GitHub vs. GitLab and other DevOps tools
There are dozens of alternative DevOps tools from best-in-breed point solutions to full platforms. So how does GitHub compare? There are plenty of analyst reports that answer that question--but here's an overview to help you get started.
Home to 180M+ developers worldwide
From open source projects to enterprise software built by the Fortune 100, GitHub is the home for software development. Join 180M+ developers building the future, together.
Why teams choose GitHub
The gold standard for building software: Choosing GitHub means choosing the industry standard—ensuring developers spend their first day shipping code, not learning a new interface. Issues, pull requests, code review—all in the place your team already wants to work. Explore GitHub Enterprise.
Automation without the overhead: If you can dream it, Actions can ship it. Access thousands of pre-built CI/CD workflows to build, test, and deploy in minutes. Spend less time managing your pipeline and more time writing what matters. Explore GitHub Actions.
Security at every step: Secrets blocked at commit. Vulnerabilities flagged in pull requests. AI-powered fixes in real time. Security lives inside your workflow—so protection never becomes the reason your team slows down. Explore GitHub Advanced Security.
Agents integrated across the SDLC: Whether planning your next project or delegating complex refactors to custom agents, GitHub Copilot handles the execution so your team can focus on the architecture of what’s next. Explore GitHub Copilot.
What our customers are saying
GitHub keeps us up to speed with the industry's best tools. We want new hires to know GitHub is in our toolchain—it makes them excited to join us.
Head of Emerging Tech - American Airlines
It's like night and day. It's the collaboration, it's the sharing, it's the community. It's all because of GitHub.
Director of Build Platform - Autodesk
One of the big benefits of using GitHub for CI/CD and security automation is that we don't have to build, deploy, or maintain additional tools.
Software Engineer - Mercari
We're a developer-first organization and we live and breathe GitHub. It's not just a developer platform for us.
Chief Security Officer - Hashicorp
GitHub vs GitLab
Use case | GitHub | GitLab |
Desktop, mobile, CLI | Native desktop app for macOS and Windows. Native mobile apps (iOS, Android) | Web-focused experience No-native mobile app (third-party only) GitLab CLI available |
Planning, tracking, and project management | GitHub Projects and Issues enable seamless planning and management | Comparable native capabilities |
Collaboration | Pull requests, Discussions, Code review for easy collaboration | Comparable native capabilities |
Application security | Native core capabilities based on GitHub's own IP with GitHub Advanced Security Integrations via SARIF format | Native capabilities with GitLab Secure and GitLab Duo. Integrated DevSecOps platform with native scanners (SAST, DAST, Container Scanning) and AI vulnerability explanation |
Automation & CI/CD | GitHub Actions for CI/CD Tens of thousands of pre-built Actions (automations) available in GitHub Marketplace | Comparable native capabilities Integrated CI/CD with Auto DevOps |
AI powered development | Agent-native development with GitHub Copilot AI agents integrated across the SDLC Accessible through IDE, Copilot CLI, and github.com | AI programming assistance with GitLab Duo Less mature and comprehensive AI capabilities |
Cloud development environments | Cloud-hosted developer environments with GitHub Codespaces | Isolated environments via GitLab Workspaces |
Platform security & compliance | Comparable native capabilities Data residency available See full certification inventory at GitHub Trust Center | Comparable native capabilities |
Scalability & reliability | Comparable native capabilities Hosts the world's largest code graph with 180+ million developers 99.90% uptime guarantee SLA | Comparable native capabilities 50+ million registered users SLA available for Premium/Ultimate tiers (typically 99.5% - 99.9%) |
GitHub vs Bitbucket (Atlassian)
Use case | GitHub | Bitbucket |
Desktop, mobile, CLI | Native desktop app for macOS and Windows. Native mobile apps (iOS, Android) | Sourcetree (desktop app) for macOS and Windows. No official native mobile app No official native CLI |
Planning, tracking, and project management | GitHub Projects and Issues enable seamless planning and management | Designed to integrate deeply with Jira Software for advanced planning and tracking Separate licensing for Jira |
Collaboration | Pull requests, Discussions, Code review for easy collaboration | Comparable native capabilities |
Application security | Native core capabilities based on GitHub's own IP with GitHub Advanced Security Integrations via SARIF format | Native capabilities via Bitbucket Security (Secret scanning, etc.) Third-party integrations for SAST/DAST |
Automation & CI/CD | GitHub Actions for CI/CD Tens of thousands of pre-built Actions (automations) available in GitHub Marketplace | Comparable native capabilities via Bitbucket Pipelines Extensible via Bitbucket Pipes and Atlassian Marketplace apps |
AI powered development | Agent-native development with GitHub Copilot AI agents integrated across the SDLC Accessible through IDE, Copilot CLI, and github.com | AI assistance with Atlassian Intelligence/Rovo Dev for code review, PR summaries, and chat Less mature and comprehensive AI capabilities |
Cloud development environments | Cloud-hosted developer environments with GitHub Codespaces | No native cloud dev environment Third-party integrations |
Platform security & compliance | Comparable native capabilities Data residency available See full certification inventory at GitHub Trust Center | Comparable native capabilities |
Scalability & reliability | Comparable native capabilities Hosts the world's largest code graph with 180+ million developers 99.90% uptime guarantee SLA | Comparable native capabilities 15 million developers 99.90% uptime SLA available for Premium, 99.95% for Enterprise |
GitHub vs Jenkins
Use case | GitHub | Bitbucket |
Automation & CI/CD | GitHub Actions for CI/CD Tens of thousands of pre-built Actions (automations) available in GitHub Marketplace | Supports full CI and CD workflows 2000+ community-contributed plugins in the Jenkins Plugin Marketplace to extend functionality |
Setup & maintenance | Instant setup: Define workflows in YAML directly in the repo No build server maintenance required | Requires setting up a master node, configuring agents, and maintaining plugins/updates manually |
Deployment models | Cloud-hosted runners: Fully managed GitHub-hosted runners (Linux, Windows, macOS, ARM) Self-hosted: Connect your own runners for control | Self-hosted only for the open-source version (requires installing on your own servers/k8s). CloudBees CI is the enterprise/managed alternative |
Pipeline configuration | YAML-based Visual graph view and integrated editor with autocomplete | Groovy-based (Jenkinsfile) or UI-based Offers "Declarative" and "Scripted" pipelines |
Security | Integrated Secret Management (OIDC, encrypted secrets). Native supply chain security (Dependabot, CodeQL) RBAC included | User responsible for patching Secrets via plugins or external vaults RBAC via plugins |
Scalability | GitHub handles orchestration Self-hosted runners can autoscale via Kubernetes actions | Requires configuring auto-scaling agents (e.g., via Kubernetes plugin) and managing controller load |
Frequently asked questions
What are some quick facts about GitHub Enterprise Cloud?
GitHub Enterprise Cloud offers a cloud-hosted enterprise product plan (SaaS) for large businesses and teams who need a complete DevOps solution. It provides tools for greater management of an organization's resources using sophisticated security and administrative features, such as SAML single sign-on and Enterprise Managed Users (EMU). GitHub Enterprise Cloud includes support for 50,000 minutes of GitHub Actions runtime for CI/CD workflows and 50GB of storage for shared components and containers. You can learn more about GitHub Enterprise Cloud in our documentation or product page.
How rich is GitHub’s documentation and where can I find it?
GitHub offers thorough documentation around all of its products with detailed how-to guides that walk teams, developers, and administrators through maximizing their investment. You can find GitHub’s documentation at docs.github.com, which offers a centralized place to find the latest information about GitHub’s products, API references, and security guides. This documentation is kept up-to-date by our documentation teams partnering closely with engineering, our product teams, and our outside community via open source contributions.
How do I migrate to GitHub Enterprise Cloud?
If you’re making the move to GitHub, we provide tools to help you bring your data with you so your team can hit the ground running. GitHub Enterprise Importer (GEI) is our API-first migration tool used by customers to migrate millions of repositories to GitHub Enterprise Cloud. You can migrate on your own terms with free, self-service migrations from GitHub Enterprise Server, Bitbucket Server, Bitbucket Data Center, and Azure DevOps.
If you are moving from another tool, or if you are looking to adopt GitHub Enterprise Server, we offer expert services and partner solutions. For more details on planning your migration and moving large numbers of repositories, check out: https://github.com/enterprise/migrating-to-github
Does GitHub offer project planning and source code management in one place?
Yes. GitHub offers a complete cloud-hosted developer platform that centralizes project planning, source code management, CI/CD, automation, and application security. GitHub Projects allows you to plan work next to your code with spreadsheets, boards, and roadmaps. It integrates deeply with GitHub Issues to track decision-making, conversations, and project statuses in real-time. This tight integration increases the speed at which you can build, deploy, and scale solutions without context switching between tools.
Does GitHub offer pre-built automation and CI/CD workflow templates?
GitHub offers a vast library of pre-built automation workflow templates that enable organizations to build powerful CI/CD pipelines, enforce environmental policies, and more. You can find thousands of pre-built actions in the GitHub Marketplace, which contains community-driven and partner-verified automations for security, CI/CD, and cloud integrations. You can also learn more about how automation works in our GitHub Actions documentation.
Can I use GitHub tools to manage, build, and deploy software to Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, or my on-site servers?
Yes. GitHub offers extensive integrations with AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and other leading providers through the GitHub Marketplace. GitHub Actions supports OpenID Connect (OIDC), allowing you to deploy to these clouds securely without storing long-lived credentials. GitHub also provides self-hosted runners, allowing you to use GitHub Actions to orchestrate builds and deployments on your own on-premise servers or private clouds.
What is the difference between Git and GitHub?
Trying to understand the difference between Git vs. GitHub? Git is the open-source version control system created by Linus Torvalds in 2005; it runs locally on your machine to track file changes. GitHub is the cloud-based platform built on top of Git. It provides the "hub" where developers upload their Git repositories to collaborate, track issues, automate builds (CI/CD), and secure their code. You use Git to work on your computer, and you use GitHub to share that work with your team and the world.