Technology · head to head
GitHub vs Aha!
The short version
- Only GitHub has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: GitHub acquired by Microsoft in 2018, reducing pure independence despite operational autonomy; Aha! sold as eight separate products rather than one subscription, so Roadmaps, Discovery, Ideas, Whiteboards, Builder, Develop, Teamwork and Knowledge are each priced per user
- They diverge on capability: GitHub covers Git repositories, Aha! covers Strategic roadmaps.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which GitHub and Aha! actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology).
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 GitHub
- Git repositories
- Pull requests
- Code review
- Issues & projects
- GitHub Actions CI/CD
- GitHub Pages
- Security scanning
- Dependency management
Only in Aha!
- Strategic roadmaps
- Release planning
- Idea management
- Requirements & user stories
- Visual workflows
- Gantt charts
- Pivot tables
- Custom scorecards
Both cover
- Slack
- Jira
- SOC2
- ISO27001
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
GitHub
- Version controlnot Aha!
- Code collaborationnot Aha!
- CI/CD pipelinesnot Aha!
- Project managementnot Aha!
- Documentation hostingnot Aha!
Aha!
- Product roadmapping linked to strategy and goalsnot GitHub
- Collecting and scoring customer feedback through Ideasnot GitHub
- Customer research and interview analysis with Discoverynot GitHub
- Agile delivery tracking with Developnot GitHub
- Internal product documentation with Knowledgenot GitHub
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Aha!
- Sold as eight separate products rather than one subscription, so Roadmaps, Discovery, Ideas, Whiteboards, Builder, Develop, Teamwork and Knowledge are each priced per user
- Roadmaps at $59 per user per month is expensive next to general project tools, and Discovery and Ideas add $39 each
- The Develop integration with Roadmaps requires the Enterprise or Enterprise+ tier
- Annual billing is by invoice only; monthly is card
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Aha!
$59/month- Startup$29/month
- All premium features
- Discounted pricing for early-stage startups
- Premium$59/month
- Strategy setting
- Roadmap creation
- Feature prioritization
- Enterprise$null/month
- Unlimited reviewers and viewers
- Advanced features
- Enterprise+$null/month
- Everything in Enterprise plus workflow automation
- Capacity planning
- Concierge support
Which should you pick?
Choose GitHub if
- You need git repositories.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
- You also want pull requests.
Questions people ask
- Is GitHub or Aha! better?
- Neither clearly leads. GitHub starts at Free and Aha! at $59/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, GitHub or Aha!?
- GitHub has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for GitHub and $59/month for Aha!.
- Does GitHub or Aha! run on more platforms?
- GitHub runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile. Aha! runs on Web.
- Can I use GitHub for free?
- Yes. GitHub has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Aha! starts at $59/month.
- What is GitHub best used for?
- GitHub is most often used for version control, code collaboration, ci/cd pipelines, project management. Of those, version control and code collaboration are not what Aha! is typically brought in for.
- What can GitHub do that Aha! cannot?
- GitHub covers Git repositories, Pull requests, Code review, Issues & projects. Aha! covers Strategic roadmaps, Release planning, Idea management, Requirements & user stories. Both handle Slack, Jira, SOC2, ISO27001.
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.
SourceAha!: Does Aha! have a free tier?
No. Aha! offers a 30-day free trial without requiring a credit card, but there is no permanent free plan. Pricing starts at $59/user/month for Aha! Roadmaps.
SourceGitHub: 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.
SourceAha!: How is Aha! pricing structured?
Aha! uses per-user billing. Premium plan charges all users equally regardless of permission level. Enterprise plans only charge for workspace owners and contributors, with unlimited reviewers and viewers at no additional cost.
SourceGitHub: 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.
SourceAha!: Can I use Aha! offline?
Aha! is a cloud-based SaaS platform with no offline mode mentioned in documentation. All features require internet connectivity to the cloud servers.
SourceGitHub: 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.
SourceAha!: What does Enterprise+ plan include?
Enterprise+ includes workflow automation, capacity planning, custom tables and calculations, advanced license management, account backup and export, anti-virus scanning, IP access control, and concierge white-glove support.
SourceAha!: How many integrations does Aha! support?
Aha! Roadmaps offers 40+ integrations including Jira, Azure DevOps, Slack, Salesforce, and Zendesk. Salesforce and Zendesk require additional add-on purchases.
Source