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Software · head to head

Airbrake vs GitHub

Airbrake logo

Airbrake

Software

Error Tracking and Performance Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GitHub logo

GitHub

Software

Where the world builds software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Airbrake data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier; GitHub acquired by Microsoft in 2018, reducing pure independence despite operational autonomy
  • They diverge on capability: Airbrake covers Error tracking, GitHub covers Git repositories.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbrake and GitHub actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbrake and GitHub differ
AttributeAirbrakeGitHub
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Desktop, Mobile

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2008).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Airbrake

  • Error tracking
  • Performance monitoring
  • Deploy tracking
  • Custom notifications
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in GitHub

  • Git repositories
  • Pull requests
  • Code review
  • Issues & projects
  • GitHub Actions CI/CD
  • GitHub Pages
  • Security scanning
  • Dependency management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Airbrake

  • Error and exception monitoring for web applicationsnot GitHub
  • Performance monitoring alongside error trackingnot GitHub
  • Alerting a team when a deploy introduces a spike in errorsnot GitHub
  • Tracking errors across multiple projects in one accountnot GitHub

GitHub

  • Version controlnot Airbrake
  • Code collaborationnot Airbrake
  • CI/CD pipelinesnot Airbrake
  • Project managementnot Airbrake
  • Documentation hostingnot Airbrake

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Airbrake

  • Data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier
  • The entry plan at $19 a month covers 25,000 errors and 7,500 events
  • Errors beyond the plan quota are billed on demand
  • Audit logs and spike forgiveness require the Pro tier
  • The lowest tier is limited to 1 user and 1 team

GitHub

  • Acquired by Microsoft in 2018, reducing pure independence despite operational autonomy
  • Primary focus on source control differs from purpose-built project management tools like Jira
  • Pricing for enterprise features and private repositories adds up compared to some self-hosted alternatives

Pricing, plan by plan

Airbrake

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Error tracking
    • Performance monitoring
    • Deploy tracking

GitHub

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited public/private repos
    • 2,000 CI/CD minutes/month
    • 500MB package storage
  • Team$4/month
    • Everything in Free
    • 3,000 CI/CD minutes/month
    • 2GB package storage
  • Enterprise$21/month
    • Everything in Team
    • 50,000 CI/CD minutes/month
    • 50GB package storage

Which should you pick?

Choose Airbrake if

  • You need error tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want performance monitoring.
Airbrake review

Choose GitHub if

  • You need git repositories.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want pull requests.
GitHub review

Questions people ask

Is Airbrake or GitHub better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbrake starts at Free and GitHub at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbrake or GitHub?
Airbrake starts at Free and GitHub at Free.
Does Airbrake or GitHub run on more platforms?
Airbrake runs on Web, Api. GitHub runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
Can I use Airbrake for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Airbrake best used for?
Airbrake is most often used for error and exception monitoring for web applications, performance monitoring alongside error tracking, alerting a team when a deploy introduces a spike in errors, tracking errors across multiple projects in one account. Of those, error and exception monitoring for web applications and performance monitoring alongside error tracking are not what GitHub is typically brought in for.
What can Airbrake do that GitHub cannot?
Airbrake covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Deploy tracking, Custom notifications. GitHub covers Git repositories, Pull requests, Code review, Issues & projects.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GitHub: What is a Git repository and how does GitHub use it?

A repository is the centralized database that stores the complete collection of files and folders for a codebase, along with the revision history. GitHub uses Git to provide distributed version control access to repositories with version tracking, branching, and collaboration features.

Source
GitHub: How does GitHub authentication work?

When you connect to a GitHub repository from Git, you need to authenticate with GitHub using either HTTPS or SSH. GitHub supports multiple authentication methods including passwords, personal access tokens, SSH keys, and GitHub Apps.

Source
GitHub: How long has GitHub been operating?

GitHub was founded in 2008 and launched publicly on April 10, 2008, making it the dominant git hosting platform for nearly two decades.

Source
GitHub: Who owns GitHub and when did the acquisition occur?

Microsoft acquired GitHub for $7.5 billion USD, with the deal announced June 4, 2018 and completed October 26, 2018. GitHub operates as an independent subsidiary within Microsoft.

Source
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