Gitea vs GitLab

Self-host swap-in for GitLab. · Self-host GitLab · Gitea on os-alt

Gitea is one of the open-source self-host replacements for GitLab — license MIT, 10min (single Go binary or docker-compose) to stand up, and $5 vps — gitea is one binary plus sqlite or postgres. Compare against GitLab's $29/user/mo on Premium; $99/user/mo on Ultimate below.

	Giteaopen-source	GitLabpaid SaaS
Category	DevOps platform / git hosting + CI	DevOps platform / git hosting + CI
License / pricing	`MIT`	$29/user/mo on Premium; $99/user/mo on Ultimate
Starting price	$0 self-host	$29/user/mo
GitHub	go-gitea/gitea ★ 55.7k · last commit todayalive	closed source
Setup time	10min (single Go binary or docker-compose)	SaaS — sign up + bill
Monthly cost	$5 VPS — Gitea is one binary plus SQLite or Postgres.	from $29/user/mo ($29/user/mo on Premium; $99/user/mo on Ultimate)

Switching from GitLab to Gitea

Site Administration → Migrations → New Migration → GitLab. Paste a GitLab.com PAT; pulls repos, issues, MRs (as issues), labels, releases. CI does not transfer — Gitea Actions speaks GitHub Actions YAML, so port `.gitlab-ci.yml` jobs by hand.

Good fit for: Small teams that want repo hosting + issues + lightweight CI without the GitLab footprint.
Weak at: No native container registry on par with GitLab; CI ecosystem is younger.

Other open-source self-host alternatives to GitLab

GitLab Self-Managed (CE)
MIT30-60min (Omnibus package or official docker)$20+ VPS — Omnibus wants 8GB RAM minimum once Sidekiq, Postgres, Gitaly, and the runner are co-resident.
Forgejo
MIT10min (Gitea-compatible docker images)$5 VPS.

Gitea also replaces

Bitbucket— Git hosting + Pipelines
GitHub Issues— Issue tracking (for code repos)

In a terminal? npx os-alt gitlab prints GitLab's self-host options — how the CLI works →

FAQ

Is Gitea a free alternative to GitLab?

Yes — Gitea is open source under MIT. Self-host cost: $5 VPS — Gitea is one binary plus SQLite or Postgres.. GitLab starts at $29/user/mo ($29/user/mo on Premium; $99/user/mo on Ultimate).

How long does Gitea take to set up vs GitLab?

Self-hosting Gitea: 10min (single Go binary or docker-compose). GitLab is a hosted SaaS — sign up and you're in.

What is Gitea good at, and what is it weak at?

Good fit for: Small teams that want repo hosting + issues + lightweight CI without the GitLab footprint.. Weak at: No native container registry on par with GitLab; CI ecosystem is younger..