GitHubvsGitLab
Score Comparison
Signals Comparison
GitHub
- Frequent service outages and incidents(8/10)
- GitHub Copilot Code Review failures(6/10)
- Authentication failures affect workflows(7/10)
GitLab
- Legacy bugs going unfixed for years(6/10)
- Downgrading loses Enterprise features completely(6/10)
GitHub
- GitHub Actions can be slow(6/10)
- Large repositories can be slow(5/10)
GitLab
- Notoriously slow performance(8/10)
- CI/CD pipelines slow without proper optimization(6/10)
- Self-hosted instances require significant resources(5/10)
GitHub
- Advanced features locked behind expensive plans(6/10)
- Actions minutes burn quickly(5/10)
GitLab
- Significant price increases(7/10)
- Security features locked in expensive Ultimate tier(7/10)
- 2-year contract lock-in with price increases(7/10)
- Viewer users count toward paid seats(6/10)
GitHub
- Interface overwhelming for beginners(5/10)
- Permission management is complex(5/10)
- GitHub Actions workflow syntax complexity(4/10)
GitLab
- Cluttered and confusing interface(7/10)
- Feature bloat makes simple tasks complex(5/10)
GitHub
- Microsoft ownership concerns(4/10)
GitLab
No signals
GitHub
- Vendor lock-in with Actions and Packages(5/10)
GitLab
No signals
GitHub
No signals
GitLab
- Documentation lacking for complex workflows(5/10)
Pricing Comparison
GitHub
Users: Unlimited collaborators on public repos
Storage: 500MB Packages storage
Limits: No required reviewers on private repos, limited Actions minutes, basic support
Users: Individual developer
Storage: 2GB Packages storage
Limits: Individual only, no team management features
Users: Per user/month
Storage: 2GB Packages storage
Limits: No SSO/SAML, no audit logs, no advanced security
Users: Per user/month
Storage: 50GB Packages storage
Limits: Significant per-user cost adds up for large organizations
GitLab
Users: 5 users per namespace
Storage: 5GB storage
Limits: 5 user limit, 400 compute minutes, no advanced CI/CD features, limited support
Users: Per user/month
Storage: 50GB storage
Limits: No DAST, no license compliance, no enterprise security features
Users: Per user/month
Storage: 250GB storage
Limits: Very expensive at scale, 242% more than Premium
Feature Comparison
| Feature | GitHub | GitLab |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| Git repository hosting Unlimited public/private | ||
| Collaboration | ||
| Pull requests & code review Industry standard | ||
| Merge requests & code review Feature-rich | ||
| DevOps | ||
| GitHub Actions CI/CD Built-in automation | ||
| Built-in CI/CD .gitlab-ci.yml | ||
| Kubernetes integration Auto DevOps | ||
| Project Management | ||
| Issues & Projects Kanban boards | ||
| Issue tracking Built-in | ||
| AI Features | ||
| GitHub Copilot Paid add-on | ||
| GitLab Duo AI Extra $19/user | ||
| Security | ||
| SAST security scanning Premium+ | ||
| Code scanning (security) Free for public, paid for private | ||
| DAST security scanning Ultimate only | ||
| Secret scanning Enterprise feature | ||
| Container scanning Ultimate only | ||
| Dependabot Dependency updates | ||
| Dependency scanning Ultimate only | ||
| Hosting | ||
| GitHub Pages Static site hosting | ||
| Registry | ||
| Container registry Built-in | ||
| GitHub Packages Package hosting | ||
| Development | ||
| Codespaces Cloud dev environments | ||
| Documentation | ||
| Wiki Built-in | ||
| Mobile | ||
| Mobile app iOS/Android | ||
| Deployment | ||
| Self-hosting option Free CE available | ||
| Enterprise | ||
| SAML SSO Enterprise only | ||
| Pricing | ||
| Free tier Generous free plan | ||