Yes, GitHub has a permanent free tier alongside its paid plans. The free plan includes 2,000 GitHub Actions CI/CD minutes per month and 500 MB of GitHub Packages storage. FreeTier.co estimates the free tier at about $2.00/mo.
About
GitHub is a developer platform for hosting code, collaborating on software projects, and managing the full software development lifecycle. It brings repositories, pull requests, issues, project planning, code review, automation, and security tools together in one place.
The platform also supports cloud-based development environments, AI-assisted coding, package hosting, and enterprise controls for teams that need scalable workflows and governance. It is widely used by individuals, open source communities, startups, and large organizations.
- Source code hosting with public and private repositories
- Collaboration tools for pull requests, issues, discussions, and projects
- Automation and delivery workflows through GitHub Actions and Codespaces
- Security capabilities including Dependabot, secret protection, and code security
- AI features such as GitHub Copilot and GitHub Models
Free Tier Value
This free tier is perpetual and usable without paying, but it is still capped on the paid-value items: 2,000 Actions minutes and 500 MB of Packages storage, while the core repository features are unlimited. Compared with the cheapest paid Team plan at $4 per user/month, it delivers roughly half the practical value, so about $2/month is a fair estimate.
What's included in the free tier
Verified
- Unlimited public and private repositories for hosting code.
- Dependabot security and version updates for vulnerable dependencies.
- 2,000 GitHub Actions CI/CD minutes per month.
- 500 MB of GitHub Packages storage.
- Issues and Projects for project management and tracking.
- Community support via the GitHub Community Forum.
See GitHub pricing for current limits.
Paid plans
Team
- CI/CD minutes/month
- 3,000
- Packages storage
- 2 GB
- Access to GitHub Codespaces
- Repository rules
- Multiple reviewers in pull requests
- Draft pull requests
- Code owners
- Required reviewers
- Pages and Wikis
- Environment deployment branches and secrets
Enterprise
- CI/CD minutes/month
- 50,000
- Packages storage
- 50 GB
- Data residency
- Enterprise Managed Users
- SCIM provisioning
- Enterprise Account
- Environment protection rules
- Repository rules
- Audit Log API
- SOC 1/SOC 2 Type 2 reports
Pricing extracted from GitHub's pricing page. Always verify current pricing before committing.
Common questions
Is GitHub free forever?
Yes. GitHub has a permanent free tier alongside its paid plans, though the allowance typically resets each month.
What happens when you exceed GitHub's free tier?
You move to a paid plan. GitHub's cheapest paid plan is Team at $4 / seat / month.
What is GitHub's free tier worth?
GitHub's free tier is worth about $2.00 per month. That maps to an FTV score of 40/100. The FTV score is explained at freetier.co/ftv.
