GitLab offers both free and paid versions. The GitLab Community Edition (CE) is free and provides core features such as unlimited private repositories, issue tracking, and basic CI/CD. For larger teams or organizations, GitLab offers premium versions GitLab Premium and GitLab Ultimate which provide advanced features such as enhanced security, code quality tools, and priority support. The free version is suitable for small teams, while the paid versions offer additional scalability and enterprise-level tools.

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GitHub vs GitLab: Key Differences & Features Compared

GitHub vs GitLab: Key Differences & Features Compared

Q: 1. What makes GitHub an ideal platform for collaborative software development?

GitHub is a powerful platform for collaborative software development, offering features like version control, branching, and pull requests to manage code effectively. It allows multiple developers to work on the same project, track changes in real-time, and resolve bugs through issue tracking and task assignments. With built-in code review and discussion tools, GitHub streamlines teamwork and project management.

Q: 2. What is meant by Version Control System (VCS) and what is its use?

Version Control allows one to make changes to software/code and to keep track of the changes made. This is extremely useful because, even if a mistake is made, we can revert it back to the previous version. “File tree” is a structure in which the files are arranged. Each person may work on a different file and commit their changes to the file tree without any disruption. It's gaining a lot of prominence in DevOps which focuses on fast development and deployment. Version Control Systems are of 2 types: Centralized and Distributed. Git is a distributed VCS and it is preferred because centralized VCS is prone to a single point of failure.

Q: 3. What is the CI/CD pipeline?

CI/CD stands for continuous integration and continuous delivery. It involves automation and monitoring of a software project. Continuous integration deals with many people who are working on an application, adding features simultaneously. GitHub and GitLab provide the option for collaborating and merging. Continuous delivery involves the automation of building and testing. The first step involves the development of the application. The build generated is compiled and passed into the testing phase. The code is tested exhaustively and is delivered to the repository. The code is then sent for production. The build is validated and tested using various tools. This process takes place iteratively till the final product is ready.

Q: 4. Is GitLab a CI/CD tool?

GitLab is more than just a CI/CD tool; it's an integrated platform offering version control, continuous integration (CI), and continuous deployment (CD). Its built-in CI/CD pipeline features automate testing, building, and deployment processes. GitLab enables developers to manage repositories, track issues, and implement DevOps practices within one platform, making it a comprehensive solution for modern software development. It simplifies CI/CD workflows, reducing the need for external tools.

Q: 5. Is GitHub a CI tool?

GitHub is primarily known as a code hosting platform, but with GitHub Actions, it provides robust CI capabilities. GitHub Actions allows developers to automate workflows like building, testing, and deploying code from within the repository. While GitHub isn’t exclusively a CI tool, the CI functionality it offers via Actions is highly flexible, event-driven, and seamlessly integrates with GitHub repositories, enabling teams to automate their development processes.

Q: 6. Is GitLab better than Jenkins?

GitLab and Jenkins are both popular tools in the CI/CD space but serve different purposes. GitLab provides an integrated platform that includes version control, CI/CD, and project management, offering a seamless experience. Jenkins, on the other hand, is an open-source automation server focused mainly on continuous integration. While Jenkins is known for its flexibility and extensive plugin support, GitLab’s all-in-one approach can be more convenient for teams looking for an integrated development solution.

Q: 7. Is GitLab a DevOps tool?

Yes, GitLab is widely regarded as a DevOps tool because it supports the entire software development lifecycle. From source code management to continuous integration and deployment, GitLab facilitates DevOps practices by automating and streamlining processes like testing, deployment, and feedback. Its all-in-one platform helps development teams collaborate more efficiently, making it easier to implement continuous delivery, monitoring, and feedback loops—key aspects of DevOps methodology.

Q: 9. Which CI/CD tool is best?

The best CI/CD tool depends on a team’s specific needs and workflow. Some popular options include Jenkins, GitLab CI, CircleCI, and Travis CI. Jenkins is favored for its flexibility and extensive plugin ecosystem. GitLab CI offers a comprehensive DevOps solution, integrating version control and CI/CD. CircleCI is known for its speed and ease of use, while Travis CI is a good choice for open-source projects. The right tool will depend on factors like scalability, ease of use, and integration with other tools in your tech stack.

Q: 10. Is GitLab better than Bitbucket?

GitLab and Bitbucket offer similar functionalities but differ in key features. GitLab provides an all-in-one platform with integrated CI/CD, issue tracking, and project management tools, making it a more comprehensive solution. Bitbucket, owned by Atlassian, excels in its integration with other Atlassian tools like Jira and Trello. Bitbucket may be a better choice for teams already using the Atlassian ecosystem, while GitLab is preferable for those looking for a feature-rich, standalone DevOps solution.

By Rohan Vats

Updated on May 13, 2025 | 16 min read | 10.47K+ views

Table of Contents

View all

GitHub vs GitLab
What is GitHub?
What is GitLab?
Comparison Between GitHub and GitLab
Pros and Cons of GitHub
Pros and Cons of GitLab
GitHub vs GitLab: How Are They Similar?
GitHub vs GitLab: Which One is Right for Your Project?
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When choosing between GitHub and GitLab, understanding their key differences and features is crucial. GitHub is widely recognized for its user-friendly interface and extensive community support, making it a popular choice for open-source projects. In contrast, GitLab offers a comprehensive DevOps platform with integrated CI/CD pipelines, appealing to teams seeking an all-in-one solution for their development needs.

If you're working with languages like Python, Java, or JavaScript, both platforms offer robust support for various frameworks and tools.

In this blog, you'll explore the key differences between GitHub and GitLab, helping you choose the platform that best suits your project and workflow needs.

Ready to master GitHub and GitLab? upGrad’s Online Software Development Courses offers the perfect opportunity to learn essential tools like version control and CI/CD while building strong coding skills in languages like Python, Java, or JavaScript. Start learning today!

GitHub vs GitLab

GitLab and GitHub are both web-based repositories that help with code management and sharing local file changes with a remote repository. As the files on the internet keep changing from time to time, all the data is stored in a repository to be accessed later. Git development to track the changes in a source code requires both GitHub and GitLab.

A software development life cycle (SDLC) consists of making amends to the existing source code, and sometimes, even creating new source code. Most developers were simultaneously on different parts of code, and so, sometimes, the modifications in the code might conflict with each other. This is likely to introduce unwanted bugs in the software. While these might not affect software development in the beginning, they could lead to severe errors in the future, making it difficult to zero down the error zone.

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This is where repository managers, like GitHub and GitLab, prove useful. They protect the source code from bugs and conflicting issues. It is easy to track changes in the code files by running them through any of the two systems.

Since both GitHub and GitLab are version control systems (VCS) it can be difficult to choose one of the two.

The most significant difference between the two is that while GitHub is a collaboration platform that helps review and manage codes remotely, GitLab is majorly focused on DevOps and CI/CD. GitHub is more popular amongst the developers as it holds millions of repositories, but recently GitLab has been gaining popularity, as the company continues to add new features to make it more competitive and user-friendly.

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What is GitHub?

GitHub is one of the well-used web-based platforms that acts as a version control system and collaborative development tool for software. It helps in the effective management and tracking of changes made in the source code throughout development. When it comes to hosting and sharing by developers, GitHub is quite handy since several contributors may work on the same code source at any time. It employs Git, a dependable and auditable version type, as the distribution control system.

Features such as pull requests, issue tracking, and wikis make the platform collaborative and transparent, evident in a development environment. With the growing popularity of open-source projects, GitHub has emerged as a social coding platform where developers can share their work, trade ideas, and learn from one another, making it an essential aspect of software development.

Also Read: Top 20 Real-Time Project Ideas for Beginners

What is GitLab?

GitLab is a web-based platform with all the advantageous features of the DevOps lifecycle, such as source code management, continuous integration, delivery, etc. Just like GitHub, the core of what makes GitLab so special is that it uses Git for version control, which enables developers to monitor changes effectively through their codebase.

The uniqueness of Git lab is its one-stop-shop nature, where all different DevOps tools are integrated into a single platform. It has features for issue tracking, code review, and collaboration, which promote a collaborative development process that is transparent.

GitLab does continuous integration and deployment as well, making the SDLC less time-consuming. By offering self-hosted instances and a SaaS platform in the cloud, GitLab meets various development objectives, which makes it an excellent application for productive teams as well as organizations striving to optimize their development workflows.

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Comparison Between GitHub and GitLab

Let’s see GitHub vs GitLab. Both systems – GitHub and GitLab – enable source code handling and help developers to track local file changes. Developers can also share these changes with a remote repository. But there are significant differences between both the systems.

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Feature	GitHub	GitLab
Fees	GitHub projects are free and open to all with publicly shared codes.	GitLab is a repository that only lets its team of web developers collaborate on codes.
Location	GitHub doesn’t allow locating a repository inside an organization in the free plan.	GitLab allows its users to locate a repository inside an organization while using the free plan.
Issue Tracker	The issue tracker allows pulling requests so that the raised issues are automatically closed upon being merged to another repose.	Here, the issue tracker allows its users to associate issues with PRs to be closed automatically.
Documentation	GitHub documents are organized in a series of various guides with each guide covers a particular platform. It includes articles and tutorials. These guides are not fully searchable. Every article usually has a 5-10 minute read. Also, GitHub provides a searchable help page as well as FAQs.	GitLab documents are similar to documentation for a language with a search bar, listing all the documents required for the installer. The foremost thing you observe is a search bar on their docs page. They list out docs for GitLab, the GitLab installer, deployment tools, and integration. Also, the page includes a “most popular topics” section.
Integration	There is no built-in continuous integration in GitHub. It is provided by third-party vendors.	GitLab offers 100% built-in integration. They favor their own integration tools with continuous developments.
Authentication	Authenticating who can and cannot use the repository can be set according to their role.	Here, a developer has the authority to decide whether someone should access a repository.
Community	GitHub boasts of a large community of developers. It has highly active millions of users to discuss problems with.	GitLab hosts community events connecting contributors with open-source systems.
Platform	It has a development platform used to store projects. It provides features such as task management, bug tracking, etc.	GitLab provides web-based DevOps internal management of repositories.
Inner-sourcing	Developers are allowed to promote inner sourcing of internal repositories.	GitLab doesn’t allow inner sourcing.
Confidential Issues	This module creates confidential issues that are visible only to project members.	GitLab lacks this the confidential issue feature.
Workflow	A prominent difference between Git and GitLab is that GitHub proposes a simple workflow that includes a main brand and feature branches. Pull requests (PRs) support GitHub workflow. They are identical to GitLab MRs. Nothing avoids using GitLab flow on GitHub and vice versa.	GitLab offers more workflow models than GitHub. These workflows have enhanced feature, production, development, environment, and release branches. GitLab Flow is the standard. Moreover, merge requests (MRs) support GitLab workflow. MRs are a framework for code review before integration.
Backup	The backup is another major difference between Git and GitLab. GitHub Enterprise Server Backup Utilities is a backup system deployed on a separate host. It captures backup snapshots of the GitHub Enterprise Server instance regularly across a safe SSH network connection. It also uses a snapshot to restore a current GitHub Enterprise Server instance to a preceding state from the backup host.	The Git lab backup is a command-line utility that operates on the same Linux server as GitLab. It can be configured to operate at regular intervals similar to a cron job. Alternative GitLab backup methods including file system snapshot and GitLab Geo (Ultimate and Premium) are also available.
Maintenance Mode	It is easy to compare Git vs GitLab based on the maintenance mode. GitHub supports a maintenance mode that transfers the GitHub Enterprise Server instance offline, so users can’t access it. It uses the Management Console.	The Git lab has a maintenance mode that blocks all external actions which modify its internal state. 3 ways to activate maintenance mode are API, web UI, and Rails console.
Configuration	All configuration processes are performed using the GitHub admin web interface (i.e.“Management Console”) and by clicking “Save changes”.	All configuration processes are performed by editing the GitLab configuration file (gitlab.rb) and executing reconfigure.
Architecture and Scalability	Since GHES is a monolith, it can’t be divided into several components. It can only be scaled by moving to a larger server (vertical scaling requiring downtime).	Gitlab is a modular application composed of various components like Nginx, GitLab Workhorse Redis, PostgreSQL, Gitaly, etc. In the basic configuration, all components can exist in a single node. But when scaling is required, they can be distributed to separate nodes. Single or multiple nodes can be allocated to the same component (for example two or more Gitaly storage servers).
Installation	GitHub offers its virtual machine image. Through GCP, it offers a set of gcloud compute commands that fulfil all required resources and also installs GitHub. The entire installation process completes in 2.5 hours.	GitLab installs on most of the standard Linux distributions. GitLab supports multiple installation methods. The most famous installation methods are Helm charts for installation on K8S, “Omnibus” installation on Linux, and Docker installation. The installation process of GitLab through the Docker installation, Gitlab installation, and server provisioning takes nearly 2.5 hours. .
Disaster Recovery	Both GitHub GitLab support disaster recovery but uniquely. GHES supports a configuration wherein a fully redundant secondary GitHub Enterprise Server appliance is synchronized with the primary appliance by replicating all major datastores. No extra costs are involved. GitHub names this configuration HA. But because the failover is manual, it’s stated here as a DR.	GitLab Geo (Premium) permits duplication of a GitLab instance to other geographical sites. The duplication is allowed as a read-only fully operational instance which can be promoted during a disaster.
Groups	How groups are formed marks the GitHub vs GitLab difference. The repos can be assembled using organizations on GitHub. But, organizations can’t offer access to projects. Being an organization’s member is not sufficient to push and pull from that organization’s repos. There is no feature matching GitLab’s subgroups because there are no “sub-organizations”.	GitLab allows developers to use groups to manage one or more associated projects simultaneously. A user can use groups to manage permissions for their projects. If somebody gains access to the group, they also gain access to all the projects of that group. GitLab supports a maximum of 20 levels of subgroups. They are useful for large applications or organizations.
CI/CD – Setup	Another major GitHub vs Gitlab distinction is in terms of CI/CD setup. If you want to enable GitHub Actions on GHES, you should have access to external blob storage. For that, only Azure Blob storage, S3 or AWS S3-compatible MinIO Gateway for NAS are allowed. GCP storage doesn’t work. It is mandatory to open an account on AWS, create an S3 bucket, and deploy it. Runner setup is somewhat easier than in GitLab. The reason is every setup command is offered on an organization/instance/project’s page	When using GitLab, a user has to create an access token, provide a runner server, install runner software on it and finally register it vis-a-vis GitLab through the token. CI/CD – Setup in GitLab uses various executors like Docker, shell, and Kubernetes. GitLab’s web UI supports runner installation on K8S.
Integrations with Third Parties	Both GitHub and GitLab differ based on their integrations with third-party tools. GitHub features a Marketplace of third-party tools which are categorized into actions and apps. Apps on GitHub enable workflow and automation improvement. Apps are installed at the organization level. Presently, 493 apps exist in the GitHub marketplace. Tools providers offer GitHub Marketplace tools support.	GitLab supports nearly 30 integrations with third-party tools. Certain integrations (like Jira and Elasticsearch) are deployed on the instance level, whereas certain integrations like Jenkins are deployed on the project level. All GitLab integrations are subsets of the GitLab installation. GitLab supports and documents them.
Code Navigation	When developers program language-aware code, they can directly jump to references and definitions for specific identifiers.	When comparing Git vs GitLab in terms of code navigation, it is allowed to integrate with SourceGraph on GitLab.com.
Code Search	The latest “Code Search” features cover advanced syntax for searching content in code and directly linking to the Code Navigation features.	GitLab Advanced Search allows search within code and issues too.

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Also Read: Git vs Github: Difference Between Git and Github

Pros and Cons of GitHub

GitHub provides a user-friendly interface for collaboration, version control, and code sharing. While GitHub offers great features, it also has some limitations that can affect certain types of users, particularly those who need private repositories or advanced API development.

Below is a breakdown of its key pros and cons.

Pros	Cons
Excellent for open-source projects	Limited API development capabilities
Easy to share and collaborate on code	Private repositories are relatively expensive
User-friendly and sophisticated interface	Lacks some advanced features compared to alternatives
Pull requests and comments for code review	Not ideal for complex API development
Large, active community	More features may require a paid plan
Quick and simple setup	Some features can be less customizable
Supports remote collaboration
Provides easy-to-use control features
Offers integration with other development tools

Also Read: Top 15+ Open Source Project Repositories on GitHub to Explore in 2025

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Pros and Cons of GitLab

GitLab offers a wide range of advantages aimed at improving collaboration and development efficiency. However, while it offers a robust set of tools, there are certain challenges related to upgrades, bugs, and its smaller community compared to other platforms like GitHub.

Below is the table highlighting pros and cons of GitLab.

Pros	Cons
Consistently adds new features to enhance functionality	The upgrade process can be problematic and disruptive
Offers pull requests and code reviews for collaboration	Lacks some enterprise-level features required for large-scale operations
Provides a seamless Command Line Interface (CLI) experience	Contains some bugs that may affect user experience
Includes package management tools for better dependency handling	Smaller community compared to competitors like GitHub
Fully supports the CI/CD lifecycle for streamlined development
Easy to maintain code with built-in tools and automation

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GitHub vs GitLab: How Are They Similar?

GitHub and GitLab are both powerful, web-based platforms that use Git for version control. They allow developers to collaborate on code through features such as repository hosting, pull requests (GitHub) or merge requests (GitLab), and issue tracking. While they share many similarities in terms of core functionality, such as code collaboration and version control, the platforms differ in their additional capabilities, particularly in DevOps and CI/CD integration.

Here's a comparison of the key features of GitHub and GitLab:

Feature	GitHub	GitLab
Version Control	Git-based version control	Git-based version control
Repository Hosting	Public and private repositories	Public and private repositories
Pull Requests / Merge Requests	Pull Requests for code review and merging	Merge Requests for code review and merging
CI/CD	GitHub Actions (requires third-party tools for CI/CD)	Built-in CI/CD tools for automation
Issue Tracking	Issue tracking with labels, milestones, and more	Issue tracking with labels, milestones, and more
Community Engagement	Large open-source community and collaboration tools	Strong community with emphasis on DevOps and CI/CD
DevOps Integration	Relies on third-party tools for DevOps pipelines	Integrated DevOps tools with Auto DevOps
Deployment	Requires third-party tools for deployment automation	Built-in deployment pipelines with Auto DevOps
Pricing	Free tier available; paid plans for private repos	Free tier available; paid plans for enterprise tools
Container Registry	Requires third-party tools for container registry	Built-in container registry

GitHub vs GitLab: Which One is Right for Your Project?

Choosing the right platform between GitHub and GitLab depends on the specific needs of your project and team. GitHub is ideal for community-driven and open-source projects with a focus on collaboration, while GitLab excels with its integrated DevOps features, making it a better choice for teams requiring seamless CI/CD pipelines.

Below is a comparison to help you decide which platform suits your requirements best:

Factor	Choose GitHub	Choose GitLab
Project Type	Open-source, community-driven projects	Internal projects, DevOps-focused development
Collaboration Needs	Ideal for large, public, or community-driven projects	Best for teams that need integrated CI/CD pipelines
Community Engagement	Large, established community with vast resources	Growing community with a focus on DevOps and CI/CD
DevOps & CI/CD Integration	Uses third-party tools like GitHub Actions for CI/CD	Built-in CI/CD and DevOps tools for automation
Automation	Requires third-party integrations for automation	Comprehensive automation with Auto DevOps built-in
Ease of Use	User-friendly interface, especially for beginners	More complex interface, better for DevOps professionals
Container Registry	Requires third-party tools for container registry	Built-in container registry
Security & Compliance	Suitable for open-source, less formal security setups	Offers built-in security features and compliance tools
Example Projects	Personal open-source projects, coding tutorials, public libraries	Enterprise applications, internal tools, complex software development pipelines
Scaling and Flexibility	Great for smaller to medium-sized projects that require public visibility	Ideal for large-scale projects requiring automated testing, deployment, and management

Also Read: Top 30+ Full Stack Projects on GitHub to Elevate Your Coding Skills

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The major difference between GitHub and GitLab is the platform each philosophy presents. GitHub has higher availability and is more focused on infrastructure performance, while GitLab is more focused on offering a features-based system with a centralized, integrated platform for web developers.

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If you are working on a larger project in collaboration with numerous developers, then GitHub can be the better choice. On the other hand, if the project requires continuous integration, then GitLab can be leaned upon. I hope you liked our article about GitHub vs GitLab.

For more insights, get in touch with the experts at upGrad, and we will help you decide between the two!

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What makes GitHub an ideal platform for collaborative software development?

2. What is meant by Version Control System (VCS) and what is its use?

3. What is the CI/CD pipeline?

4. Is GitLab a CI/CD tool?

5. Is GitHub a CI tool?

6. Is GitLab better than Jenkins?

7. Is GitLab a DevOps tool?

8. Is GitLab free?

9. Which CI/CD tool is best?

10. Is GitLab better than Bitbucket?

11. Is GitHub a CI/CD tool?

Rohan Vats

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Software Engineering Manager @ upGrad. Passionate about building large scale web apps with delightful experiences. In pursuit of transforming engineers into leaders.

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