GitHub vs Relay.app — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
GitHub starts at $4/mo. Relay.app starts at $38/mo. GitHub is $34/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Relay.app.
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- GitHub (Per Seat) — GitHub bills on a fixed plan from $4/mo, so the listed price is what you pay regardless of volume.
- Relay.app (Hybrid) — Relay.app is hybrid: a fixed subscription from $38/mo plus metered usage on top. Your real bill moves with volume, not seat count.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
The dominant developer platform (source control + code review + CI/CD + package registry), owned by Microsoft ($7.5B acquisition, 2018). Positioned as the alternative to GitLab and Bitbucket for the vast majority of open-source and enterprise software teams. Distinctive for its Copilot AI product ($10-$39/user/mo) that became Microsoft's fastest-growing AI SKU. Priced free (unlimited public + private repos) up to $21/user/mo Enterprise. Real cost bloat: GitHub Actions minutes and Copilot seats scale with team activity.
AI-native workflow automation platform — workflows can pause for human approval and use AI to draft any step. Pricing: Free (400 runs/mo), Pro $9/user/mo (5K runs), Team $59/mo (5 users, 20K runs), Enterprise custom. Positioned as the AI-native alternative to Zapier and Make for teams that want human-in-the-loop workflows.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | GitHub monthly | GitHub annual | Relay.app monthly | Relay.app annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | — / Professional | — | — | $38 | $19 |
| Teams | Team | $4 | $4 | $118 | $59 |
| Enterprise | Enterprise | $21 | $21 | Custom | Custom |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
GitHub is worth it if… GitHub is still the default Git host in 2026 for any team that wants industry-standard PR workflows, code review, CI/CD (Actions), and native Copilot AI. Free for public repos; Team is the entry paid tier, Enterprise for larger orgs.
Relay.app is worth it if… g. AI drafts a customer email, human reviews before sending.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — GitHub is per seat, Relay.app is hybrid.
Choose GitHub over Relay.app if…
Choose GitHub if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $4/mo).
- You match the profile GitHub is built for: still the default Git host in 2026 for any team that wants industry-standard PR workflows, code review, CI/CD (Actions), and native Copilot AI.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Relay.app if…
- You're fine with a base subscription plus metered usage on top (from $38/mo).
- You match the profile Relay.app is built for: Relay.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| GitHub | Relay.app | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $4/mo | $38/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Seat | Hybrid |
| Last verified | September 14, 2026 | September 20, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 20, 2026. Tracked daily.