GitHub Pricing Simply Explained

In This Blog

• TL;DR
• What is GitHub?
• Why Companies Use GitHub
• GitHub Pricing Plans Overview
• Free Plan
• Team Plan
• Enterprise Plan
• Add-Ons
• How to Choose the Right Plan
• Conclusion
• FAQs

GitHub is the world’s largest and most popular platform for version control and collaborative coding. Since its launch in 2008, GitHub has become the go-to resource for developers and businesses looking to streamline their development processes and collaborate more effectively.

But when it comes to choosing a GitHub plan, things can get confusing. With different pricing tiers, storage limits, CI/CD allowances, and add-ons like GitHub Copilot, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Are you getting enough value from the Free Plan? Can the Team Plan scale with your project? Or should you consider Enterprise for enhanced security and support?

This guide breaks down GitHub’s pricing structure, explains the differences between each plan, and helps you figure out which option best suits your needs. Whether you’re working solo, managing a small team, or overseeing complex enterprise-level projects.

Source: GitHub

What is GitHub?

At its core, GitHub is a platform for version control and collaborative software development. It allows developers to store and manage their code in repositories, track changes, and work on projects simultaneously without overwriting each other’s work.

GitHub is built on Git, which allows developers to create “branches” of code, experiment with new features, and merge changes without disrupting the main codebase. GitHub extends Git's functionality by providing a cloud-based interface, advanced collaboration tools, and automation features.

Key Features of GitHub:

• Version Control – Track changes, revert to earlier versions, and manage branching/merging.
• Collaboration – Teams can work on the same project simultaneously and resolve conflicts easily.
• CI/CD – Automate testing and deployment of new code.
• Security and Compliance – Code scanning, vulnerability detection, and role-based access control.
• Project Management – Pull requests and track issues and milestones in one place.
• Community – Open-source projects and social coding with millions of developers worldwide.

Why Companies Use GitHub

GitHub is a strategic asset for businesses. Here’s why companies of all sizes rely on GitHub:

1. Centralized Code Management

Instead of storing code across multiple systems or local machines, GitHub allows teams to store and manage everything in a central repository. This makes it easier to track changes, collaborate, and prevent version conflicts.

2. Better Collaboration Across Teams

GitHub allows developers to create branches, work on new features in isolation, and merge them back into the main project when ready. Code reviews and issue tracking make collaboration structured and efficient.

3. Automation and Deployment

With GitHub Actions, teams can automate every step of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), from testing to deployment. This reduces human error, accelerates release cycles, and improves overall code quality.

Learn more about how to use the SDLC for superior tech solutions and team dynamics in this episode of the Emergent Software Podcast.

4. Enhanced Security and Compliance

GitHub’s advanced security features include vulnerability scanning, code signing, and granular access controls. For companies in regulated industries, this ensures that sensitive data and code remain protected.

5. Open Source and Community

GitHub is the home of open-source development. Many businesses benefit from leveraging open-source tools and libraries, contributing to community projects, and gaining visibility among the developer community.

GitHub Pricing Plans Overview

GitHub currently offers three main pricing tiers: Free, Team, and Enterprise. Each plan provides different levels of functionality and support, so it’s important to understand what’s included.

Free Plan

Cost: $0 USD per month

• Unlimited public and private repositories
• Automatic security and version updates
• 2,000 CI/CD minutes per month (free for public repositories)
• 500MB of Packages storage (free for public repositories)
• Access to Issues & Projects for project management
• Community support

Team Plan

Cost: $4 USD per user/month

• All features included in the Free plan
• 3,000 CI/CD minutes per month for private repositories
• 2GB of Packages storage
• Code owners feature
• Required reviewers
• Protected branches
• Multiple pull request reviewers
• Draft pull requests
• Standard support

Enterprise Plan

Cost: Starts at $21 per user/month (custom pricing available)

• All features included in the Team plan
• Advanced auditing capabilities
• SAML single sign-on
• Enterprise support
• Access to GitHub Connect
• Additional security and compliance features
• Customizable user roles and permissions

Don’t Forget the Add-Ons

In addition to the three plans available, there are add-on features that individuals and teams might consider.

GitHub Copilot

What it does: An AI-powered coding assistant that helps you write code faster and with fewer errors. It suggests entire lines or blocks of code as you type, based on natural language prompts and context from your existing code. Copilot also supports chat-based interactions for troubleshooting and guidance.

Pricing: Free tier includes up to 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests per month. Paid plans offer higher usage and more features.

Codespaces

What it does: A cloud-based development environment that lets you instantly spin up a fully-configured VS Code instance directly in your browser.

Pricing: Starts at $0.18 per hour of compute and $0.07 per GB of storage, based on your usage.

Large File Storage (LFS)

What it does: A solution for versioning large files like videos, images, and data-heavy assets in Git repositories.

Pricing: $5 per month for 50 GB bandwidth and 50 GB storage, with additional tiers available.

GitHub Advanced Security (Enterprise-Only Add-On)

What it does: A suite of powerful security tools that help you identify vulnerabilities and secrets in your code before they become a problem.

Pricing: $49 per month per active committer.

How to Choose the Right Plan

Choosing the right GitHub plan depends on your team’s size, project complexity, and security needs. While the Free Plan offers solid functionality for individuals and small projects, larger teams may need the advanced collaboration and automation features of the Team or Enterprise Plans.

Start small and scale as your team’s requirements evolve. GitHub makes it easy to upgrade between plans as you grow.

Conclusion

GitHub’s pricing structure is flexible enough to support individual developers, small teams, and large enterprises. By understanding the differences between each plan, you can choose the right option without overpaying or underestimating your requirements.

If you need help choosing a GitHub plan or with your software development projects, Emergent Software is here to help! Reach out today to see how we can help you meet your goals.

TL;DR

GitHub offers flexible pricing for individuals, small teams, and large organizations. Pick the plan that matches your collaboration, automation, and security needs.

• Free Plan — $0 / month
  Ideal for individuals or small projects. Includes unlimited public & private repositories, 2,000 CI/CD minutes, and 500MB Packages storage.
• Team Plan — $4 / user / month
  Best for growing teams. Adds features like protected branches, code owners, required reviewers, and 3,000 CI/CD minutes for private repos.
• Enterprise Plan — starts at $21 / user / month
  Designed for large organizations and regulated industries. Includes advanced auditing, SAML single sign-on, enterprise support, and enhanced security & compliance tools.

Add-ons

Notable extras: GitHub Copilot (AI coding assistant), Codespaces (cloud dev environments), Large File Storage (LFS), and GitHub Advanced Security (enterprise-only).

Quick recommendation

Start with the Free Plan while experimenting or for small teams. Upgrade to Team as collaboration and CI/CD needs grow. Move to Enterprise when you need enterprise-grade security, compliance, or centralized governance.

FAQs

1. How much does GitHub cost?

GitHub’s pricing ranges from $0 for the Free Plan to $21 per user per month for the Enterprise Plan, with optional add-ons for advanced security, AI assistance, and cloud-based development environments.
The Free Plan is ideal for individuals or small teams getting started with version control, offering unlimited repositories, basic CI/CD minutes, and essential collaboration tools.

The Team Plan, at $4 per user per month, introduces features like branch protection, required reviewers, and enhanced CI/CD capacity, making it a practical choice for growing teams that rely on consistent collaboration and automated testing.

For larger organizations, the Enterprise Plan starts at $21 per user per month and includes enterprise-grade features such as SAML single sign-on, advanced auditing, and dedicated support. Custom pricing may apply depending on the scale and compliance requirements of your business.

In short, GitHub’s pricing is designed to scale with your organization — you pay only for the features and support level you actually need.

2. Is GitHub free or paid?

GitHub offers both free and paid plans, ensuring flexibility for a wide range of users. The Free Plan gives individuals and small teams access to essential development tools like repositories, issue tracking, and CI/CD for public projects. It’s perfect for hobbyists, open-source contributors, or startups with basic needs.

For businesses or teams that rely on more robust workflows, the Team and Enterprise Plans provide enhanced features such as larger storage capacity, more CI/CD minutes, advanced permissions, and in-depth security and compliance tools.

This tiered structure allows developers to start at no cost and seamlessly transition to paid plans as their project or organization grows — without needing to migrate data or change workflows.

3. Is GitHub Pro a one-time purchase?

No, GitHub Pro (which has been integrated into the Team Plan) is not a one-time purchase. Instead, it’s offered on a subscription basis, billed monthly or annually. The current rate is $4 per user per month, with discounts often available for annual billing.

This subscription model ensures that developers always have access to the most up-to-date features, security improvements, and platform integrations. Unlike perpetual licenses, a subscription allows GitHub to continuously enhance its product and provide new capabilities as part of the ongoing service.

If you’re managing a growing team or working on complex projects that require structured reviews and controlled access, the Team Plan — which replaces GitHub Pro — is the most cost-effective and scalable option.

4. Does GitHub offer discounts for nonprofits or educational institutions?

Yes. GitHub actively supports the global tech community by offering free or discounted access to premium features for verified nonprofits and educational institutions.

Through the GitHub Education program, students and educators can access the GitHub Team plan for free, which includes collaboration tools, private repositories, and CI/CD minutes — all aimed at supporting learning and academic projects.

For nonprofits, GitHub’s GitHub for Good initiative provides discounted or complimentary access to certain paid plans, depending on the organization’s size, mission, and verification status.

These programs reflect GitHub’s commitment to empowering education, open source, and social good initiatives without financial barriers. Interested organizations can apply directly through GitHub’s website for eligibility verification.

5. What happens if I exceed my storage or CI/CD limits?

If you exceed your plan’s storage or CI/CD minute limits, GitHub will alert you and may charge for additional usage based on your subscription type. Both the Team and Enterprise Plans allow users to purchase extra storage or CI/CD minutes directly through their account settings, making it easy to scale without disrupting operations.

For teams that consistently exceed their limits, upgrading to a higher plan tier is often more cost-effective in the long term. The Enterprise Plan, in particular, offers flexible resource management, allowing administrators to allocate storage and compute time across multiple repositories or departments.

Monitoring usage regularly through GitHub’s built-in analytics and billing dashboard can help prevent overages and ensure your team’s resources are used efficiently.

6. Does GitHub offer refunds?

In most cases, GitHub does not provide refunds for unused time, canceled subscriptions, or mid-cycle downgrades. All plans are billed either monthly or annually, and once payment has been processed, the account retains access to the paid features for the remainder of that billing period.

However, if you experience billing errors, duplicate charges, or technical issues related to payment processing, GitHub’s support team can review and resolve the issue on a case-by-case basis. Refunds may be issued in exceptional circumstances at GitHub’s discretion.

It’s always best to review your billing details and usage regularly to ensure that your plan aligns with your needs and to avoid unnecessary charges. For organizations on annual contracts or custom enterprise agreements, refund and cancellation terms may vary.