GitHub vs Bitbucket

by Gralio Feb 27, 2025

GitHub and Bitbucket are both strong version control platforms. GitHub excels with its open-source community and ease of use, while Bitbucket shines through its Atlassian integrations and project management capabilities. The best choice depends on your team's existing tools and priorities.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 6767 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 day, 14 hours, 5 minutes of reading.

GitHub

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Bitbucket

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About

GitHub is a website and cloud-based service that helps developers store and manage their code. It's like Google Docs for software development, where teams can work together on projects, track changes, and prevent errors. GitHub is known for its user-friendly interface and is used by companies of all sizes to build and maintain software.

Bitbucket is a tool that helps software development teams manage their code and work together better. It allows teams to track changes to code, review each other's work, and identify and fix bugs early on. Bitbucket also integrates with other tools, such as Jira, to streamline the development process from start to finish. While especially useful for software teams, its collaborative features can benefit any team working with code, regardless of company size.

Summary

Main difference

GitHub is a widely used platform known for its massive open-source community and user-friendly interface, making it ideal for open-source projects and individual developers. Bitbucket, on the other hand, seamlessly integrates with other Atlassian tools like Jira and Trello, making it a better choice for teams already invested in the Atlassian ecosystem and prioritizing project management.

Relative strengths of GitHub (compared to Bitbucket)

Larger open-source community and ecosystem.
User-friendly interface, especially for beginners.
Excellent GitHub Actions for CI/CD.

Relative weaknesses of GitHub (compared to Bitbucket)

Limited integration with project management tools.
Can be expensive for private repositories.
Steeper learning curve for advanced features.

What companies are using GitHub and Bitbucket?

No data

Who should use GitHub VS. Bitbucket

GitHub is a powerful platform ideal for developers and teams seeking robust version control and seamless collaboration. Users praise its user-friendly interface and extensive open-source community. However, some find the learning curve steep and merge conflict management challenging. Despite occasional performance issues, GitHub remains a popular choice for code management.

Bitbucket is a collaborative code management tool ideal for software development teams of all sizes. Users praise its seamless integration with other Atlassian tools and efficient code review workflows. However, some find the interface confusing and dislike the limited repository size in the free version. It excels in version control and Git integration.

Ideal for teams of all sizes, from individual developers to large enterprises.
Best for software, IT, and telecommunications companies; suitable for education.

Ideal for small to large businesses, Bitbucket excels at supporting teams of all sizes.
Highly suited for software development teams, but its collaborative features benefit any team working with code.

GitHub and Bitbucket features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Static website hosting

Supported

GitHub Pages allows hosting static websites directly from repositories.

Supported

Bitbucket allows hosting one static website per workspace directly from repositories.
Integrate with other tools

Partially supported

GitHub integrates with Jira, but Bitbucket integration with Jira and Trello is not a GitHub feature.

Supported

Bitbucket integrates with Jira, Trello, and other Atlassian tools.
Git Integration

Supported

GitHub is built on top of Git, providing robust version control and collaboration features.

Supported

Bitbucket supports Git integration for version control and collaboration.
Public repositories

Supported

GitHub fully supports hosting and accessing public code repositories.

Supported

Bitbucket supports hosting and accessing public code repositories.
Code review tools

Supported

GitHub offers built-in code review tools within pull requests.

Supported

Bitbucket supports code review tools for reviewing and commenting on code changes within a repository.
Version control integration

Supported

GitHub fully supports Git version control.

Supported

Bitbucket fully supports Git version control and repository hosting.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

No data

-0.2

Neutral sentiment
Customer Service

No data

+0

Neutral sentiment
Ease of Use

No data

+0.6

Rather positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

No data

+0.13

Neutral sentiment
Ease of Implementation

No data

+0.71

Strongly positive sentiment
Scalability

No data

+0.38

Rather positive sentiment

GitHub and Bitbucket Pricing

GitHub offers a tiered pricing model based on features and usage for individuals and organizations. Three main plans are available: Free, Team, and Enterprise. Add-ons like GitHub Copilot, Codespaces, Large File Storage, and GitHub Advanced Security offer enhanced capabilities.

Plans

See full Pricing page

No data

User sentiment

Neutral

-0.2

See full Pricing page

GitHub and Bitbucket review insights

2266 reviews analysed from and

Users love

Excellent version control system.
Great for collaboration.
Useful GitHub Actions for CI/CD.
Extensive open-source community.
User-friendly interface (once learned).

Seamless integration with other Atlassian tools like Jira and Confluence.
Efficient branching model and pull request workflow.
Robust security features like Bitbucket keys for improved code protection.
User-friendly interface for managing code repositories and branches.

Users dislike

Difficult to manage merge conflicts in the UI.
Limited project management features.
Steep learning curve for new users.
High cost for private repositories.
Occasional slow performance.

Limited repository size restrictions in the free version can be problematic.
Occasional slow performance, especially with large repositories.
The user interface can be confusing, especially for new users.
The "baseline" or "merge" terminology is unclear and can be confusing.

GitHub and Bitbucket Ratings

G2

4.7/5

(2116)
Capterra

4.8/5

(2385)
Glassdoor

3.8/5

(392)

G2

4.4/5

(937)
Capterra

4.6/5

(1329)

Company health

Employee growth

21% increase in the last year

No data

Web traffic

5% decrease in the last quarter

No data

Financing

August 2015 - $350M

No data

How do Bitbucket's Jira integrations compare to GitHub's project management features?

Bitbucket's Jira integration provides a deeper connection to project management compared to GitHub's built-in project management features. While GitHub offers basic project boards, Bitbucket's seamless integration with Jira allows for more robust tracking of issues, bugs, and project progress directly within the development workflow. This tighter integration facilitates better communication between development and project management teams.

Which product's UI is easier for new users to learn, GitHub or Bitbucket?

Bitbucket's UI is generally considered easier for new users to learn compared to GitHub. While GitHub has a user-friendly interface once learned, it has a steeper initial learning curve. Bitbucket's UI, while occasionally confusing due to terminology like "baseline" or "merge", is generally praised for its ease of use in managing repositories and branches.

What are the advantages of GitHub?

GitHub's advantages include a larger open-source community, making it easier to find and contribute to projects, and a wider adoption across various company sizes. Users specifically praise GitHub Actions for CI/CD and its user-friendly interface (once learned). GitHub also offers static website hosting with GitHub Pages.

What are the disadvantages of GitHub?

GitHub's disadvantages include a steep learning curve for new users, difficulty managing merge conflicts within the user interface, limited project management features, and potentially high costs for private repositories. Some users also report occasional slow performance.

Alternatives to GitHub and Bitbucket

GitLab

GitLab is an all-in-one platform designed to help software development teams work together and build software faster. It streamlines the entire process, from planning and coding to testing, security checks, and deployment. This means your teams can focus on building great software without juggling multiple tools. GitLab is flexible and can be used in your own data center or in the cloud, making it adaptable to your company's needs.

YouTrack

YouTrack is a flexible project management tool by JetBrains, used by teams of all sizes and industries. It helps you manage projects, track tasks, and maintain a knowledge base all in one place. YouTrack is known for its customizable features, allowing you to tailor it to your specific workflow. It also offers agile boards, Gantt charts, reporting, and dashboards for comprehensive project oversight.

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is a comprehensive software solution designed to automate IT tasks and processes within your company. It excels in automating repetitive tasks like software installation, server configuration, and cybersecurity updates, freeing up your IT team for more strategic work. It's particularly useful for managing complex IT environments, ensuring consistency and reducing the risk of human error. While built on open-source technology, Red Hat provides a commercially supported version with additional features, security, and support crucial for businesses.

Torus

Torus is a developer platform with a suite of tools designed to help software development teams improve their coding, security, and collaboration. It features AI-assisted coding to increase speed, vulnerability detection to improve security, and project management functions to enhance teamwork. Torus is utilized by individual developers and large organizations worldwide.

Azure DevOps Server

Azure DevOps Server is a comprehensive, on-premises toolset designed to streamline software development. It enables your teams to manage code, track work progress, and automate software releases. With built-in features for version control, code reviews, continuous integration, and continuous delivery, it offers a centralized platform for managing your entire software development lifecycle. Geared towards enterprise-level needs, it seamlessly integrates with popular development tools.

Gerrit

Gerrit is a tool that helps software developers review each other's code before it becomes part of a software product. Accessed through a web browser, Gerrit integrates with the popular Git version control system, making it easy for teams to discuss proposed changes, track revisions, and manage who has permission to modify code. This helps teams improve code quality and reduce errors.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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