GitLab vs GitHub Detailed Overview with Key Differences
The server stability of the hosted version of GitLab is generally slightly worse than that of GitHub, which is why installation on a private server can make sense. The pricing for GitLab and GitHub is hard to compare directly because the pricing structures are somewhat different. GitLab’s billing models are oriented primarily around feature-based pricing, meaning that the more features you want to access, the more you’ll have to pay. In contrast, with GitHub, most core platform features are available across all plans, but pricing increases based on usage. Keep reading for a comparison of GitLab and GitHub and tips on deciding which platform is the best for your needs — especially if you’re an enterprise that needs to manage software source code on a large scale. To address these challenges, you can integrate world-class CI/CD tooling with your existing version control system.
GitHub presents a spectrum of pricing plans, catering to both individual developers and enterprise-level teams. The platform offers free plans for public repositories, making it an attractive starting point for many. GitLab and GitHub are two of the most popular code repositories available today.
Let’s understand how both versions can help you with continuous integration and delivery. In the GitLab vs.GitHub debate, understanding the integration capabilities and overall ecosystem is like surveying the technological landscape. When discussing GitLab, community engagement extends beyond code contributions. When comparing GitHub vs. GitLab showdown, it’s crucial to understand each platform’s distinctive features.
Difference between GitLab and GitHub:
As a result, GitLab is often a better alternative to GitHub for viewing on mobile devices. Both GitLab and GitHub have a free version and an enterprise version, which in turn are divided into several subscription models with different features. As these are similar types of systems, they do have some feature similarities. That said, GitLab and GitHub both charge on a per-user basis, so what you pay will reflect in part in how many developers you have in your organization. Though your project requirements will ultimately dictate your decision, below are some general guidelines for choosing the right tool. In this article, we’ll explore the differences and similarities between each and guide you on when to leverage them based on your project’s needs.
While both support open-source, the repositories themselves use a mixed programming model. In this model, the GitLab Community Edition remains free and open-source, while the GitLab Enterprise Edition has more features and comes with support. If you do need the bells and whistles of a hosted Git service, however, then let me break it down — from the differences in software services to similarities in interfaces and core values. For one, there is a greater need to manage bugs throughout the software lifecycle, and it lacks some of the enterprise level features some companies require to operate smoothly. Gogs is an open-source Git server written in Golang and designed to be a simple and stable way to self-host a Git service (ironically the project is hosted on GitHub).
Still, fundamentally, both offer web-based repositories with open-source, Git-based code management and local file changes with a remote repository. So, if all you want is basic Git functionality but with someone else to worry over keeping Git up and running, either service will do well for you. However, you may not need to integrate with third-party tools as GitLab has CI/CD feature built-in. However, the integrations provided by GitLab are less than those on GitHub. If you have a distributed team working on a big project, the team lead can create a repository and give access to different members. If need be, the members can create different branches and fork the source code to their local machines.
GitLab vs GitHub: Which One Should You Choose In 2025?
- On the other hand, GitLab is a web-based Git repository manager that offers a comprehensive DevOps platform, facilitating collaboration among teams working on software development projects.
- GitLab offers ready-made integrations with various popular tools and an API for custom integrations so that you can tailor your workspace to your unique workflows.
- This software uses repositories into which users can upload source code and collectively edit it in a browser, in code editors, or in a terminal.
- This ecosystem enables developers to integrate GitHub with numerous tools and services to complete their development workflow without leaving the GitHub interface.
- Finally, GitHub and GitLab’s security offerings are comparable in that both offer robust security built to adapt to the modern needs of software development.
But you have to remember that through these third-party integrations, GitHub offers some of the out-of-the-box features from GitLab. GitLab supports integrations with Asana, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Gmail, and 30+ other apps and platforms. But it’s less of a “ready-made” package than GitLab, instead opting to give developers the option to implement apps and integrations freely through the GitHub marketplace. And they can do it without setting up a virtual LAN or manually sharing repositories.
A network of support channels ensures that every query is secured, fostering a collaborative environment. Between GitHub and GitLab, the choice concerns your project’s needs and your team’s preferences. Take charge with custom software solutions designed to accelerate your business and leave your competitors behind.
DevOps Development
- Essentially, the DevOps pipeline is supported via merge requests where developers can track the status of development, testing, and software delivery.
- In the GitLab vs.GitHub debate, understanding the integration capabilities and overall ecosystem is like surveying the technological landscape.
- One feature that sets GitHub apart is its extensive ecosystem of third-party integrations via GitHub Marketplace, which allows for customizable workflows that can easily adapt to existing tech stacks.
- That way, you’re set up to quickly deploy, and you can speedily reinstate your old version if something goes awry.
- It also gives you essential project management tools to monitor and control your team members.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews.
It presents an unparalleled opportunity to influence how enterprise software is built and deployed. It will connect you with people you feel so aligned with that you’ll remain close friends years after you part ways with the company. It will allow you to adopt a lifestyle you didn’t think was possible to have alongside a hard-charging career. Ultimately, being connected to your people — knowing them and understanding their motivations and their desires in life — is what is key to helping them grow. This awareness, combined with active effort to maintain awareness of opportunities for training, development, stretch assignments, network connections and so on, enables you to support them in their growth.
GitHub makes connecting with other projects easy and allows other developers access to your code. This connectivity allows for more collaboration across a wider community but less control over who can interact with your code. GitLab’s free tier offers essential features for individual users, including 400 compute minutes per month and five users per top-level group. While GitLab and GitHub offer similar capabilities for your development project, the two programs have unique features and use cases. The vast majority of developers, teams, and companies use these tools to ensure that every piece of code is reviewed carefully before going live, and that nobody’s contribution disappears.
Due to the widespread popularity of GitHub, the service is compatible with numerous applications that make teamwork easier, such as Docker, CI/CD tools, or project management applications. This compatibility is especially necessary when it comes to continuous integration because GitHub does not have its own continuous integration tools. This is where the GitLab tool has the edge, since it comes with free built-in continuous integration functionality.
Enterprises with large-scale needs should carefully evaluate each tier’s offerings. Git is distributed, meaning everybody https://traderoom.info/gitlab-vs-github/ involved in a project receives the full history of the codebase. This decentralization is crucial to enhancing team collaboration as everybody can work on various parts of a project simultaneously without having to be concerned about conflicts of change. In addition, Git enables several contributors to be combined in a controlled and efficient way to simplify development. Instead of offering CI/CD and DevOps software, GitHub provides a wide range of third-party application configurations to bring in your preferred support software, such as TravisCI or CircleCI. The main advantage of using third parties is the flexibility and amount of choice you’ll have between which programs to use for tasks such as CI/CD and DevOps.