About 21; min
GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket all host your code, run your CI/CD, and manage your pull requests. But the pricing differences between them are bigger than most teams realize — especially once you factor in CI/CD minutes, storage, and user limits.
We compared all three platforms across their 2026 plans so you can pick the one that actually fits your team’s budget and workflow.
Quick Pricing Comparison
| Plan | GitHub | GitLab | Bitbucket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Unlimited public/private repos, unlimited collaborators | 5 users, 400 CI/CD min/mo | 5 users, 50 CI/CD min/mo |
| Team/Premium | $4/user/mo | $29/user/mo (Premium) | $5/user/mo (Standard) |
| Enterprise | $21/user/mo | $99/user/mo (Ultimate) | $10/user/mo (Premium) |
The price gap is dramatic. GitLab Premium costs 7x what GitHub Team charges. But GitLab bundles CI/CD, security scanning, and project management that GitHub requires separate tools (Actions, Dependabot, Projects) to match.
GitHub Pricing Breakdown
GitHub’s free tier is the most generous for individual developers and open-source projects. Unlimited private repos with unlimited collaborators — no other platform matches this without charging.
The Team plan at $4/user adds workflow controls that matter for professional teams: required reviewers, code owners (automatic review assignment), and protected branches. Most startups with 5–20 developers find this sufficient.
GitHub Actions (CI/CD) Costs
GitHub Actions minutes are included in each plan but vary by runner OS:
| Runner OS | Minute Multiplier | Free Plan (2,000 min) | Effective Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | 1x | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| Windows | 2x | 2,000 | 1,000 |
| macOS | 10x | 2,000 | 200 |
macOS runners burn through your quota 10x faster. If you’re building iOS apps, 200 effective minutes on the free plan means roughly 10–15 builds per month. Additional minutes cost $0.008/min (Linux), $0.016/min (Windows), or $0.08/min (macOS).
GitHub Copilot Add-on
GitHub Copilot costs $10/user/month (Individual) or $19/user/month (Business). This is separate from your GitHub plan. A 20-person team on GitHub Team + Copilot Business = $460/month. Copilot is not included in any GitHub plan — it’s always an add-on.
GitLab Pricing Breakdown
GitLab’s free tier is the most restrictive — 5 users maximum. For a team of 6, you’re immediately forced to Premium at $29/user. This makes GitLab the most expensive option for small teams.
However, Premium includes features that GitHub charges separately for or locks behind Enterprise: merge request approvals with rules, protected environments, and burndown charts. If you’re comparing apples to apples on features, GitLab Premium competes with GitHub Enterprise ($21/user), not GitHub Team ($4/user).
GitLab’s Security Scanning Suite
Ultimate at $99/user includes SAST (Static Application Security Testing), DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing), dependency scanning, container scanning, and license compliance — all built into the CI/CD pipeline. On GitHub, equivalent security scanning requires third-party tools (Snyk, SonarQube, Checkmarx) that can cost $20–$100/user/month separately.
For security-focused organizations, GitLab Ultimate’s all-in-one pricing can actually be cheaper than GitHub Enterprise + third-party security tools.
Bitbucket Pricing Breakdown
Bitbucket is the cheapest paid option at $5/user (Standard) and $10/user (Premium). But the CI/CD minutes are limited: 2,500 on Standard vs GitHub’s 3,000 (Team) and GitLab’s 10,000 (Premium). If your builds run frequently, the CI/CD difference matters more than the per-user savings.
Bitbucket + Jira: The Bundle Play
If your team already uses Jira, Bitbucket’s integration is the deepest of any code hosting platform. Smart commits (type issue keys in commit messages to transition Jira tickets), automatic deployment tracking in Jira, and a shared Atlassian admin console make the combination smoother than GitHub + Jira or GitLab + Jira.
The full Atlassian dev stack: Jira Standard ($8.15) + Confluence Standard ($6.05) + Bitbucket Standard ($5) = $19.20/user/month for project management + wiki + code hosting + CI/CD. That’s less than GitLab Premium alone.
CI/CD Minutes Comparison
| Plan Tier | GitHub | GitLab | Bitbucket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 2,000 min | 400 min | 50 min |
| Mid-tier | 3,000 min ($4/user) | 10,000 min ($29/user) | 2,500 min ($5/user) |
| Top tier | 50,000 min ($21/user) | 50,000 min ($99/user) | 3,500 min ($10/user) |
| Extra minutes | $0.008/min (Linux) | $0.008/min | $0.01/min |
GitHub gives the most CI/CD minutes per dollar at every tier. GitHub Enterprise’s 50,000 minutes at $21/user vs GitLab Ultimate’s 50,000 minutes at $99/user — same CI/CD quota, $78/user price difference.
Cost at Scale
10-Person Dev Team
| Platform | Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Team | $4/user | $40 | $480 |
| Bitbucket Standard | $5/user | $50 | $600 |
| GitLab Premium | $29/user | $290 | $3,480 |
50-Person Dev Team
| Platform | Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Team | $4/user | $200 | $2,400 |
| Bitbucket Standard | $5/user | $250 | $3,000 |
| GitLab Premium | $29/user | $1,450 | $17,400 |
A 50-person team saves $15,000/year choosing GitHub Team over GitLab Premium. The question is whether GitLab’s built-in features replace enough third-party tools to justify the gap.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | GitHub | GitLab | Bitbucket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code review | Excellent (PRs) | Excellent (MRs) | Good (PRs) |
| CI/CD | Actions (YAML) | Built-in (YAML) | Pipelines (YAML) |
| Project management | Projects (basic) | Built-in (full) | Jira integration |
| Security scanning | Dependabot (basic) | Full suite (Ultimate) | Basic |
| Container registry | Packages (paid storage) | Built-in (free) | No native |
| Wiki | Basic | Built-in (good) | Basic |
| Self-hosting | Enterprise Server ($21/user) | Free (Community Edition) | Data Center ($2,300/yr for 25 users) |
| Copilot/AI | $10–$19/user add-on | Duo ($19/user add-on) | No native AI |
| Open source | No | Yes (CE edition) | No |
Who Should Pick What
Pick GitHub If:
- You want the largest developer community and open-source presence
- CI/CD minutes per dollar is a priority
- GitHub Copilot is part of your developer productivity strategy
- Your team is under 50 people and GitHub Team covers your workflow needs
Pick GitLab If:
- You want everything in one platform (code, CI/CD, security, project management)
- Security scanning built into CI/CD pipelines is a requirement
- You want to self-host for free (GitLab Community Edition)
- Your organization values a single vendor for the entire DevOps lifecycle
Pick Bitbucket If:
- Your team already uses Jira and Confluence (Atlassian suite)
- You want the cheapest paid tier ($5/user) with decent CI/CD
- Deep Jira integration matters more than CI/CD minute volume
- You’re a small team that doesn’t need advanced security scanning
Best overall value: GitHub Team at $4/user — the most CI/CD minutes, largest community, and best Copilot integration. The default choice for most teams.
Best all-in-one DevOps: GitLab Premium/Ultimate — expensive but replaces 3–4 separate tools. Worth it if you’re spending $50+/user on GitHub + security + PM tools combined.
Best for Atlassian shops: Bitbucket Standard at $5/user — the Jira integration alone justifies it if your team lives in Atlassian.
Best free tier: GitHub Free — unlimited repos, unlimited collaborators, 2,000 CI/CD minutes. Nothing else comes close.
FAQ
Can I migrate between these platforms easily?
Git repos transfer without issues (just change the remote). CI/CD configs need rewriting — GitHub Actions YAML is different from GitLab CI YAML and Bitbucket Pipelines YAML. Budget 1–2 days per project for CI/CD migration.
Which has the best CI/CD?
GitLab’s built-in CI/CD is the most tightly integrated. GitHub Actions has the largest marketplace of pre-built actions. Bitbucket Pipelines is the simplest but least powerful. For most teams, GitHub Actions offers the best balance of power and community support.
Is GitLab CE (self-hosted) really free?
Yes. GitLab Community Edition is open-source and free to self-host with no user limits. You lose Premium/Ultimate features (security scanning, advanced CI/CD), but the core platform is fully functional. Many companies run GitLab CE for years before considering paid plans.
Does GitHub Copilot work with GitLab or Bitbucket?
Copilot works in your IDE regardless of where your code is hosted. You can use Copilot with GitLab or Bitbucket repos. However, Copilot’s code review features in pull requests are GitHub-exclusive.
