GitHub suits most developers and teams, especially open source projects: GitHub Free gives unlimited public and private repositories, unlimited collaborators on public ones and 2,000 Actions minutes a month. Bitbucket suits teams already on Jira and Confluence that want code, CI/CD and issue tracking connected inside Atlassian, and it's free forever for up to 5 users. If you use Jira heavily, Bitbucket fits; otherwise GitHub is the usual default.
Both host Git repositories and run CI/CD, so the real differences are free limits and which ecosystem you live in. I read GitHub Docs on GitHub's plans and Atlassian's Bitbucket product and plans pages.
GitHub and Bitbucket compared
| GitHub | Bitbucket | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | GitHub Free, unlimited repositories | Free forever for up to 5 users |
| Collaborators | Unlimited on public repositories | Members of your workspace |
| CI/CD | GitHub Actions, 2,000 minutes a month free | Bitbucket Pipelines, build minutes |
| Storage | 500 MB Packages storage on Free | 1 GB LFS plus 1 GB per repository |
| Extra free allowances | 120 Codespaces core hours a month | Build minutes and storage shared by the workspace |
| AI | Copilot | Rovo for search, review and pipeline triage |
| Larger plans | Pro, Team and Enterprise Cloud | Standard, Premium and Data Center |
How Bitbucket counts build minutes
Atlassian's plans page explains a rule that surprises teams moving from GitHub Actions: Bitbucket build minutes are counted by runner size. Its example is a 5-minute step on a 2x runner, which counts as 10 build minutes, and minutes and storage are shared across everyone in the workspace.
GitHub's free allowance is set per account in GitHub Docs: 2,000 Actions minutes a month on GitHub Free, 3,000 on GitHub Pro, plus 120 Codespaces core hours a month on Free.
Why teams pick GitHub
Open source lives on GitHub. GitHub Free covers unlimited collaborators on unlimited public repositories with the full feature set, unlimited private repositories with a limited feature set, Dependabot alerts, two-factor enforcement and GitHub Pages for public repositories. For hiring, community and integrations, that reach matters.
Why teams pick Bitbucket
The Atlassian connection is the case for Bitbucket. Code, pull requests and CI/CD sit next to Jira, with Rovo AI helping search code, review changes, triage pipelines and update Jira tickets. Standard and Premium plans add more, and Data Center gives a self-managed option for teams with strict hosting rules.
What to check before you move repositories
- Count the people who need access; Bitbucket Free stops at 5 users.
- Estimate CI minutes, remembering Bitbucket scales them by runner size.
- Check whether your work is tracked in Jira or GitHub Issues.
- Decide if any repositories will be public.
- Confirm which AI coding tools your team already uses.
New to version control? Start with my explainer on what Git is, then see my list of AI coding assistants that work with both.
AI help and what each free plan includes
Bitbucket's product page says Rovo brings AI-powered search, code review, pipeline triage and even Jira updates across the development lifecycle. GitHub Free, according to GitHub Docs, includes Dependabot alerts, deployment protection rules and GitHub Pages for public repositories, and two-factor authentication enforcement. You'll get a working free setup on either one. The gap shows up as your team and pipelines grow, and that's when you'll want to compare the paid plans line by line.
The third big code host is covered in my guide to whether GitLab is free.
My advice on GitHub or Bitbucket
If you're starting fresh, you're running open source projects or you'd like the largest developer community, use GitHub. If your company already runs on Jira and Confluence and your team is small, Bitbucket's free plan for 5 users keeps everything in one place. Check your CI minutes on both before you commit, because the counting rules differ.
Do you make developer or code hosting tools? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
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Frequently asked questions
Is GitHub or Bitbucket free?
Both have free plans. GitHub Free offers unlimited public and private repositories; Bitbucket Free is free forever for up to 5 users.
How many free CI minutes does GitHub give?
GitHub Docs list 2,000 GitHub Actions minutes per month on GitHub Free and 3,000 on GitHub Pro.
How does Bitbucket count build minutes?
By runner size. Atlassian's example: a 5-minute step on a 2x runner counts as 10 build minutes.
Does Bitbucket work with Jira?
Yes. Atlassian connects Bitbucket code and CI/CD to Jira, and Rovo AI can update Jira from pipeline and code activity.
Can I self-host Bitbucket?
Yes. Atlassian offers Bitbucket Data Center as its self-managed product.
Does GitHub Free allow private repositories?
Yes. GitHub Docs say GitHub Free includes unlimited private repositories with a limited feature set.
Which is better for open source projects?
GitHub. GitHub Free allows unlimited collaborators on unlimited public repositories with the full feature set.
How much storage does Bitbucket include?
Atlassian lists 1 GB of LFS file storage plus 1 GB of storage per repository, shared across the workspace.
