GitHub License Management: How IT and SAM Teams Reduce Costs and Risk

GitHub is the backbone of modern software development, powering everything from small open-source projects to global enterprise applications. But while its value is undeniable, managing GitHub licensing is anything but simple. IT practitioners, SAM leaders, and procurement teams face atangle of seat-based subscriptions, add-on features like Copilot and Advanced Security, and unpredictable consumption costs.

The result? Overspending and unnecessary risk. Zylo data shows that 32.3% of GitHub licenses sit unused, and the average enterprise spends $240,000 annually on GitHub. That’s money that could be reallocated to tools and teams that actually drive value.

In this blog, I’ll explain:

• How GitHub licensing works
• The most common management pitfalls
• Tactical strategies to cut waste and strengthen compliance
• Why you need a SaaS Management Platform for visibility and automation

How GitHub Licensing Works

GitHub costs break down into three categories:

• Plans and Pricing – base seat licenses for Free, Team, and Enterprise
• Add-Ons – optional tools like Copilot, Advanced Security, and premium support
• Consumption-Based Costs – usage-based charges for Actions, Codespaces, Packages, and Git Large File Storage (LFS)

GitHub Plans and Pricing

• Free: Costs $0 and includes unlimited public and private repositories, 500 MB of package storage, and 2,000 CI/CD minutes per month, with only community support available.
• Team: Priced at ~$4 per user/month (introductory pricing, then higher), it offers unlimited repositories, 2 GB of package storage, 3,000 CI/CD minutes, and advanced collaboration features like branch protection rules, required reviewers, and draft pull requests, supported with standard web support.
• Enterprise (Cloud or Server): Costs ~$21 per user/month (with volume discounts) and includes everything in Team plus SSO/SAML and SCIM provisioning, Enterprise Managed Users, multi-org management, 50,000 CI/CD minutes, 50 GB of package storage, audit log API access, and compliance certifications such as SOC and FedRAMP, with the option for premium support as an add-on.

I do want to call out that GitHub does not offer role-based license levels (like Viewer vs Editor). Instead, every billable user (members of your organization and outside contributors) consumes the same type of seat within a plan. Differentiation comes from the plan chosen (Free, Team, Enterprise) and the add-ons assigned.

Add-Ons to Know

• GitHub Copilot: An AI coding assistant with costs starting at $19 per user/month for Business or $39 per user/month for Enterprise, including a set number of premium AI requests such as Copilot Chat, with overages billed at ~$0.04 per request.
• GitHub Advanced Security (GHAS): A security suite billed per active committer in enabled repositories that provides code scanning, secret scanning, dependency alerts, and Copilot “Autofix” for vulnerabilities.
• Premium Support: A contract-based add-on (pricing not publicly listed) that provides 24/7 SLA support and access to a dedicated Customer Success Manager.

Consumption-Based Costs

• GitHub Actions: CI/CD workflows that include a quota of minutes, with additional usage billed per OS minute—Linux at $0.008, Windows at $0.016, and macOS at $0.08. Pricing moves to a per-minute compute rate if/when you need faster runners.
• GitHub Codespaces: Cloud-hosted development environments billed hourly starting at $0.18 per 2-core VM and $0.07 per GB-month of storage, with costs continuing to accrue if environments are left idle.
• Packages and Git Large File Storage (LFS): Artifact and package storage billed at $0.008/GB per day (~$0.24 per month) once quotas are exceeded, while Git LFS offers additional 50 GB storage packs for $5/month.

Recommendations for Choosing a Plan

• Small teams: Start with Team, limit add-ons, and monitor CI/CD usage.
• Enterprises: Enterprise Cloud is essential for SSO, compliance, and scale.
• Copilot: Pilot with a subset of users before scaling organization-wide.
• GitHub Actions: Consider hosting runners within your own cloud provider if you have the talent in-house to set up and manage securely.

Common License Management Challenges in GitHub

Even with the right plan in place, organizations face recurring issues that inflate GitHub costs and increase compliance risk. The most common challenges include:

• Dormant users and external collaborators still billed
• Uncontrolled Actions and Codespaces spend
• Gaps in compliance visibility without automation
• Unrestricted user permissions

From my experience, these problems persist because purchasing is often decentralized, reporting is limited, and license management happens reactively at renewal. The result is wasted spend, unnecessary security exposure, and heavy manual effort for IT and SAM teams.

Dormant Users and External Collaborators Still Billed

Every member with access to a private repository consumes a paid seat—even if they’ve been inactive for months or are contractors who’ve left. Without lifecycle automation, I’ve seen these “zombie accounts” quietly drain budgets and complicate access governance.

Uncontrolled Actions and Codespaces Spend

GitHub’s consumption-based features act like cloud services: Actions minutes, VM hours, and storage accumulate quickly. I’ve worked with teams where a single Codespace left running overnight racked up surprising costs. Without clear budgets and idle timeouts, usage becomes unpredictable and expensive.

Gaps in Compliance Visibility

Manual reviews of GitHub usage are time consuming and prone to error, and IT teams can’t reliably track or revoke access. I’ve seen this leave compliance gaps wide open, creating risk during audits and complicating offboarding.

Unrestricted User Permissions

Without limitations on who can purchase or enable new features or connect outside systems, costs will inflate. In most cases, you won’t know until your monthly bill arrives. At that point, you have to pay and may have a hard time determining who enabled that feature.

7 Best Practices for GitHub License Management and Optimization

IT, SAM, and procurement teams need processes that control costs, support productivity, and ensure compliance. The most effective practices include:

• Audit and reclaim inactive seats
• Right-size Copilot licenses based on adoption data
• Monitor Actions and Codespaces with budgets and alerts
• Roll out Advanced Security selectively
• Automate provisioning and deprovisioning with SSO/SCIM
• Use license reports to inform renewals and negotiations
• Expand your Microsoft enterprise agreement

#1 Audit and Reclaim Inactive Seats

Start with a recurring audit of assigned seats. Many organizations discover inactive users or external collaborators who still consume licenses. Use SCIM provisioning where possible to automatically deactivate accounts when employees leave or projects end.

#2 Right-Size Copilot Licenses Based on Adoption Data

GitHub Copilot delivers real value when developers actively use it. Instead of assigning licenses across the board, pilot with a smaller group, measure adoption, and expand only where usage justifies the cost.

#3 Monitor Actions and Codespaces with Budgets and Alerts

Treat GitHub’s consumption features the same way you would AWS or Azure.

• Set budgets for Actions and Codespaces
• Configure alerts when thresholds are hit
• Enforce idle timeouts so abandoned environments don’t quietly rack up charges

#4 Roll Out Advanced Security Selectively

Each license specifies a maximum number of accounts that can use Advanced Security. Roll it out first on critical repositories where the business impact of vulnerabilities is highest, then evaluate ROI before expanding further.

#5 Automate Provisioning and Deprovisioning with SSO/SCIM

Manual provisioning and offboarding is error prone. By automating access with SSO and SCIM, IT teams can:

• Reduce compliance gaps
• Eliminate repetitive admin work
• Protect intellectual property of your company’s source code

#6 Use License Reports to Inform Renewals and Negotiations

License data should guide procurement. Before renewal, generate usage and adoption reports to identify:

• Inactive seats
• Low-use add-ons
• Overprovisioned Actions

Armed with this data, procurement leaders can right-size contracts, benchmark pricing, and negotiate stronger terms.

#7 Expand Your Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA)

GitHub is one of the many apps owned by Microsoft. Purchase it as part of your Microsoft EA to secure better pricing. If you’re already spending a lot on other Microsoft tools, this is a no-brainer.

The Strategic Value of Managing GitHub Licenses Well

The strategic value of GitHub license management falls into four key areas:

• Cost savings through eliminating waste
• Risk reduction by improving audit readiness and access control
• Operational efficiency from automation
• Alignment with enterprise SaaS governance programs

Cost Savings

Reducing unused seats, right-sizing Copilot, and managing consumption features directly lowers spend. Paired with operationalized renewals, we often see companies save 5–10% on applications, freeing budget that can be reinvested into higher-value initiatives. This creates measurable budget impact and equips procurement with stronger leverage during renewals.

Risk Reduction

Strong license oversight minimizes compliance and security risks. By ensuring access is current and limited to active users, organizations stay prepared for audits and protect sensitive code assets.

According to Zylo’s 2025 SaaS Management Index, IT leaders’ top priorities for 2025 include improving employee productivity, reducing security risks, and cutting operational expenses

Operational Efficiency

Automation of license workflows reduces repetitive manual work. Teams save time that can be redirected to higher-value initiatives like improving developer productivity and scaling security programs.

Alignment with Enterprise SaaS Governance

GitHub is part of a broader SaaS ecosystem. Managing licenses effectively ensures the platform contributes to enterprise goals such as cost avoidance, security, and centralized oversight within a structured SaaS governance framework.

How Zylo’s SaaS Management Platform Strengthens GitHub License Oversight

Managing GitHub licenses in spreadsheets or through GitHub’s native admin console leaves blind spots. Zylo’s SaaS Management Platform (SMP) delivers the visibility, automation, and insights that IT, SAM, and procurement teams need to manage GitHub with precision.

Direct Usage Integration with Centralized Visibility

Zylo connects directly with GitHub to capture detailed license and repository usage. This provides clarity into who is using GitHub, how often, and whether assigned licenses are delivering value. With centralized visibility across all SaaS, IT and SAM leaders gain a single source of truth.

With Zylo, you can:

• Capture real usage data directly from GitHub
• Identify active versus dormant seats at the user level
• View GitHub data in the context of your full SaaS portfolio

Automated Alerts and License Reclamation Workflows

Manual audits don’t scale. Zylo automates the monitoring and remediation of unused GitHub licenses through workflows and alerts. This reduces waste and ensures licenses are reassigned where they’re most valuable.

With Zylo, you can:

• Get Automated Alerts when licenses sit idle or pose risk
• Trigger Workflows to survey users and confirm activity
• Reclaim inactive licenses and optimize assignments with minimal effort

Benchmarks and Renewal Insights

Benchmarking and optimization insights help ensure you never overpay for GitHub. Zylo Benchmarks show how your license pricing stacks up against peers, while Zylo Insights highlights where usage trends signal optimization opportunities.

With Zylo, you can:

• Compare your GitHub license costs to industry benchmarks
• Identify underutilized licenses
• Use insights to guide renewal negotiations and avoid overspending

Renewal Calendar and Alerts

Proactive renewal management prevents costly surprises. Zylo keeps every GitHub renewal on the calendar, with alerts long before contracts auto-renew. This gives procurement teams time to prepare and negotiate on their terms.

With Zylo, you can:

• Track all GitHub renewal dates in a single view
• Receive alerts well ahead of contract deadlines
• Plan renewals using actual usage and pricing data

Dashboards for Cross-Functional Alignment

Managing GitHub isn’t just IT’s responsibility—SAM and procurement all play a role. Zylo dashboards bring these teams together on the same data, enabling faster, aligned decision-making.

With Zylo, you can:

• Share real-time GitHub usage and spend data across teams
• Track license trends, cost allocations, and optimization opportunities in dashboards
• Ensure IT, SAM, and procurement stay aligned on license management strategy

Take Control of GitHub License Management with Zylo

GitHub fuels development, but unmanaged licenses and add-ons drive up costs and create compliance risk. Effective GitHub license management ensures:

• Spend matches usage
• Access stays secure
• IT, SAM, and procurement teams operate from the same data

Zylo makes this possible. With direct usage integrations, automated alerts, reclamation workflows, and renewal insights, Zylo turns GitHub license management into a proactive, cost-saving practice.

Learn more about our SaaS License Management solution, or schedule time with our team to see it in action.

FAQs About GitHub License Management