What is our primary use case?
We use GitHub because we don't have any paid solutions, and GitHub is freeware. It's open to all, and there aren't big licensing fees, like with Jira or any other tool. Apart from that, because it's totally cloud based, we don't need any extensions, and our developers and DevOps are all in sync and are able to get help with their second branches. So, we are all using the same platform to manage our product.
It's a cloud solution.
How has it helped my organization?
It is easily accessible. Even if someone doesn't have the paid version of the GitHub license, the minimum license, they can still use it for themselves. Sometimes Jira extensions are only installed on a server on the client side, so you need a VPN connection to access that, but with GitHub access is based on your ID, so you can access it from anywhere.
While we are working from home because of the pandemic—and when we didn't have proper VPNs—it helped us assess all our defects, which are placed in GitHub very easily. We don't need to rush the VPN connection and then access all these things. It was really easy. It also has two-factor authentication, which helps us authenticate users very easily.
What is most valuable?
A great feature is being able to have different repositories and different kinds of projects in a single solution at a single time. It's just a click away. If I compare it with Jira, that's one of the best features.
What needs improvement?
The only thing I see missing in GitHub is that it isn't very user friendly for key personnel who don't have in-depth, technical knowledge. In Jira, there are many functions to upload our test cases, and in GitHub we can only do it manually. There are functions which can be used to upload different files, but that still requires some technical knowledge. A layman cannot do it. Someone has to be trained with all those artifacts.
In the next release, I would like to see more QA friendly features like extensions. In Jira, you can modify different extensions. GitHub doesn't have that. They have many standard features, but sometimes I feel that there is something that I need but it's missing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using GitHub for more than three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
GitHub is very stable. I have seen many different sections which are also easily accessible. For developing a product, you don't need to travel or do research work. In GitHub, there are many other repositories that are public. You can also navigate and see what others are doing if they have some public examples. It's like a type of overflow. You get many examples from this, and then by seeing those examples, you can directly implement that work and have a glimpse at other things.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scaling the solution is very easy.
In my organization, there are 130 people currently using GitHub. It has been used quite extensively because 130 guys are using it on a daily basis for checking their codes along with user stories.
We haven't needed anyone for maintenance of this solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Jira. When I was using Jira, I wasn't applying projects, so they were funding the project and using the Jira platform for managing their product. Currently in the project I'm on, we don't have a lot of funds for Jira, so we searched for the open source and found GitHub. We liked it because it was solving all of our queries. Whatever our needs were, we were able to accomplish them with GitHub.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup was very simple.
What about the implementation team?
There was no implementation strategy because GitHub is cloud based. It doesn't require any sort of deployment from our end. There was just a configuration that we needed to do to make it work with our code. There were simple sections which we needed to run, but our developers were able to collaborate easily.
We worked with our in-house team. There was no mediator between us.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If there are only 10 people using a particular repository, then GitHub is free. But if we increase the number of users, we need to pay the normal charge for GitHub.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 7 out of 10.
If someone is managing the product as well as doing the test management, they should go with GitHub. It's very easy to understand and track everything, and you can even see the different check-ins.
If someone is specifically going for a test management tool and they need the proper agile-based tools, they should go for Jira.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.