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GitHub vs GitLab

Side-by-side comparison of licensing terms between GitHub and GitLab.

License Comparison

Hover or tap any field name to see what it means. Highlighted rows indicate differences.

GitHub:
GitLab:
G
GitHub
Free
Visit Platform
G
GitLab
Free
Visit Platform
Price
Free
Free

Prices may vary by region and are subject to change.

Download
Yes
Yes
Commercial Use
Public and private repositories are available; no explicit restriction on commercial use of hosted code at the plan level.
Depends entirely on each repository's license. Same licensing model as GitHub - each project sets its own license.
Editing
Depends on the repository license. Most open-source licenses (MIT, Apache, GPL) allow modification. No license = no modification rights.
Depends on the repository license. Most open-source licenses allow modification.
Attribution
Nice to
Nice to
Exclusive Rights
No
No
Redistribution
Public repositories are accessible to anyone; no plan-level restriction on redistribution of code hosted.
Depends on the repository license. No license = no redistribution rights.
Print Use
Depends on repository license. Most open-source licenses do not restrict the medium of use.
Depends on repository license.
Digital Use
Depends on repository license. Most open-source licenses permit digital use.
Depends on repository license.
Client Work
Depends on repository license. MIT and Apache 2.0 allow client work. GPL may require your client to also open-source derivative works.
Depends on repository license. GPL may impose restrictions on client work.
Survives Cancellation
Forever
Forever
GitHub:

License depends on each individual repository. No license file means all rights reserved by default - you cannot legally use, modify, or distribute the code.

GitHub Copilot suggestions may include code from repositories with various licenses. Review suggestions carefully for license compliance.

GitLab:

License depends on each individual repository. No license file means all rights reserved by default.

GitLab's Duo AI features may generate code influenced by open-source repositories with various licenses.

Key Differences

Fields where these platforms differ

Commercial Use

GitHub:✓
GitLab:~Depends entirely on each repository's license. Same licensing model as GitHub - each project sets its own license.

Editing

GitHub:✓
GitLab:~Depends on the repository license. Most open-source licenses allow modification.

Redistribution

GitHub:✓
GitLab:~Depends on the repository license. No license = no redistribution rights.

Digital Use

GitHub:✓
GitLab:~Depends on repository license.

Client Work

GitHub:✓
GitLab:~Depends on repository license. GPL may impose restrictions on client work.

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Informational Only - Not Legal Advice

LicenseOrg provides informational summaries of platform license terms for educational purposes only. This is not legal advice. Always consult the platform’s official license page and a qualified legal professional.

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