GitHub Issues vs Zenhub

GitHub Issues

• Software teams that already host their code on GitHub
• Open source projects taking bug reports and feature requests in public
• Developers who like to plan from the terminal or the keyboard

Zenhub

• Software teams that plan their work directly on GitHub issues
• Small teams: the free plan allows up to 50 users on 2 repositories
• Organizations that need project tooling deployed on their own servers

GitHub Issues

• Issues is not sold on its own: it is part of every GitHub plan, and paid plans are priced per user for the whole platform.
• Every issue lives in a repository, so planning across repositories and teams runs through GitHub Projects.
• A project is limited to 50 fields, counting built-in metadata and custom fields.
• SAML single sign-on, SCIM provisioning and self-hosted Enterprise Server need the Enterprise plan, from $21 per user / month.

Zenhub

• Zenhub works on top of GitHub: setting up means linking a GitHub organization, and boards are made of GitHub issues.
• The Free plan is limited to 1 workspace, 2 connected repositories and 250 issues.
• Teams stops at 50 users, 50 repositories and 5,000 issues; workspace automations, advanced reporting and Figma, Loom and Miro integrations are Enterprise only.
• No native mobile app is listed: the FAQ says the web app also works in mobile browsers, and the extension supports Chrome and Firefox.

GitHub Issues

Issues and sub-issues

Issues track bugs, features and ideas. Sub-issues break larger work into a hierarchy with progress indicators, and dependencies mark which issues block others.

Tables, boards and roadmaps

GitHub Projects shows issues and pull requests as a table, a kanban board or a timeline-style roadmap, with saved views that filter, sort, slice and group.

Custom fields and iterations

A project takes up to 50 fields, including date, number, single-select and text fields and an iteration field for planning work week by week.

Built-in automations

Built-in workflows set fields, archive items and add issues from a repository automatically. The GraphQL API and GitHub Actions allow further automation.

Insights and charts

Current and historical charts are built from the items in a project, including a default burn-up chart that shows completed work against what is left.

Mobile, CLI and keyboard access

Issues can be created and managed in the iOS and Android apps and from the GitHub CLI, and every mouse action has a keyboard shortcut or command.

Zenhub

Boards built on GitHub issues

Zenhub syncs issues, pull requests and permissions from a connected GitHub organization and arranges them on Kanban boards that can span several repositories.

Extension for Chrome and Firefox

The browser extension places Zenhub's boards, planning poker and automations inside GitHub's interface. The same workspace is also available as a separate web app.

Sprints, estimates and planning poker

Automated sprint planning, story estimates and planning poker are included on every plan, the free one included.

Roadmaps and work hierarchy

Real-time roadmaps sit on every plan, and work can be nested as objectives, projects, epics, tasks and sub-tasks that stay in step with GitHub.

Agile reports

Basic sprint reports, a velocity report and sprint insights come with every plan. Advanced reporting and GitHub insights are reserved for Enterprise.

Zenhub AI

Teams adds AI suggested labels and AI sprint reviews. AI-written acceptance criteria are listed for Enterprise only.

GitHub Issues

• Free$0

  GitHub plan for individuals and organizations. Includes Issues and Projects, unlimited public and private repositories and community support.

• Team$4

  per user / month

  GitHub plan that adds repository rules, required reviewers, code owners, 3,000 CI/CD minutes a month and web-based support. Includes Issues and Projects.

• Enterprise$21

  per user / month, starting price

  Adds SAML single sign-on, SCIM provisioning, enterprise accounts, data residency and the self-hosted Enterprise Server option.

Zenhub

• Free$0

  Up to 50 users, 1 workspace, 2 connected repositories and 250 issues, with the GitHub extension, sprints, planning poker, roadmaps and velocity reports.

• Teams$4.99

  per user / month, billed yearly ($7.50 billed monthly)

  Up to 10 workspaces, 50 users, 50 repositories and 5,000 issues, adding AI suggested labels, AI sprint reviews and private workspaces.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Unlimited users, repositories and issues, up to 10 GitHub organizations, workspace automations, advanced reporting, priority support and a self-hosted option.

GitHub Issues

• Nonprofit

  Free Team plan for verified nonprofits

  GitHub for Nonprofits gives verified 501(c)(3) or equivalent organizations a free GitHub Team plan with unlimited users, or 25% off GitHub Enterprise Cloud.

• Startups

  $10,000 in credits for eligible startups

  GitHub for Startups gives partner-affiliated startups with outside funding up to Series B, and new to GitHub Enterprise, $10,000 in credits valid for up to 12 months.

• Education

  Free developer tools for students and teachers

  GitHub's pricing page says students and teachers get free access to developer tools through GitHub Education, for the school year and beyond.

Zenhub

• Annual discount

  33% off with annual payment

  Teams is $4.99 per user / month billed yearly against $7.50 billed monthly. Zenhub's FAQ describes this as 4 months free, or 33% off.