GitLab vs GitHub
GitLab bundles repositories, CI/CD, a container registry, security scanning and issue planning into one product, and offers every tier as a self-managed install. GitHub is the default code host, with the largest ecosystem of Actions, integrations and developers who already have an account. Platform and compliance-minded teams choose GitLab; teams that value ecosystem and low seat prices choose GitHub.
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Choose GitLab ifyou want pipelines, registry, security scanning and planning under one permission model, or you need to self-host without buying the top plan.
Choose GitHub ifyou want the widest choice of Actions and integrations, developers who already know the platform, and a free plan with unlimited private repositories.
GitLab and GitHub side by side
| GitLab | GitHub | |
|---|---|---|
| Our version control software rank | #1 of 11 | #2 of 11 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| Pricing | Free tier, capped at 5 users per private group on GitLab.com; Premium $29 per user per month billed annually, published; Ultimate custom priced | Free plan with unlimited public and private repositories; Team $4 and Enterprise from $21 per user per month for the first twelve months, published |
| List price, 30 September 2026 | Premium: $29 per user per month, billed annually | Team: $4 USD per user per month for the first 12 months |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
Both are reviewed in full in our version control software ranking: GitLab and GitHub.
Where they differ
GitLab 2 · GitHub 3 · open 0- 01
One product or many
GitLab covers version control, CI/CD, a container registry, security scanning and issue planning in a single product under one permission model, and its pricing page lists basic SAST, secret detection and container scanning even on the Free tier. GitHub's strength lies in Actions and its Marketplace, not in consolidation. The breadth exceeds what a small team will use, but for tool consolidation GitLab wins.
Edge: GitLab
- 02
Ecosystem and hiring
GitHub has the largest ecosystem of Actions, integrations and hireable developers who already hold an account, which shortens onboarding and widens the pool of ready-made automation. GitLab's breadth sits inside its own product; it does not have a third-party catalogue of comparable size. On network effects, and on the ease of finding people who know the tool, GitHub is ahead.
Edge: GitHub
- 03
Running it yourself
GitLab offers its Free, Premium and Ultimate tiers as GitLab Self-Managed, so a self-hosted install can start at no licence cost on an open source core. GitHub's self-hosted product, Enterprise Server, is listed as part of the Enterprise plan at $21 per user per month. GitLab's documentation sets 8 vCPU and 16 GB of memory as the single-server baseline, so budget for hardware.
Edge: GitLab
- 04
Published seat prices
GitHub lists Team at $4 and Enterprise at $21 per user per month, both for the first twelve months. GitLab lists Premium at $29 per user per month, billed annually, and asks you to contact sales for Ultimate. The tiers do not contain the same features, so this is not like for like, but per seat GitHub's published prices are far lower.
Edge: GitHub
- 05
What the free plans allow
GitHub Free has unlimited private repositories, 2,000 Actions minutes a month and 500 MB of package storage, with no cap on team size listed. GitLab.com's Free tier allows five users per private top-level group, 400 compute minutes a month and 10 GiB of storage; public groups are exempt from the user limit. For a private team larger than five, GitHub's free plan goes further.
Edge: GitHub
When neither fits
A five-person team that wants to self-host is over-served by GitLab and unserved by GitHub; Gitea installs as one binary and reads GitHub Actions workflow syntax. A team already paying for Jira may be better off with Bitbucket, which links commits to issues automatically.
GitLab or GitHub: questions
4 answersHow hard is it to migrate from GitHub to GitLab?
GitLab's GitHub importer brings over repositories, issues, pull requests with their comments and reviews, labels, milestones, wiki pages and branch protection rules.
The automation does not come along: each GitHub Actions workflow has to be rewritten as a GitLab CI pipeline, so count your workflow files before deciding.
Can I self-host GitLab or GitHub for free?
GitLab, yes: the Free tier is available as GitLab Self-Managed, built on an open source core. GitHub's self-hosted product is Enterprise Server, which its pricing page lists under the Enterprise plan at $21 per user per month for the first twelve months.
Is GitLab more expensive than GitHub?
On published seat prices, yes. GitLab Premium is $29 per user per month, billed annually, and Ultimate is custom-priced, against GitHub Team at $4 and Enterprise at $21 for the first twelve months.
GitLab's tiers include more in one product, so compare the features you would otherwise buy separately.
How many users can use GitLab and GitHub for free?
GitLab.com's Free tier is limited to five users per top-level group with private visibility; public groups are not capped. GitHub's Free plan lists unlimited private repositories without a stated user cap. GitLab Free includes 400 compute minutes a month, GitHub Free 2,000 Actions minutes.
Sources
Checked 30 September 2026- GitLab pricing page: GitLab Premium price, custom-priced Ultimate, Free tier limits, scanning per tier and self-managed availability.
- GitHub pricing page: GitHub plan prices, free plan allowances and Enterprise Server being part of the Enterprise plan.
- GitLab documentation: installation requirements: the CPU and memory baseline for self-managed GitLab.
- GitLab documentation: import from GitHub: what the GitHub importer carries over to GitLab.