Technology · head to head
GitHub vs Saleor

Saleor
E-Commerce
Open-source, headless e-commerce platform with a GraphQL API
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: GitHub acquired by Microsoft in 2018, reducing pure independence despite operational autonomy; Saleor saleor requires development resources to build a storefront, since it ships as an API-only backend without a front-end store out of the box.
- They diverge on capability: GitHub covers Git repositories, Saleor covers GraphQL API.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which GitHub and Saleor actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Saleor
- GraphQL API
- Admin dashboard
- Webhooks and apps
- Omnichannel order processing
- Configurator CLI
- OpenTelemetry tracing
- OpenID Connect support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
GitHub
- Version controlnot Saleor
- Code collaborationnot Saleor
- CI/CD pipelinesnot Saleor
- Project managementnot Saleor
- Documentation hostingnot Saleor
Saleor
- Custom headless storefrontsnot GitHub
- Composable commerce architecturesnot GitHub
- Omnichannel retail and B2B commercenot GitHub
- Developer-built e-commerce requiring deep API accessnot 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
Saleor
- Saleor requires development resources to build a storefront, since it ships as an API-only backend without a front-end store out of the box.
- Self-hosting requires managing infrastructure, scaling, and updates, which adds operational overhead compared to fully managed platforms.
- Saleor Cloud's paid tiers start at $1,599/month, making the managed offering costly for small merchants compared to typical SaaS store builders.
- The GraphQL-first, code-driven approach has a steeper learning curve for non-technical users than drag-and-drop e-commerce builders.
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
Saleor
Free- Sandboxes (Cloud)Free
- Free forever tier for prototyping and development
- Select (Cloud)$1599/month
- Up to $200,000 GMV monthly
- 0.8% fee on orders exceeding GMV limit
- Dedicated Slack channel
- Volume (Cloud)$3999/month
- Up to $1,000,000 GMV monthly
- 0.4% fee on orders exceeding GMV limit
- Dedicated Slack channel
- Enterprise (Cloud)$undefined/mo
- Custom GMV limits
- Fees negotiable as low as 0.2%
- Project delivery lead
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.
Choose Saleor if
- You need graphql api.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want admin dashboard.
Questions people ask
- Is GitHub or Saleor better?
- Neither clearly leads. GitHub starts at Free and Saleor at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, GitHub or Saleor?
- GitHub starts at Free and Saleor at Free.
- Does GitHub or Saleor run on more platforms?
- GitHub runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile. Saleor runs on web, api.
- Can I use GitHub for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 Saleor is typically brought in for.
- What can GitHub do that Saleor cannot?
- GitHub covers Git repositories, Pull requests, Code review, Issues & projects. Saleor covers GraphQL API, Admin dashboard, Webhooks and apps, Omnichannel order processing.
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.
SourceSaleor: Is Saleor free to use?
Yes. Saleor is open source under the BSD-3-Clause license and can be self-hosted for free. Saleor Cloud also offers a free Sandboxes tier for prototyping and development.
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.
SourceSaleor: How much does Saleor Cloud cost?
Saleor Cloud paid plans start at $1,599/month for the Select plan (up to $200,000 monthly GMV), with Volume at $3,999/month and custom Enterprise pricing for larger merchants.
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.
SourceSaleor: Does Saleor provide a storefront out of the box?
No. Saleor is an API-only, headless commerce backend built on GraphQL; storefronts must be built separately using the API and are not bundled with the platform.
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.
SourceRelated pages
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- Saleor vs commercetools
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