Question 1

What does GitHub Free include and how much do paid plans cost?

Accepted Answer

GitHub Free includes unlimited public and private repositories, unlimited collaborators, 2,000 CI/CD minutes per month, and 500MB of storage. As of December 2024, GitHub Team costs $4 per user per month (promotional rate for first 12 months) and includes 3,000 CI/CD minutes, protected branches, and code owners. GitHub Enterprise starts at $21 per user per month and includes 50,000 CI/CD minutes, SAML SSO, advanced auditing, and SOC compliance reports. Free features include Dependabot alerts, security advisories, and two-factor authentication.

Question 2

How does GitHub compare to GitLab and Bitbucket for startups?

Accepted Answer

GitHub has the largest developer community with over 100 million developers and the strongest open-source ecosystem. As of December 2024, GitHub offers superior discoverability for open-source projects and the most extensive marketplace of integrations. GitLab provides a more comprehensive all-in-one DevOps platform with built-in CI/CD, security scanning, and project management in a single interface. Bitbucket offers deep integration with Atlassian tools like Jira and Confluence, making it ideal for teams already in that ecosystem. Most startups choose GitHub for community and visibility, GitLab for complete DevOps pipelines, or Bitbucket for Jira integration.

Question 3

How does GitHub Actions work and what are the free tier limits?

Accepted Answer

GitHub Actions provides built-in CI/CD that runs workflows directly from your repository. As of December 2024, the free tier includes 2,000 minutes per month for private repositories, while public repositories get unlimited free minutes. Linux runners cost $0.008/minute, Windows at $0.016/minute (2x multiplier), and macOS at $0.080/minute (10x multiplier). Self-hosted runners are completely free. The platform supports matrix builds, reusable workflows, and over 15,000 pre-built actions from the marketplace. Workflows are defined in YAML and can trigger on any GitHub event including pushes, pull requests, and scheduled cron jobs.

Question 4

What is GitHub Copilot and how much does it cost for startups?

Accepted Answer

GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer that suggests code completions and entire functions in real-time. As of December 2024, Copilot Free provides 2,000 code completions and 50 chat requests per month at no cost. Copilot Pro costs $10/month and includes unlimited completions, 300 premium requests, and access to Claude Sonnet and GPT-5 models. Copilot Business at $19/user/month adds IP indemnity, centralized management, and audit logs. Students, teachers, and verified open-source maintainers get Copilot Pro free. The tool integrates with VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Neovim, and Xcode.

Question 5

What security features does GitHub provide for protecting code?

Accepted Answer

GitHub includes comprehensive security features across all plans. As of December 2024, Dependabot automatically scans dependencies and creates pull requests to fix vulnerabilities at no cost. Secret scanning detects accidentally committed API keys and credentials in public repositories, with push protection blocking commits containing secrets. Code scanning using CodeQL analyzes code for security vulnerabilities and is free for public repositories. Advanced Security features including private repository secret scanning, custom patterns, and Copilot Autofix require GitHub Advanced Security at $49/committer/month (Code Security $30 + Secret Protection $19). All plans include two-factor authentication and audit logging.

Question 6

Does GitHub offer special programs or credits for startups?

Accepted Answer

Yes, GitHub for Startups provides significant benefits for early-stage companies. As of December 2024, qualifying startups receive 20 seats of GitHub Enterprise free for one year, worth over $5,000. The program also includes access to GitHub Advanced Security, Copilot Business, and premium support. Eligibility requires being a new company (less than 5 years old), having less than $10M in funding, and not being a current GitHub customer. Additionally, startups in accelerators like Y Combinator and Techstars often receive extended GitHub benefits through partner programs. Students can also get free access through the GitHub Student Developer Pack.

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