits (free tier)(requests/minute)
600 (authenticated)
—
Maximum Scalable Team Size(users)
500-1,000 per instance; sharding available
—
Active Directory Integration
Via third-party plugins/SAML
—
Test Case Management Module
Basic; limited test case tracking
—
Enterprise Market Adoption(% of Fortune 500)
20% (estimated enterprise adoption)
—
Jira Integration Depth(text)
Manual webhook-based integration
—
Pros & Cons
10 pros·4 cons across both
GitHub
+5-2
Pros
100+ million public repositories—largest developer ecosystem
GitHub Actions provides unlimited free CI/CD minutes with native workflows
10,000+ marketplace integrations and apps
Superior discoverability for open-source projects and trending repositories
Tight integration with Microsoft ecosystem (Azure, Teams, Visual Studio)
Cons
GitHub Enterprise self-hosting is expensive ($231/user/year minimum) with limited customization
CI/CD (GitHub Actions) requires separate service configuration vs native alternative
GitLab
+5-2
Pros
Native CI/CD pipelines built-in (no separate service needed)
Full self-hosting support with Community and Premium editions ($0-$99/user/year)
GitLab Runners provide flexible, container-based deployment pipelines
Better enterprise security features (DORA metrics, compliance reporting, audit logs)
Approval rules and code owner enforcement for strict review workflows
Cons
Only 14M+ public repositories—significantly smaller community than GitHub (7x fewer)
2,500 integrations vs 10,000+ on GitHub limits third-party ecosystem
Frequently Asked Questions
5 questions
/
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.
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.
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.
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.
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