However you could definitely argue that given that the projects in question are alternatives to GitHub, a developer interested in contributing will likely be invested enough to sign up for the alternative service.
However you could definitely argue that given that the projects in question are alternatives to GitHub, a developer interested in contributing will likely be invested enough to sign up for the alternative service.
Doesn't that support bmsleight's point? If Github is more popular than NotGithub, even among the developers of NotGithub, that doesn't exactly inspire confidence in NotGithub.
There are also other factors impacting a users's decision to choose one hosting platform/software over another unrelated to the functionality of the software, such as code licensing and self hosting capability.
In summary, popularity certainly can be an indicator of whether or not a software or service is worth using, but it's not a direct measure of the quality or robustness or whatever other factors you may care about when making a decision.