GitHub vs GitLab
Developer Tools pricing comparison · 2026
GitHub pricing ranges from $0–$21/user/month, while GitLab ranges from $0–$29/user/month. GitHub is typically 86% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.
Sources & confidence
Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.
Plans at a glance
Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.
What users say
Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.
GitHub and GitLab are the leading platforms for code hosting and DevOps, but they take different approaches. GitHub is the world's largest developer community with excellent collaboration features, while GitLab offers a complete DevOps platform with built-in CI/CD, security scanning, and project management in a single application.
Plan-by-Plan Pricing
| Plan | GitHub | GitLab |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free /user/month | Free /user/month |
| Team | $4 /user/month | $29 /user/month |
| Enterprise | $21 /user/month | Custom |
Cost at Scale
Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.
GitHub
5 scenariosGitLab
5 scenariosMarket Intelligence
GitHub
- Median annual cost
- $1,188
- Based on
- 161 deals
GitLab
- Median annual cost
- $430
- Based on
- 51 deals
Contract Terms
| Term | GitHub | GitLab |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-renewal | — | — |
| Cancellation | — | — |
| Minimum commitment | — | — |
| Price escalation | — | Users report a 50% licensing cost increase when GitLab raised prices and eliminated the Bronze/Starter tier. No published annual uplift schedule found in sources. |
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Our Verdict
Choose GitHub if you value the largest developer community, want the best open-source collaboration experience, prefer best-of-breed integrations over an all-in-one platform, or your team already knows and loves GitHub's workflow and interface.
Choose GitLab if you want a complete DevOps platform in one tool, need built-in CI/CD without additional services, require self-hosting capabilities, or prefer having source control, CI/CD, security, and project management unified in a single application.
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is GitHub or GitLab cheaper?
GitHub is generally cheaper. GitHub Team at $4/user/month is significantly less than GitLab Premium at $29/user/month. However, GitLab includes CI/CD minutes, security scanning, and project management that GitHub charges extra for, so total cost depends on your needs.
02 Which has better CI/CD: GitHub Actions or GitLab CI?
GitLab CI is more mature and feature-rich with built-in container registry, environment management, and deployment tracking. GitHub Actions is newer but rapidly improving, with excellent marketplace integrations. GitLab wins on features, GitHub wins on simplicity and ecosystem.
03 Can I migrate from GitHub to GitLab or vice versa?
Yes, both platforms support migration. GitLab has built-in importers for GitHub repos including issues, pull requests, and wikis. GitHub also supports importing from GitLab. The code moves easily; the harder part is migrating CI/CD pipelines and workflows.