Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Plastic SCM VS GitHub

Compare Plastic SCM VS GitHub and see what are their differences

Plastic SCM logo Plastic SCM

Plastic SCM is a cross-platform commercial distributed version control tool.

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.
  • Plastic SCM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-05
  • GitHub Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-05

GitHub

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

Plastic SCM features and specs

  • Scalability
    Plastic SCM is designed to handle large projects with extensive histories and large binary files efficiently, making it suitable for enterprises and large development teams.
  • Branching and Merging
    Offers advanced branching and merging capabilities, including visualization tools that make it easier for developers to manage complex branches and understand changes over time.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Supports multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, which allows teams using diverse platforms to collaborate seamlessly.
  • GUI Tools
    Provides intuitive and powerful graphical user interfaces, which make it easier for users to interact with the system and manage repositories without deep command-line knowledge.
  • Large File Handling
    Plastic SCM is optimized for handling large binary files, which is often a limitation with other version control systems like Git.
  • Integrations
    Supports integrations with popular tools such as Unity, Jenkins, and JIRA, enabling smoother workflows in development environments.

Possible disadvantages of Plastic SCM

  • Learning Curve
    Users who are accustomed to Git or other systems may find it challenging to adapt to Plastic SCM’s unique interfaces and workflows.
  • Cost
    Plastic SCM is a commercial product, and its licensing fees can be prohibitive for small teams or hobby projects when compared to free options like Git.
  • Limited Community Support
    Compared to more widespread systems like Git, the community around Plastic SCM is smaller, which can lead to fewer third-party resources, plugins, and community-driven support options.
  • Non-Standard Command Line Interface
    The command line interface is not standard, which might be less convenient for developers used to standard Git commands and operations.
  • Server Requirements
    Requires centralized server setups, which can introduce additional infrastructure complexity and costs for smaller teams.

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.

Analysis of GitHub

Overall verdict

  • GitHub is considered an excellent choice for developers and teams looking for a reliable and efficient platform for version control and collaboration. Its community support, extensive documentation, and innovative features make it a preferred choice in the software development community.

Why this product is good

  • GitHub is a widely used platform for version control and collaboration, popular among developers and teams for its robust features, ease of use, and integration capabilities. It allows for streamlined project management, code review, and continuous integration, enhancing productivity and collaborative workflows.

Recommended for

  • Individual developers working on personal projects
  • Software development teams in need of collaborative tools
  • Open-source project maintainers and contributors
  • Organizations looking for scalable version control solutions

Plastic SCM videos

Plastic SCM - The version control for Unity

More videos:

  • Review - What is Plastic SCM - a short intro to the key concepts
  • Review - Get started with Plastic SCM – from zero to merge hero

GitHub videos

How to do coding peer reviews with Github

More videos:

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Plastic SCM and GitHub)
Code Collaboration
3 3%
97% 97
Software Development
0 0%
100% 100
Git
5 5%
95% 95
Version Control
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 Plastic SCM and GitHub

Plastic SCM Reviews

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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 seems to be a lot more popular than Plastic SCM. While we know about 2268 links to GitHub, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Plastic SCM. 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.

Plastic SCM mentions (2)

  • Plastic SCM stuck on Step 1
    I decided to set up Plastic but I can't even get past step 1. I press login or Sign Up but it just opens a window saying "You correctly signed up to plasticscm.com!" I already have an organization set up as well as Dev Ops. I am not sure what to do now. Thanks in advance. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Best way to manage version control?
    I use http://plasticscm.com hosted in their cloud. A few bucks a month for a pretty good VCS capable of handling large files. Source: almost 3 years ago

GitHub mentions (2268)

  • How to Use GitHub Copilot for Free (Student Discount Guide)
    If you don’t have one already, go to https://github.com and sign up for a free account. Be sure to use your school-issued email address if you have one—it helps GitHub verify your student status faster. - Source: dev.to / 9 days ago
  • Proper setup for a MiniScript GitHub repo
    The most important thing you should do for any MiniScript-related project is to tag it (in the "About" info) with miniscript. This will cause your project to appear under the miniscript topics list: Https://github.com/topics/miniscript. - Source: dev.to / 10 days ago
  • Day 11 Deploy Vue 3, Svelte 5, and Angualr Applications to Github Pages
    Go to https://github.com///settings/pages and click the live site to verify it is running. - Source: dev.to / 10 days ago
  • 🚀 Deploy a Node.js App to AWS EC2 with GitHub Actions in 15 Minutes
    SSH into the server and clone your repo: Git clone https://github.com//.git Cd Npm install Node app.js # or your startup script Ensure it runs on port 3000. - Source: dev.to / 10 days ago
  • README driven development
    In open source and innersource projects, like the ones that you find on GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, the README document is the project's welcome page. It's the first thing people see when they search for a project. README documents describe what the project is, how you use it, and how you can add to it. If you want your project to be successful, your README document must give a good first impression. - Source: dev.to / 11 days ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

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.

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

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

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

Atlassian Bitbucket Server - Atlassian Bitbucket Server is a scalable collaborative Git solution.

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