GitLab vs GitHub Pricing 2026

The developer platform showdown: GitHub (free tier focused) vs GitLab (self-hosted and enterprise)—which Git platform is best for your team?

Key Price Comparison

GitHub Pro: $4/user/month or $48/user/year
GitHub Team: $21/user/month (5 user minimum)
GitLab Premium: €29/user/year (~$32) when billed annually
GitLab Ultimate: €99/user/year (~$108) for self-hosted control
10-person dev team annual cost: GitHub Pro = $480, GitLab Premium = $320
Best for: GitHub = OSS + modern cloud teams; GitLab = enterprises + self-hosted control

Full Pricing Breakdown

GitHub Plans (2026)

Plan	Price per User/Month	Annual Cost (10 users)	Best For
Free	$0	$0	Open source, small teams
Pro	$4/user/mo	$480	Individual developers (most popular)
Team	$21/user/mo (min 5)	$2,520	Collaborative teams
Enterprise	Custom pricing	$15K+ annually	Large enterprises

GitLab Plans (2026)

Plan	Price per User/Year	Annual Cost (10 users)	Best For
Free	€0	€0	Open source, trials
Premium	€29/year (~$32)	€290 (~$320)	Growing teams (best value)
Ultimate	€99/year (~$108)	€990 (~$1,080)	Enterprises + security
Self-Hosted	Custom (subscription)	€1,000+ / year	On-premises deployments

Team Cost Breakdown

Real cost comparison for different team sizes:

5-Person Dev Team (Annual)

Service	Annual Cost	Per Developer/Month
GitHub Pro (5 users)	$240	$4/user/mo
GitHub Team (5 users)	$1,260	$21/user/mo
GitLab Premium (5 users)	$160	$2.67/user/mo
GitLab Ultimate (5 users)	$540	$9/user/mo

10-Person Dev Team (Annual)

Service	Annual Cost	Per Developer/Month
GitHub Pro (10 users)	$480	$4/user/mo
GitHub Team (10 users)	$2,520	$21/user/mo
GitLab Premium (10 users)	$320	$2.67/user/mo
GitLab Ultimate (10 users)	$1,080	$9/user/mo

25-Person Dev Team (Annual)

Service	Annual Cost	Per Developer/Month
GitHub Pro (25 users)	$1,200	$4/user/mo
GitHub Team (25 users)	$6,300	$21/user/mo
GitLab Premium (25 users)	$800	$2.67/user/mo
GitLab Ultimate (25 users)	$2,700	$9/user/mo

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown:

Feature	GitHub Pro	GitHub Team	GitLab Premium	GitLab Ultimate
Git Hosting	✅	✅	✅	✅
Issues & Kanban Boards	✅	✅	✅	✅
CI/CD Pipelines	✅	✅	✅	✅
Code Review (Pull/Merge Requests)	✅	✅	✅	✅
Code Scanning & SAST	✅	✅	✅ (included)	✅ (included)
Container Registry	✅	✅	✅	✅
Advanced Security Features	Limited	Limited	✅	✅ (full)
SSO + SAML	Enterprise only	✅	✅	✅
Incident Management	❌	❌	✅	✅
Self-Hosted Option	❌	❌	✅	✅
API Availability	✅	✅	✅	✅

The Verdict: Which Should You Choose?

Choose GitHub if:

You're part of the larger ecosystem — GitHub dominates developer mindshare, integrates with most tools, has best community/GitHub Actions
You want the simplest UI — GitHub's interface is polished and intuitive for most developers
You're running open source — GitHub has the largest open-source community and best discoverability
You're a solo developer or small team — GitHub Pro at $4/user/mo is the cheapest option, GitHub free tier is generous
You need GitHub Actions — GitHub's native CI/CD is the fastest-growing automation platform (especially for Node/Python projects)

Choose GitLab if:

You need self-hosting — GitLab can run on your own infrastructure (GitHub cannot without Enterprise)
You want built-in CI/CD — GitLab's CI/CD is more feature-rich than GitHub's out-of-the-box
You're an enterprise with compliance needs — GitLab Ultimate includes SAST, container scanning, security dashboards
You're cost-sensitive at scale — GitLab Premium ($32/year) beats GitHub Pro ($48/year) at larger teams
You want one integrated platform — GitLab includes issue tracking, wiki, snippets, CI/CD all in one place

The Recommendation:

Most teams should start with GitHub because its ecosystem dominance, free tier, and GitHub Actions make it the default choice. However, if you have 10+ developers, seriously evaluate GitLab Premium — you'll save 30%+ in costs while gaining CI/CD, security scanning, and self-hosting options. For enterprises, GitLab is almost always cheaper and more feature-complete.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I switch from GitHub to GitLab later?

Yes, but it requires some setup. Both platforms support standard Git, so moving repositories is straightforward. However, issues, pull requests, and CI/CD workflows will need manual migration or scripting. Best to pick one and commit.

Does GitHub offer better GitHub Actions support?

Yes—GitHub Actions is tightly integrated and has the largest ecosystem. GitLab CI/CD is powerful but has smaller community/marketplace. However, both support most standard languages and Docker.

Can I use both GitHub and GitLab simultaneously?

Yes. Many teams mirror repositories across both platforms. GitHub mirrors: duplication guide. GitLab mirrors: project mirroring. But this adds overhead.

Is GitLab's free tier truly free?

Yes. GitLab Free includes repositories, CI/CD, issues, and wikis. However, free shared runners have limited minutes (400/month). Premium unlocks more CI/CD minutes and advanced features.

Which has better API support for automation?

Both have excellent APIs. GitHub has broader third-party integrations (Slack, Discord, etc.). GitLab's API is more complete for self-hosted deployments. For automation, both work equally well.

Do I need to pay for GitHub Actions?

GitHub Actions are free for public repositories and self-hosted runners. Private repos get 2,000 minutes/month free, then $0.008 per minute. GitLab CI/CD is free (with limitations on shared runners).