GitHubvs
GitLab
GitLab: Complete DevOps platform combining source control with CI/CD and issue tracking; offers both cloud and self-hosted deployment options.
GitHub
Where the world builds software
As of 30 August 2026, GitHub has a free plan and paid plans start at $4/month. GitHub is a development platform inspired by the way you work. Softwr lists it under Technology. GitHub is made by GitHub Inc (Microsoft), launched in 2008, available on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS.
Overview
What GitHub does
GitHub is a development platform inspired by the way you work. From open source to business, you can host and review code, manage projects, and build software alongside 100 million developers.
What people use it for
- Version control
- Code collaboration
- CI/CD pipelines
- Project management
- Documentation hosting
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about 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
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of GitHub
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- GitHubvsDocker
Docker: Containerization platform that works alongside GitHub for application deployment and infrastructure management.
- GitHubvsLinear
Linear: Modern issue tracking and project management platform that integrates with GitHub but offers alternative project organization approach.
- GitHubvsJira
Jira: Atlassian issue tracking and project management tool widely used by development teams for sprint planning and bug tracking.
Pricing
What GitHub costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Free
Free
- Unlimited public/private repos
- 2,000 CI/CD minutes/month
- 500MB package storage
- Community support
- GitHub Pages
Team
$4 /mo
- Everything in Free
- 3,000 CI/CD minutes/month
- 2GB package storage
- Protected branches
- Code owners
Enterprise
$21 /mo
- Everything in Team
- 50,000 CI/CD minutes/month
- 50GB package storage
- SAML single sign-on
- Advanced auditing
Capabilities
Features
Git repositories
Pull requests
Code review
Issues & projects
GitHub Actions CI/CD
GitHub Pages
Security scanning
Dependency management
VS Code
Integration with VS Code
Slack
Integration with Slack
Jira
Integration with Jira
Jenkins
Integration with Jenkins
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
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.
SourceHow 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.
SourceHow 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.
SourceWho 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.
SourceBehind it
Who makes GitHub
- Company
- GitHub Inc (Microsoft)
- Based in
- San Francisco, CA
- Founders
- Tom Preston-Werner, Chris Wanstrath, P.J. Hyett, Scott Chacon
Timeline
GitHub over time
Keep looking
Where to go from GitHub
- GitHub alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- GitHub pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- GitHub badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Technology softwareThe full category
- Best Technology softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Technology software for
Compare GitHub with
- Eclipse
- GitLab
- Jira
- Docker
- Linear
- Kubernetes
- Jenkins
- Postman
- Storybook
- Asana
- PostHog
- Plane
- WebStorm
- Zabbix Cloud
- Intercom
- LaunchDarkly
- Mixpanel
- Storybook
Other Technology software
A self-hosted automation server that can build almost anything, through a plugin ecosystem that is also its main liability.
Free plan15 researched notesThe single platform to analyze, test, observe, and deploy new features
Free plan13 researched notesProduct analytics that helps you convert, engage, and retain more users
Free, then $20/mo10 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for GitHub, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on GitHub
GitHub alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
GitHub pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare GitHub
Put it head to head with anything we hold
GitHub badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best Technology software alternatives
Secure access for everyone
The digital analytics platform to understand your users
Apple's WebKit browser, available only on Apple operating systems and updated only with them.
free