Skip to content
Version control software · head to head

Azure DevOps vs GitHub

Sebastiaan Smits Editor Sebastiaan Smits · Published September 30, 2026 · Updated October 20, 2026

Both belong to Microsoft, so the choice is about shape, not vendor. Azure DevOps bundles repos, boards, pipelines, test plans and package feeds with Entra ID sign-on, at $6 a user after five free. GitHub is the default Git host with the largest ecosystem, Actions and Codespaces. Microsoft-stack teams on Azure pick Azure DevOps; most others pick GitHub.

Side by side

Azure DevOpsGitHub
What it isMicrosoft’s repos, boards and pipelines bundleThe default Git host, owned by Microsoft
Best for.NET and Microsoft-stack teams already on AzureTeams that want the biggest ecosystem and easiest hiring
HeadquartersUnited StatesUnited States
Pricing modelPer user / monthPer user / month
PricingBasic plan is $6 per user per month after 5 free users; Basic plus Test Plans is $52 per user per month, published.Free plan covers unlimited public and private repositories; Team is $4 per user per month and Enterprise starts at $21 per user per month, both shown as rates for the first 12 months, published.
Free optionFree planFree plan
List price
as listed on September 30, 2026		$6 per user per month (Basic), first 5 users free$4 per user per month for the first 12 months (Team); Free plan available
Place in our version control software ranking#9 of 15#6 of 15
Websiteazure.microsoft.comgithub.com

Both are reviewed in full in Best Version Control Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.

Which one to choose

Choose Azure DevOps if

your team builds on .NET and deploys to Azure, already signs in through Entra ID, and wants boards, pipelines and test management under one login at a low per-user price.

Azure DevOps, #9 in the ranking · Visit Azure DevOps →

Choose GitHub if

you want the host most engineers already know, the largest marketplace of ready-made Actions, and Codespaces and security scanning, and you have no particular tie to Azure.

GitHub, #6 in the ranking · Visit GitHub →

Where they differ

What single sign-on costs you

Azure DevOps organizations connect to Microsoft Entra ID for single sign-on and conditional access, and Basic is $6 per user per month after five free users. On GitHub, SAML SSO and the audit log appear only on Enterprise, listed from $21 per user per month for the first 12 months; Free and Team at $4 do not include them. For a team that needs those controls, Azure DevOps costs less.

Edge: Azure DevOps

Marketplace and hiring gravity

More engineers already have a GitHub account, more open source projects live there, and more third-party tools integrate with it than with any rival, which shows up as Actions you install instead of write. Azure DevOps's pull is narrower: deep ties to Azure and .NET. When onboarding speed for new hires and breadth of integrations matter most, GitHub wins.

Edge: GitHub

Planning and testing in the same product

Azure DevOps ships Boards for work tracking, Test Plans for manual and exploratory testing, Artifacts package feeds and Pipelines next to Azure Repos, which offers Git and centralized TFVC. Test Plans is a jump to $52 per user that plain repo buyers rarely need. GitHub's plans center on pull requests, Actions, Codespaces, Dependabot and a package registry. For one-login work tracking and test management, Azure DevOps covers more.

Edge: Azure DevOps

Included CI minutes

Azure Pipelines includes one Microsoft-hosted parallel job with 1,800 minutes a month, with extra hosted jobs at $40 each, plus one free self-hosted job. GitHub includes 2,000 Actions minutes a month on Free, 3,000 on Team and 50,000 on Enterprise, and Actions are free for public repositories. For a small team leaning on hosted runners, GitHub's allowance goes further before the bill starts.

Edge: GitHub

Life outside the Microsoft stack

Azure Pipelines builds for any language and deploys to any cloud, and deploys into Azure resources with the least friction. Away from that stack its interface reads as more cluttered than GitHub's, and teams report it feels assembled from separate pieces. A team on another cloud or language stack gets little from the Azure ties and a cleaner experience on GitHub.

Edge: GitHub

Tally: Azure DevOps 2, GitHub 3, even 0.

When neither fits

A game studio or hardware team moving gigabytes of binary assets a day is poorly served by Git hosting, which is what both mainly sell. Perforce Helix Core is built for large binaries and very large checkouts, and Unity Version Control suits studios already building on Unity.

See Perforce P4 (Helix Core) and Unity Version Control among the 15 products in Best Version Control Software in 2026.

Questions and answers

Are Azure DevOps and GitHub both owned by Microsoft?

Yes. Azure DevOps is Microsoft's own bundle of repos, boards and pipelines, and GitHub has been a Microsoft subsidiary since the acquisition completed in October 2018. Both are run by a US company, so choosing between them does not change the jurisdiction question for your code.

Is Azure DevOps cheaper than GitHub?

It depends on what you need. GitHub's free plan covers public and private repositories and Team is listed at $4 per user per month for the first 12 months, below Azure DevOps Basic at $6 after five free users. Once SAML SSO and an audit log are required, GitHub Enterprise starts at $21 per user, well above Azure DevOps.

Do GitHub Enterprise customers have to pay for Azure DevOps as well?

Not always. Microsoft states that GitHub Enterprise Cloud customers who manage users with Entra ID can use Azure DevOps at no added cost, and Visual Studio subscribers get access that does not count against the five free users. Stakeholders can also view and track work items for free.

Can I move pipelines between Azure DevOps and GitHub easily?

Repository history moves quickly because Git carries it. Pipelines do not: a GitHub Actions workflow and an Azure Pipelines definition are different formats and must be rewritten by hand in either direction. Issues, review threads and webhooks also need rebuilding or importing.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on September 30, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.