Github, a techie's favorite software for hosting, has unveiled that its core features will now be free to all users. The platform, which hosts over 40 million users, will allow free account holders to enjoy the benefits of its core features. The company has done away with its Pro tier and divided the features between the free and team accounts.

What did the previous Github free account include?

In the past, users of the free plan could enjoy unlimited repositories, three collaborators in a private repository, and 2000 Github Action minutes per month. Furthermore, users would receive 500 megabytes of storage and automated security updates.

Which features are the same?

As was the case previously, the Github core for free account will give you access to unlimited repositories. The free account will continue to give you access to 2000 minutes of Github Actions. Github Actions, allow users to automate their workflow. From the Github platform, one can conceptualize, develop and deploy code. Users will also still receive 500 MB of storage.

Which features are different?

The two features which are an upgrade from the previous free account are unlimited collaborators and community support. In the past free accounts only enabled users to add three collaborators within a private repository. This allows for more efficiency on projects, especially where you have more than three collaborators.

What doesn't the Github core account include?

Whilst the core account offers users a variety of exciting features there are still some things which you will need to upgrade to use. Two such features are code owners and enterprise features. There is still good news if you need to have these features, as the monthly cost per user for code owners has been reduced by $5 to a measly $4. The Enterprise plan will run you $21 a user per month. Unlike the previous free account in days gone by, you will no longer receive any automated security updates.

Major GitHub Changes -- Teams Now Free, Prices Halved!

Edging ahead of the competition GitLab

The team over at Github confirmed that these plans have been in the pipeline for over a year and a half. The move to extend the free account features is a small part of their plan to notch up 100 million users by 2025. But, they may leapfrog their competitors in the meantime. Their biggest competitors Atlassian Bitbucket and Gitlab’s, free offerings now seem bland in comparison to that of Github.

Over the years Github has evolved its product offering to entice more developers to make it their platform of choice. The recent announcement about their service being free for teams highlights the company's shift in its revenue model.

Initially, Github focused on a pay-for-privacy model, but now they are working on a pay-for-features model. CEO Nat Friedman believes that the move to implement these changes was less about competitive advantage and more about giving users what they are asking for.

If you are starting a tech startup, you can create a free account on Github and get to work. No need to register a credit card, just sign up and start building. With easier access and no costs, Github is on the way to its goal of having every developer on the planet use their platform.