GitHub vs GitLab: Market Share & Adoption Data (August 2026)

GitHub logoGitHub#7 by adoption#8 by spend
GitLab logoGitLab#192 by adoption#42 by spend

GitHub holds 2.09% of SaaS market share by adoption (#7 overall); GitLab holds 0.07% (#192), and has held its rank over the last 12 months.

GitHub vs GitLab market share over time

Monthly market share by adoption and by spend, full history. Share is each product's percentage of all SaaS purchasing activity tracked in the dataset that month.

MonthGitHub adoption shareGitLab adoption shareGitHub spend shareGitLab spend share
Aug-20221.96%0.14%0.96%0.38%
Sep-20221.95%0.13%1.00%0.36%
Oct-20221.97%0.14%1.00%0.39%
Nov-20222.00%0.14%1.00%0.39%
Dec-20222.00%0.14%1.01%0.41%
Jan-20232.00%0.13%1.02%0.39%
Feb-20232.03%0.13%1.03%0.41%
Mar-20232.06%0.13%1.05%0.39%
Apr-20232.10%0.12%1.12%0.38%
May-20232.15%0.11%1.09%0.49%
Jun-20232.20%0.11%1.10%0.53%
Jul-20232.33%0.11%1.16%0.55%
Aug-20232.33%0.11%1.19%0.53%
Sep-20232.30%0.11%1.15%0.52%
Oct-20232.36%0.10%1.20%0.53%
Nov-20232.40%0.10%1.25%0.52%
Dec-20232.46%0.09%1.28%0.48%
Jan-20242.51%0.10%1.38%0.67%
Feb-20242.56%0.09%1.43%0.70%
Mar-20242.60%0.09%1.47%0.69%
Apr-20242.67%0.09%1.49%0.70%
May-20242.72%0.09%1.55%0.60%
Jun-20242.76%0.08%1.69%0.55%
Jul-20242.77%0.09%1.73%0.55%
Aug-20242.79%0.09%1.72%0.63%
Sep-20242.80%0.08%1.79%0.66%
Oct-20242.79%0.09%1.78%0.62%
Nov-20242.78%0.09%1.80%0.62%
Dec-20242.78%0.09%1.81%0.63%
Jan-20252.75%0.08%1.79%0.55%
Feb-20252.72%0.08%1.82%0.57%
Mar-20252.67%0.09%1.82%0.56%
Apr-20252.61%0.09%1.80%0.56%
May-20252.57%0.09%1.83%0.58%
Jun-20252.51%0.09%1.72%0.57%
Jul-20252.48%0.09%1.72%0.57%
Aug-20252.45%0.08%1.72%0.50%
Sep-20252.42%0.09%1.70%0.47%
Oct-20252.37%0.08%1.72%0.48%
Nov-20252.34%0.08%1.72%0.50%
Dec-20252.30%0.08%1.68%0.46%
Jan-20262.27%0.08%1.68%0.42%
Feb-20262.23%0.08%1.63%0.37%
Mar-20262.19%0.07%1.66%0.38%
Apr-20262.16%0.07%1.66%0.36%
May-20262.12%0.07%1.65%0.33%
Jun-20262.09%0.07%1.64%0.36%
Jul-20262.06%0.07%1.68%0.37%
Aug-20262.09%0.07%1.76%0.35%

Spend rank vs adoption rank

ProductRank by adoptionRank by spendAdoption shareSpend share12-mo rank change
GitHub#7#82.09%1.76%—
GitLab#192#420.07%0.35%—

GitHub ranks higher by adoption (#7) than by spend (#8) — it is widely adopted at a comparatively low price point.

GitLab ranks higher by spend (#42) than by adoption (#192) — customers pay more per company than its adoption rank suggests.

Do companies use GitHub and GitLab together?

55.8% of companies paying for GitLab also pay for GitHub.

Overlap is measured on companies with active paid subscriptions to both products — a high overlap means the two tools are often complements rather than strict substitutes.

What companies adopt after leaving GitHub

Among companies whose GitHub subscription lapsed in the last 90 days, these are the most-adopted tools in the same workflow, as a share of switchers:

  1. Anthropic — adopted by 100.0% of switchers
  2. Amazon Web Services — adopted by 76.9% of switchers
  3. Google Cloud — adopted by 69.2% of switchers

Which stack does each tool live in?

Tools most often found alongside GitHub

ToolCategoryOverlap with companies paying for GitHub
OpenAIAI Platforms & Model Ops78.5%
FigmaMarketing & Growth77.1%
AdobeMarketing & Growth72.8%
LinkedInPeople Ops & Talent70.3%
MicrosoftCollaboration & Productivity69.5%

Tools most often found alongside GitLab

ToolCategoryOverlap with companies paying for GitLab
SlackCollaboration & Productivity72.6%
Amazon Web ServicesEngineering & DevOps71.7%
AtlassianCollaboration & Productivity70.8%
OpenAIAI Platforms & Model Ops70.8%
FigmaMarketing & Growth69.9%

Analyst take: what the data says about GitHub vs GitLab

GitHub has the clearer adoption lead as of August 2026, ranking #7 overall compared with GitLab at #192. Their adoption ranks have moved at the same pace over the past year. By spend, GitHub ranks higher (#8 versus #42), which shows where more of the measured software budget currently sits. The switching signal adds useful context: after leaving GitHub, some companies adopted Anthropic or Amazon Web Services. The practical takeaway is to separate market position from product fit: the rankings show which tool is more established and where buying momentum is moving, but they do not measure features, price, or quality. Use those signals to build a shortlist, then decide against your own workflows and requirements.

GitHub and GitLab at a glance

GitHub: GitHub provides hosting for software development version control using Git.

GitLab: GitLab is a web-based DevOps lifecycle tool that provides a Git-repository manager providing wiki, issue-tracking and CI/CD pipeline features.

ProductCategorySubcategoryPrimary teamAI classification
GitHubEngineering & DevOpsDev ToolsEngineeringAI-Embedded
GitLabEngineering & DevOpsDev ToolsEngineeringAI-Embedded

GitHub vs GitLab: frequently asked questions

Which is more popular, GitHub or GitLab?

GitHub is more widely adopted in this data as of August 2026. It ranks #7 overall, while GitLab ranks #192. This measures observed software adoption, not product quality or suitability for a particular company.

Which is growing faster, GitHub or GitLab?

GitHub has held its rank over the last 12 months, while GitLab held its rank. This is a change in relative adoption rank; it does not prove that companies are leaving one product for the other.

Can you use GitHub and GitLab together?

Yes. In the measured data, 55.8% of companies paying for GitLab also pay for GitHub. That shows the products can coexist, although the data does not explain why a company uses both or whether they serve the same workflow.

Which is bigger by spend, GitHub or GitLab?

GitHub ranks higher by measured spend. GitHub is #8 and GitLab is #42. Spend rank shows where more of the observed software budget sits; it does not explain pricing or value.

Is GitHub better than GitLab for code hosting use cases?

This data cannot determine which product is better. It measures adoption, spend position, momentum, and—in some cases—overlap. Use those signals to understand market position, then compare the products against your own workflows, requirements, and budget.