Forgejo vs Gitea
Self-host pick — both replace Bitbucket (Git hosting + Pipelines).
Both Forgejo and Gitea self-host as a replacement for Bitbucket (Git hosting + Pipelines). Pick Forgejo if you want teams that prefer a community-led project over a company-led one; pick Gitea if you want small teams escaping Bitbucket Cloud after the Server EOL with a low-footprint replacement. Both are MIT-family licensed and similar to set up.
| Forgejoopen-source | Giteaopen-source | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Setup time | 10min (Gitea-compatible docker images) | 10min (single Go binary or docker-compose) |
| Monthly cost | $5 VPS. | $5 VPS handles dozens of repos comfortably. |
| GitHub | forgejo/forgejo | go-gitea/gitea |
| Replaces | Bitbucket + 2 other | Bitbucket + 2 other |
Good fit for
Forgejo
Teams that prefer a community-led project over a company-led one.
Weak at:Same Bitbucket-issue import friction as Gitea.
Gitea
Small teams escaping Bitbucket Cloud after the Server EOL with a low-footprint replacement.
Weak at:No first-class Jira link; you'd run a separate issue tracker if you keep Jira on the side.
Both also replace
- GitHub Issues— Issue tracking (for code repos)
- GitLab— DevOps platform / git hosting + CI
In a terminal? npx -y github:SolvoHQ/os-alt-cli bitbucket prints Bitbucket's self-host options including both —
how the CLI works →
FAQ
Which is easier to self-host, Forgejo or Gitea?
Forgejo: 10min (Gitea-compatible docker images). Gitea: 10min (single Go binary or docker-compose).
What does each cost to run?
Forgejo: $5 VPS.. Gitea: $5 VPS handles dozens of repos comfortably.. Both projects are free and open source.
Do Forgejo and Gitea replace the same SaaS?
Yes — both are open-source alternatives to Bitbucket (and 2 other SaaS).