Is GitHub Free? What GitHub Free Includes (and What Private Repos Miss)

GitHub isn't only for developers any more. Plenty of business owners end up there because a freelancer stores their website code on it, or because they want somewhere safe to keep scripts and documentation. The good news is you don't need a plan to do any of that. The catch is in the difference between public and private repositories, and that's where most people get confused.

What GitHub Free gives a personal account

GitHub's own plans page lists these for GitHub Free on a personal account:

• Unlimited public and private repositories, with unlimited collaborators.
• 2,000 GitHub Actions minutes a month for automation on private repositories.
• 500 MB of GitHub Packages storage.
• 120 GitHub Codespaces core hours and 15 GB of Codespaces storage a month.
• GitHub Pages, but only in public repositories.
• Dependabot alerts and community support.

GitHub Free vs GitHub Pro at a glance

Feature	GitHub Free	GitHub Pro
Public and private repositories	Unlimited	Unlimited
Actions minutes a month	2,000	3,000
Packages storage	500 MB	2 GB
Codespaces core hours a month	120	180
Codespaces storage a month	15 GB	20 GB
Protected branches in private repos	No	Yes
Wikis and Pages in private repos	No	Yes
Support	Community	Email

The private repository catch

Here's the bit people miss. GitHub says Free gives you a full feature set on public repositories but a limited one on private repositories. The tools GitHub only adds to private repositories on Pro include required pull request reviewers, protected branches, code owners, wikis, GitHub Pages and the repository insights graphs.

So if you keep your website code in a private repository and want a freelancer's changes reviewed before they go live, Free won't let you enforce that with a protected branch. And if you were hoping to host a simple site with GitHub Pages straight from a private repository, you'll need Pro for that too.

How the free Actions and Codespaces minutes work

GitHub Actions usage is free on public repositories using standard GitHub-hosted runners, and on self-hosted runners. The 2,000 monthly minutes only come into play for private repositories, and GitHub says the included minutes work with standard runners only.

Codespaces, GitHub's cloud coding environment, is measured in core hours. GitHub's plans page explains that 120 core hours gets you about 60 hours on a 2-core machine, or 30 hours on a 4-core machine. It also notes that these free hours belong to personal accounts, not to free organisations, so a team set up as an organisation won't get them.

Is GitHub Copilot free too?

There's a free route into Copilot as well. GitHub's plans page says you can get started for free with up to 2,000 completions a month. That's handy for trying AI help on small scripts, but it's a separate allowance from your repository plan. If you go down that road, my list of GitHub Copilot prompts gives you ready-made ideas to try.

Setting up a free GitHub account

1. Go to github.com and choose Sign up.
2. Pick a username, add your email address and create a password.
3. Verify your email address, then turn on two-factor authentication.
4. Create a new repository and choose Public or Private.
5. Invite collaborators from the repository settings if someone else needs access.

If you're setting up a team rather than just yourself, GitHub Free for organisations also exists. It keeps unlimited repositories and collaborators and includes 2,000 Actions minutes a month, though the Codespaces hours stay with personal accounts.

Who GitHub Free suits

GitHub Free suits solo founders, freelancers and small teams who want version control and a safe home for code and documents. It's also fine for open source work, because public repositories get the full feature set.

It's a weaker fit if you run a private codebase with several contributors and need rules about who can merge changes. That's exactly what the private repository limits hold back. If GitHub feels like overkill altogether, my round-up of GitHub alternatives covers simpler options.

What students and teachers can get

GitHub's plans page also points students and teachers to free access to extra developer tools through its education programme. If you're studying, it's worth checking before you pick a plan, because the education route goes further than standard GitHub Free.

Free organisations vs free personal accounts

It's worth deciding early whether your business code lives under your own personal account or under an organisation. GitHub Free for organisations keeps unlimited public and private repositories with unlimited collaborators, and includes 2,000 Actions minutes a month. What it doesn't get is the Codespaces allowance, because GitHub assigns those free hours to personal accounts rather than free organisations.

For most small businesses, an organisation is the tidier choice. When a freelancer leaves, you remove them from the organisation and the code stays with the business, not with someone's personal profile. You can still use your personal account's Codespaces hours for your own work.

What happens if you go over the free limits

The limits are measured each month, so the Actions minutes and Codespaces hours refresh. GitHub's plans page notes that Codespaces usage beyond the included hours is measured by compute and storage, so keep an eye on your usage page if you start running cloud environments regularly. Public repository Actions don't touch your minutes at all, which is the easiest way to stay inside the free plan.

My verdict: GitHub is free and generous for most small businesses. Keep anything you're happy to share in public repositories to get every feature, and only think about Pro when you need protected branches, wikis or Pages on private code.

Frequently asked questions

Is GitHub free for private repositories?

Yes. GitHub Free includes unlimited private repositories with unlimited collaborators, but private repositories get a limited feature set compared with public ones.

How many GitHub Actions minutes do you get for free?

GitHub Free includes 2,000 Actions minutes a month for private repositories. Actions on public repositories with standard GitHub-hosted runners don't use those minutes.

Can I use GitHub Pages for free?

Yes, in public repositories. Using GitHub Pages from a private repository needs GitHub Pro or a higher plan.

Does GitHub Free include Codespaces?

Yes. Personal accounts on GitHub Free get 120 Codespaces core hours and 15 GB of Codespaces storage a month. Free organisations don't get those hours.

Is GitHub Copilot free?

There's a free starting point. GitHub says you can get started for free with up to 2,000 completions a month.

Can I keep business code private on GitHub Free?

Yes. GitHub Free includes unlimited private repositories. You just don't get tools such as protected branches, code owners and wikis on private repositories without Pro.

Do free GitHub organisations get Codespaces hours?

No. GitHub says the free Codespaces hours are assigned to personal accounts rather than free organisations.