Google Artifact Registry vs GitHub Container Registry
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Google Artifact Registry and GitHub Container Registry.
Quick Verdict
3.7/5
Google Artifact Registry
0 reviews
4.1/5
GitHub Container Registry
0 reviews
GitHub Container Registry is rated higher (4.1 vs 3.7). Google Artifact Registry stores Docker container images, Helm charts, npm, Maven, and Python packages in one place. Vulnerability scanning built-in. Integrates with Cloud Build and GKE. GitHub Container Registry (ghcr.io) stores Docker images alongside your GitHub repositories. Free for public images, included in GitHub plans for private. Integrates with GitHub Actions for CI/CD.
Google Artifact Registry Universal package manager from Google Cloud | GitHub Container Registry Container registry integrated with GitHub Actions | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.7 (0 reviews) | 4.1 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Best for | GCP-centric teams wanting one managed registry for images and packages with built-in scanning and deployment-policy hooks | Open-source maintainers distributing public images and GitHub-centric teams that want container images, code, CI, and permissions under one account. |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ||
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ||
| Free tier | ||
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tierapi accesseu datacenterus datacenterapac datacenter | free tierapi access |
| Visit Google Artifact Registry → | Visit GitHub Container Registry → | |
Google Artifact Registry
Pros
- + One registry for container images and language/OS packages with unified IAM and audit
- + Free storage tier (0.5 GiB per billing account/month) and cheap per-GiB pricing beyond it
- + Remote/virtual repositories proxy and cache public upstreams behind one endpoint
- + Deep GCP integration: GKE, Cloud Build, Binary Authorization, VPC Service Controls, CMEK
Cons
- - Management plane is GCP-only — poor fit for multi-cloud portability requirements
- - Cross-region data transfer charges ($0.01–$0.15/GiB) can surprise teams with scattered repos
- - Vulnerability scanning billed separately via Artifact Analysis; enabling the API bills both new and legacy products
- - No product-specific published SLA
GitHub Container Registry
Pros
- + Free storage and bandwidth for public images with anonymous pulls — strongest OSS distribution offer
- + Images live with the code: one account, one permission model, GITHUB_TOKEN in Actions
- + OCI-compliant (Docker V2 manifests, foreign layers), internal visibility and fine-grained package permissions
- + Container image storage currently free even for private images, with a one-month notice policy before changes
- + Spending limits available to cap overage; metered billing beyond plan quotas
Cons
- - Private plan quotas are small (500 MB on Free) and shared with GitHub Actions artifacts
- - Free private container storage is a policy, not a contract — changeable with one month's notice
- - No published SLA or regional placement for ghcr.io
- - Retention and promotion tooling lag purpose-built registries like Harbor or Artifactory
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