Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Git VS GitHub

Compare Git VS GitHub and see what are their differences

Git logo Git

Git is a free and open source version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. It is easy to learn and lightweight with lighting fast performance that outclasses competitors.

GitHub logo GitHub

Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.
  • Git Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-01
  • GitHub Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-05

Git

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Release Date
-

GitHub

Website
github.com
$ Details
Release Date
2008 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Chris Wanstrath
Employees
500 - 999

Git features and specs

  • Distributed Version Control
    Git is a distributed version control system, meaning every user has a complete local copy of the repository. This offers better redundancy and allows users to work offline.
  • Branching and Merging
    Git makes branching and merging processes simple and efficient, allowing users to try out new features, fix bugs, or experiment without affecting the main codebase.
  • Speed
    Git operates very quickly because most of its operations are performed locally, making it very swift in comparison to some other version control systems.
  • Flexibility
    It is highly flexible, supporting various workflows including centralized, feature-branch, Gitflow, and forking workflows.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source tool, it's free to use, and its source code can be reviewed and modified by anyone as needed.
  • Widely Supported
    Git is widely supported by many integrated development environments (IDEs) and collaborative platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket.
  • Security
    Git uses a mechanism of checksums to ensure data integrity, making it very resilient against changes, corruption, and unauthorized alterations.

Possible disadvantages of Git

  • Complexity for Beginners
    New users may find Git's command-line interface and concepts like branching, merging, and rebasing to be complex and difficult to learn.
  • Overhead of Local Repositories
    Since every user maintains a full copy of the repository, this could lead to higher local storage requirements compared to some other version control systems.
  • Learning Curve
    The initial setup and understanding of Git workflows can be challenging, and it requires users to spend some time learning the tool.
  • Potential for Misuse
    Powerful features like force push and interactive rebase can lead to significant issues if misused, including loss of history and data.
  • Merge Conflicts
    While merging is generally easy, complicated projects with many contributors might experience frequent and difficult-to-resolve merge conflicts.
  • Tool Fragmentation
    There are multiple tools and additional software built around Git (GUI clients, integrations, etc.), which can be overwhelming and fragmented for some users.

GitHub features and specs

  • collaboration
    GitHub provides a platform for multiple developers to work on the same project concurrently, facilitating collaboration through features like pull requests, code reviews, and issues tracking.
  • integration
    GitHub integrates seamlessly with various third-party tools and services, such as CI/CD pipelines, project management tools, and many development environments, enhancing productivity and workflow efficiency.
  • version_control
    Utilizes Git for version control, allowing users to track changes, revert to previous versions if necessary, and manage different branches of development, ensuring code stability and history tracking.
  • community
    With millions of developers and a vast repository of open-source projects, GitHub fosters a robust community where users can contribute to projects, seek help, share knowledge, and collaborate broadly.
  • availability
    GitHub is a cloud-based platform, which means that projects are accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, providing flexibility and convenience to developers globally.
  • documentation
    GitHub allows for comprehensive project documentation through README files, wikis, and GitHub Pages, making it easier for users to understand project context and contribute effectively.

Possible disadvantages of GitHub

  • cost
    While GitHub offers free plans, more advanced features and private repositories come at a cost, which might be a barrier for some individuals or small teams.
  • steep_learning_curve
    For newcomers, especially those unfamiliar with Git, the learning curve can be quite steep, making it challenging to utilize all of GitHub's features effectively.
  • privacy_concerns
    Given its expansive, open nature, users must be cautious with sensitive or proprietary information. Even with private repositories, there is a latent concern over data privacy and security.
  • interface_complexity
    The user interface, while powerful, can be overwhelming and complex for beginners or those not deeply familiar with version control concepts.
  • performance_issues
    Occasionally, GitHub may experience downtime or performance issues, which can disrupt workflow and prevent access to repositories temporarily.
  • limited_storage
    GitHub imposes limitations on storage space and file size within repositories, which can be restrictive for projects requiring large datasets or binaries.

Git videos

Full Git Tutorial (Part 6) - Pull Requests & Code Reviews

More videos:

  • Review - Learn Git In 15 Minutes
  • Tutorial - How to Review a Pull Request in GitHub the RIGHT Way

GitHub videos

How to do coding peer reviews with Github

More videos:

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Git and GitHub)
Git
38 38%
62% 62
Software Development
10 10%
90% 90
Code Collaboration
18 18%
82% 82
Git Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Git and GitHub

Git Reviews

Boost Development Productivity With These 14 Git Clients for Windows and Mac
GitUp is the open-source solution for a git repository and IDE interaction on macOS computers. The tool is based on a generic Git toolkit known as the GitUpKit. This toolkit is reusable, and hence you can build your own Git app based on GitUpKit.
Source: geekflare.com

GitHub Reviews

  1. Reinhard
    · Boss at CLOUD Meister ·
    perfect 4 open Source

Best Forums for Developers to Join in 2025
GitHub Discussions is a communication forum for the community around an open source or internal project. Discussions enable fluid, open conversation in a public forum. Discussions are transparent and accessible, but they are not related to code.
Source: www.notchup.com
The Top 10 GitHub Alternatives
However, like any (human) product, the platform has its limits, downsides, and critics. GitHub has been barred by certain governments, and even if that isn’t exactly the company’s fault, the users are the ones limited from pushing their code. Another criticism concerns the price tag: some users have pointed out that GitHub’s pricing model is too inflexible. Moreover, some...
Top 10 Developer Communities You Should Explore
GitHub also has an extensive API that allows it to integrate workflows seamlessly. Continuous integration, code review tools, and project management features make GitHub an essential tool for any developer, and the community aspect adds a layer of connectivity that enriches the overall experience.
Source: www.qodo.ai
Top 7 GitHub Alternatives You Should Know (2024)
FAQs: Are there any cloud source repositories similar to GitHub?Is there a free alternative to GitHub?
Source: snappify.com
Best GitHub Alternatives for Developers in 2023
We may earn from vendors via affiliate links or sponsorships. This might affect product placement on our site, but not the content of our reviews. See our Terms of Use for details. Looking for an alternative to GitHub? Check out our in-depth list of the best GitHub competitors, covering their features, pricing, pros, cons, and more.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GitHub should be more popular than Git. It has been mentiond 2249 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Git mentions (273)

  • Most Effective Approaches for Debugging Applications
    When a bug disrupts a production environment, reverting to a known working state can minimize user impact and provide a stable baseline for investigation. Version control systems like Git or GitHub enable precise rollbacks, preserving the ability to analyze faulty code. A 2022 JetBrains survey found that 92% of developers use Git, with 65% citing rollbacks as a key benefit for debugging. - Source: dev.to / 5 days ago
  • Building multi-agent systems with LangGraph or CrewAI
    Git to clone repositories and manage your project. - Source: dev.to / 22 days ago
  • Git Basics and Version Control
    You can download and install Git from the official website: https://git-scm.com. - Source: dev.to / 23 days ago
  • Automatically generate changelogs with git
    One of the rather tedious tasks of a developer is to generate changelogs. I cannot imagine that anybody enjoys going through the project history and try to reverse engineer what has happened since the last release. But the good news is that with a bit of discipline it is quite straightforward to generate those changelogs from your version control history. The examples in this blog post will use git, but I guess... - Source: dev.to / 29 days ago
  • Set Up An E-Commerce Backend With Medusa In Just A Few Minutes
    Git: Git is required to clone repositories and manage your project versioning. Install Git from git-scm.com. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
View more

GitHub mentions (2249)

  • 🔐How to Fix GitHub Authentication Failed: Switch from Password to Token or SSH
    Fatal: HttpRequestException encountered. An error occurred while sending the request. Username for 'https://github.com': abcd Remote: Support for password authentication was removed on August 13, 2021. Fatal: Authentication failed for 'https://github.com/test/cr/. - Source: dev.to / about 21 hours ago
  • How to Create Your Free Landing Page
    Step 1. Go to GitHub and create an account if you don’t have one. - Source: dev.to / about 23 hours ago
  • Uploading to GitHub Pages: A Step-by-Step Guide
    A GitHub account (create one at https://github.com/ if you don't have one). - Source: dev.to / 2 days ago
  • Day 2 Advance git commands
    Create a repository on GitHub Go to https://github.com. - Source: dev.to / 4 days ago
  • Most Effective Approaches for Debugging Applications
    When a bug disrupts a production environment, reverting to a known working state can minimize user impact and provide a stable baseline for investigation. Version control systems like Git or GitHub enable precise rollbacks, preserving the ability to analyze faulty code. A 2022 JetBrains survey found that 92% of developers use Git, with 65% citing rollbacks as a key benefit for debugging. - Source: dev.to / 5 days ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Git and GitHub, you can also consider the following products

Mercurial SCM - Mercurial is a free, distributed source control management tool.

GitLab - Create, review and deploy code together with GitLab open source git repo management software | GitLab

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

BitBucket - Bitbucket is a free code hosting site for Mercurial and Git. Manage your development with a hosted wiki, issue tracker and source code.

GitHub Desktop - GitHub Desktop is a seamless way to contribute to projects on GitHub and GitHub Enterprise.

Cryptlex - Cryptlex is an IT Management software, designed to help you maximize the revenue potential of your software by protecting you against software piracy.