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Apache Subversion vs. GitHub vs. Gradle Build Tool (Open Source)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Apache Subversion

    Score9.9 out of 10
    N/AApache Subversion is a version control option that is free to download and open source under the Apache 2.0 license.N/A

    GitHub

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/AGitHub is a platform that hosts public and private code and provides software development and collaboration tools. Features include version control, issue tracking, code review, team management, syntax highlighting, etc. Personal plans ($0-50), Organizational plans ($0-200), and Enterprise plans are available.

    $4

    per month per user

    Gradle Build Tool (Open Source)

    Score9 out of 10
    N/AGradle is an open source build system. Gradle boasts a rich API and mature ecosystem of plugins and integrations to support automation. Users can model, integrate and systematize the delivery of software from end to end.

    $0

    per month

    Pricing
    Apache SubversionGitHubGradle Build Tool (Open Source)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Team
    $40
    per year per user
    Enterprise
    $210
    per year per user
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Apache SubversionGitHubGradle Build Tool (Open Source)
    Free Trial
    NoYesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Apache SubversionGitHubGradle Build Tool (Open Source)
    Considered Multiple Products
    Apache
    Chose Apache Subversion
    After Microsoft Visual SourceSafe was discontinued, we chose Subversion and it was a great choice. We were able to migrate to Apache Subversion very quickly and easily and benefited immediately from its non-locking workflow (SourceSafe required users to "lock" the file when …
    Incentivized
    Chose Apache Subversion
    Git is a newer version control system compared to that of svn. I think that svn is more stable, easy to learn/use, and not-so-complex as Git. Also, svn has very good client applications which provide extremely user-friendly user interfaces. Apache Subversion is also open source …
    Incentivized
    Chose Apache Subversion
    Git is better than Subversion in every aspect except that is not free . But since our company has bought Git licenses and I would not go back to using Subversion .
    GitHub
    Chose GitHub
    Before switching to GitHub we used Apache Subversion, but found GitHub was better in virtually every way. When we used subversion in 2011 (albeit things might have changed by now) creating and working on separate branches was tedious. We had to create a bunch of different …
    Incentivized
    Chose GitHub
    GitHub compared to GitLab and Bitbucket seems to have an easier and nice to use interface. This is mainly due to the fact that GitHub is the No1 choice for most of the Open Source projects. Developers out there are already famaliar to it's UX/UI and use it every day.

    Another …
    Incentivized
    Chose GitHub
    While SVN comes with basic functionalities, TFS is a superior tool and often unused to its potential in most cases. GitHub brings that equilibrium. It perfectly works like a versioning tool and can also be used to create CICD deployment pipelines.
    Incentivized
    Chose GitHub
    The branches in Perforce and SVN are replicas instead of links/trees like in Github. Those two tools do not have rich APIs like that of GitHub. Subversion and Perforce do not support local repositories, which might hamper the development, if developer is coding and the tools …
    Incentivized
    Chose GitHub
    We switched from Subversion to GitHub for two reasons. GitHub has better support built into our tools. Subversion was located on-premise and required us to maintain the infrastructure. GitHub is much easier to access from remote locations and we don't need to manage our own …
    Incentivized
    Chose GitHub
    Others not listed above, CVS, Microsoft SourceSafe. GitHub offers the most comprehensive offering, including Code Review, Open API, Wiki (just to mention a few) in a single package. GitHub is likely the most used repository in the world. It's fast, even with high user volume. …
    Incentivized
    Chose GitHub
    GitHub has better branching features than Subversion. The code review process in GitHub alone makes it worthwhile, whereas we could have branches in Subversion, it was missing the ability to comment and review other people's code before checkin. GitHub has more control around …
    Incentivized
    Chose GitHub
    Github and git, in general, is much better than SVN or Subversion for version tracking and code collaboration. It takes the best parts of SVN and fixes a lot of what was broken with it. Github's own UI has evolved really well over time and they have taken developer productivity …
    Incentivized
    Chose GitHub
    With the other version control software I've used, I've had a lot more hassles than GitHub. I have limited experience with SourceSafe but have used SVN a bit. I had a bit older version of SVN when I used it but you had to add files to SVN specifically for it to be committed. As …
    Incentivized
    Open Source
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    96%
    Would buy again
    47 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    7 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    46 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    7 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    98%
    Happy with the feature set
    48 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    38 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    42 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    7 Answers
    Features
    Apache SubversionGitHubGradle Build Tool (Open Source)
    Version Control Software Features
    Comparison of Version Control Software Features features of Apache Subversion and GitHub and Gradle Build Tool (Open Source)
    Feature
    Apache Subversion
    -
    Ratings
    GitHub
    9.4
    10 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Gradle Build Tool (Open Source)
    -
    Ratings
    Branching and Merging00 Ratings9.710 Ratings00 Ratings
    Version History00 Ratings9.710 Ratings00 Ratings
    Version Control Collaboration Tools00 Ratings9.89 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pull Requests00 Ratings9.710 Ratings00 Ratings
    Code Review Tools00 Ratings8.89 Ratings00 Ratings
    Project Access Control00 Ratings9.210 Ratings00 Ratings
    Automated Testing Integration00 Ratings8.810 Ratings00 Ratings
    Issue Tracking Integration00 Ratings8.910 Ratings00 Ratings
    Branch Protection00 Ratings9.89 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Apache SubversionGitHubGradle Build Tool (Open Source)
    Small Businesses
    GitHub
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Git
    Score10 out of 10
    Apache Maven
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Git
    Score10 out of 10
    Git
    Score10 out of 10
    Apache Maven
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Perforce P4
    Score7.5 out of 10
    Perforce P4
    Score7.5 out of 10
    Azure Pipelines
    Score8.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Apache SubversionGitHubGradle Build Tool (Open Source)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    6.6
    (10 ratings)
    9.9
    (131 ratings)
    9.0
    (12 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    3.1
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.4
    (10 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    3.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.8
    (26 ratings)
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Apache SubversionGitHubGradle Build Tool (Open Source)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Apache
    It's a relatively simple version control system so it works great for an individual or small team (less than 10 people). But if you have a medium to large team, especially one with members distributed over a large geographic area, or one where individuals need to be able to work "offline" without access to a central server, Apache Subversion will likely not be the best choice.
    Also, if you're maintaining an open-source project where outside people will be interacting with your code repository, git is probably a better choice because it's becoming the de-facto standard these days and what most developers are familiar with.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    GitHub
    GitHub is an easy to go tool when it comes to Version Controlling, CI/CD workflows, Integration with third party softwares. It's effective for any level of CI/CD implementation you would like to. Also the the cost of product is also very competitive and affordable. As of now GitHub lacks capabilities when it comes to detailed project management in comparison to tools like Jira, but overall its value for money.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    Gradle Build Tool is more suitable with the Java projects. It has helped us to automate the build part of the devops cycle. Its configuration and Groovy script is really easy to understand and can be implemented with ease. It can be used both for automation and manual buids of the projects. Gradle Build Tool is easy to use and easy to integrate.
    Read full review
    Pros
    Apache
    • Revision control done properly - you have end to end visibility of all changes in the project.
    • Conflict resolution - visually highlighting the differences helps to track down the problem.
    • Being open source and very popular.
    • We are using SVN hosted in our network - it is very stable, we had almost zero downtime in 4 years.
    • Rollbacks are made simple and easy to use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    GitHub
    • Version control: GitHub provides a powerful and flexible Git-based version control system that allows teams to track changes to their code over time, collaborate on code with others, and maintain a history of their work.
    • Code review: GitHub's pull request system enables teams to review code changes, discuss suggestions and merge changes in a central location. This makes it easier to catch bugs and ensure that code quality remains high.
    • Collaboration: GitHub provides a variety of collaboration tools to help teams work together effectively, including issue tracking, project management, and wikis.
    Read full review
    Open Source
    • Gradle's methods to manipulate files is very flexible. It minimizes the amount of code one has to write to copy, move, or expand zip or tar files.
    • Gradle uses Groovy, which is a Java like language. This allows for most computer engineers to come up to speed fairly quickly, for writing or maintaining gradle code.
    • Gradle also supports DSL (Domain Specific Language), which is based on Groovy. The DSL language allows engineers to automate build jobs that otherwise could be very cumbersome to maintain or modify.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Apache
    • Distributed development - I've never worked in an environment where distributed development (developers widely scattered geographically) was a factor, but that's why git exists.
    • Merging - Merging of code from one branch to another can be painful, especially if it's not done frequently. (On the other hand, doing merges is one of the reasons I get a nice salary, so I can't complain too much!)
    • Acceptance - Let's face it, git is what "all the cool kids are using." If you've got a bunch of developers fresh out of school, they'll probably know git and not Subversion.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    GitHub
    • Not an easy tool for beginners. Prior command-line experience is expected to get started with GitHub efficiently.
    • Unlike other source control platforms GitHub is a little confusing. With no proper GUI tool its hard to understand the source code version/history.
    • Working with larger files can be tricky. For file sizes above 100MB, GitHub expects the developer to use different commands (lfs).
    • While using the web version of GitHub, it has some restrictions on the number of files that can be uploaded at once. Recommended action is to use the command-line utility to add and push files into the repository.
    Read full review
    Open Source
    • I'd like to see a way to specify how to run only certain tests in parallel, I tried this feature and for tests that involve interaction with SQL Databases sometimes I can't because of deadlocks.
    • Not sure if there is something else, gradle has been working really good for us and they are adding improvements all the time which is awesome. I used to think the performance is a deal but the latest versions are addressing this issue very well
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Apache
    While there are interesting alternatives, such a GIT, Subversion has been a breath of fresh air compared to its predecessors like CVS or Microsoft Source Safe (now called Team Foundation Server). Its ease of use and high adoption rate is going to keep me using this product for years to come.
    Read full review
    GitHub
    GitHub's ease of use and continued investment into the Developer Experience have made it the de facto tool for our engineers to manage software changes. With new features that continue to come out, we have been able to consolidate several other SaaS solutions and reduce the number of tools required for each engineer to perform their job responsibilities.
    Read full review
    Open Source
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Apache
    No answers on this topic
    GitHub
    GitHub is a clean and modern interface. The underlying integrations make it smooth to couple tasks, projects, pull requests and other business functions together. The insights and reporting is really strong and is getting better with every release. GitHub's PR tooling is strong for being web based, i do believe a better code editor would rival having to pull merge conflicts into local IDE.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    Gradle's language construct is good
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Apache
    No answers on this topic
    GitHub
    No answers on this topic
    Open Source
    I have tried to use Gradle for projects several times in the past, but there is just so much work in maintaining the build file that it quickly becomes untenable. I have been using Maven for many years, and even though the build file can be complex, it works without maintenance between releases.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Apache
    No answers on this topic
    GitHub
    There are a ton of resources and tutorials for GitHub online. The sheer number of people who use GitHub ensures that someone has the exact answer you are looking for. The docs on GitHub itself are very thorough as well. You will often find an official doc along with the hundreds of independent tutorials that answers your question, which is unusual for most online services.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    Gradle has been an excellent tool for Android development. It has helped us create multiple versions of the app for different environments. It also takes care of all the packaging needs in the background without having to write all the code related to that. It is a no brainer to use Gradle with Android applications.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Apache
    Git has become the new standard of version control, with its support for distributed design. As a tool to manage and control versions, Subversion does it well, but Git is the future.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    GitHub
    While I don't have very much experience with these 2 solutions, they're two of the most popular alternatives to GitHub. Bitbucket is from Atlassian, which may make sense for a team that is already using other Atlassian tools like Jira, Confluence, and Trello, as their integration will likely be much tighter. Gitlab on the other hand has a reputation as a very capable GitHub replacement with some features that are not available on GitHub like firewall tools.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    [Gradle is] a more modern version of open source build tools like Ant and Maven.
    Whereas the build config was XML files which were tedious and error
    prone, the modern DSL usage of Groovy to write these build files is a
    great advancement. Also these config files can be inherited from top
    level to each associated project.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Apache
    • Subversion helps us feel secure in maintaining access to all of our product code, both current and historical.
    • Being free and open source makes it an even better "investment".
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    GitHub
    • Team collaboration significantly improved as everything is clearly logged and maintained.
    • Maintaining a good overview of items will be delivered wrt the roadmap for example.
    • Knowledge management and tracking. Over time a lot of tickets, issues and comments are logged. GitHub is a great asset to go back and review why x was y.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    • In a distributed development environment, once we established a strong CI/CD model, Gradle proved to be a great choice to automate the various processes. Gradle also provides much flexibility, which is essential in today's development environment. The important benefit is that the CI/CD engineers can support development's needs quickly and reliably. This in turn supports faster testing and deployment, which generates higher ROI.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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