GitHub

GitHub is a cloud platform for hosting Git repositories and for the work around them: reviewing code, tracking issues, automating builds and deployments, and securing dependencies. It is used for both open-source projects and private company code.

Git itself records the history of a codebase; GitHub adds hosting, access control and collaboration on top. Teams propose changes in pull requests, discuss them line by line, run automated checks with GitHub Actions and merge when reviews pass. The same account also covers project planning, package hosting, cloud development environments and the GitHub Copilot AI assistant.

Key features

• Repositories. Unlimited public repositories on every plan and unlimited collaborators on private repositories.
• Pull requests and code review. Propose, discuss and review changes before they are merged into the main branch.
• Issues and Projects. Track bugs and feature requests, set milestones and plan work on boards and tables linked to code.
• GitHub Actions. CI/CD workflows defined in YAML. Actions minutes are free for public repositories; private repositories get a monthly allowance by plan.
• Codespaces. Cloud development environments that open in the browser or in VS Code, configured with dev containers.
• Packages and Pages. Host package registries next to your code and publish static documentation or websites.
• GitHub Copilot. An AI coding assistant sold as separate plans, from a limited Free tier to paid individual and business plans.

Who it is for

GitHub serves solo developers and students, open-source maintainers, start-ups and large enterprises. Small teams often start on Free or Team for private repositories with review rules and CI. Enterprises use Enterprise Cloud or Enterprise Server for SAML single sign-on, Enterprise Managed Users, audit requirements and data residency. Project managers, security teams and technical writers also work in GitHub alongside developers.

Pricing at a glance

• Free: $0, with 2,000 Actions minutes and 500 MB of Packages storage a month for private repositories.
• Team: $4 per user per month, shown on the pricing page as the price for the first 12 months; 3,000 Actions minutes and 2 GB of Packages storage, plus the ability to raise the Codespaces spending limit.
• Enterprise: from $21 per user per month, also shown for the first 12 months; 50,000 Actions minutes, 50 GB of Packages storage, SAML SSO, Enterprise Managed Users and data residency options.
• Copilot (separate): Free at $0 with limited chat and agent use and 2,000 inline suggestions a month; Pro $10, Pro+ $39 and Max $100 per month for individuals.

Prices as checked on 7 October 2026; confirm on the vendor's pricing page.

Things to consider

• The Team and Enterprise prices on the pricing page are labelled for the first 12 months; check the price that applies after that before you budget.
• Actions minutes and Packages storage beyond the plan allowance are billed by usage, so busy CI on private repositories can add cost.
• Copilot is not included in the Free, Team or Enterprise plans and is priced separately.
• Pull requests, Actions workflows and Projects are GitHub-specific; moving to another Git host means migrating these as well as the repositories.

Getting started

1. Create a free account and read About GitHub and Git.
2. Create a repository or push an existing local Git project.
3. Invite collaborators and set branch protection on the default branch.
4. Add a GitHub Actions workflow that runs your tests on every pull request.
5. Compare plans on the pricing page when you need more minutes or governance features.