Compare GitHub Actions and GitLab CI free tiers side by side. GitHub Actions and GitLab CI are the two dominant CI/CD platforms, each tightly integrated with their respective Git hosting platforms.
Side-by-side comparison of free tiers, pricing changes, and stability. Catalogue dates here run to 2026-10-09.
Quick Verdict: GitHub Actions and GitLab CI are the two dominant CI/CD platforms, each tightly integrated with their respective Git hosting platforms. GitHub Actions offers more free minutes (2K vs 400/month for private repos); GitLab CI includes built-in container registry and security scanning.
400 compute minutes/month, 10 GiB storage, 5 users. New accounts limited to 3 top-level groups
Key Differences
Free minutes: GitHub Actions gives 2,000 min/month for private repos. GitLab CI gives only 400 compute minutes/month — 5x less.
Platform integration: Each is tightly coupled to its Git host. Migrating CI/CD means migrating your entire workflow (issues, PRs/MRs, code review).
Built-in features: GitLab includes container registry, security scanning (SAST/DAST), and package registry in the free tier. GitHub requires separate services or marketplace actions for these.
User limits: GitLab CI free tier is limited to 5 users and 3 top-level groups. GitHub Actions has no user limit on free plans.
Pricing Change History
GitHub Actions
postponedeffective 2026-01-01low impact
Self-hosted runner per-minute fee ($0.002/min) announced for March 2026 was postponed indefinitely after community backlash. Self-hosted runners remain free. Separately, hosted runner prices were reduced up to 39% (Jan 2026) Source ↗
GitLab CI
No recorded pricing changes for GitLab CI.
Our Recommendation
Choose GitHub Actions if your code lives on GitHub, you need more free build minutes, or you want access to the largest ecosystem of community actions.
Choose GitLab CI if you want an all-in-one DevOps platform with built-in security scanning and container registry, and your team is under 5 members.
Is GitHub Actions or GitLab CI better for free tier?
GitHub Actions and GitLab CI are the two dominant CI/CD platforms, each tightly integrated with their respective Git hosting platforms. GitHub Actions offers more free minutes (2K vs 400/month for private repos); GitLab CI includes built-in container registry and security scanning.
GitLab CI offers a Free plan: 400 compute minutes/month, 10 GiB storage, 5 users. New accounts limited to 3 top-level groups
Should I choose GitHub Actions or GitLab CI?
Choose GitHub Actions if your code lives on GitHub, you need more free build minutes, or you want access to the largest ecosystem of community actions. Choose GitLab CI if you want an all-in-one DevOps platform with built-in security scanning and container registry, and your team is under 5 members.