Git with a cup of tea! Painless self-hosted all-in-one software development service, including Git hosting, code review, team collaboration, package registry and CI/CD.
- MIT
- Go
- Docker
- Actively maintained
Project Management comparison
Gitea vs GitLab: which should you self-host in 2026?
Pick Gitea for a fast, lightweight Git server with built-in Actions on modest hardware; pick GitLab if you want a full DevOps platform and can give it a large server.
Both are open source and run on your own server. Below: a side-by-side of license, stack and features, live GitHub activity, and our verdict on who should pick which.
DevOps platform with Git hosting, CI/CD, issue tracking and security scanning in one app.
- Ruby
- Docker
- Actively maintained
Head-to-head
Gitea vs GitLab, side by side
Hand-checked differences first, then live numbers from GitHub, refreshed with every catalog update.
| Aspect |  Gitea |  GitLab |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT. | Community Edition is MIT; code in the ee/ directory is proprietary and needs a paid license. |
| Language/stack | Go, shipped as a single binary or Docker image. | Ruby on Rails plus Go services, packaged as the Omnibus installer or Docker image. |
| Hardware needs | Runs on a Raspberry Pi or small VPS for personal and small-team use. | Docs list 8 vCPU and 16 GB RAM as the single-node baseline, with 8 GB as the floor. |
| Database | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MSSQL or built-in SQLite. | PostgreSQL only. |
| CI/CD | Gitea Actions, largely compatible with GitHub Actions workflows, using a separate act_runner. | GitLab CI/CD with .gitlab-ci.yml, runners, environments and a container registry built in. |
| Learning curve | Small admin surface; setup takes minutes. | Many features and settings; upgrades and backups need more planning. |
| GitHub stars | 58,319 | 24,555 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 1,696 | 2,397 |
| Last commit | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Latest release | v28.0.0Sep 29, 2026 | No GitHub releases |
| Main language | Go | Ruby |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| Repository | go-gitea/gitea | gitlabhq/gitlabhq |
Swipe the table sideways to see both apps. GitHub figures come from the public API. Highlighted values are the higher of the two.
Verdict
Gitea suits individuals, homelabs and small to mid-size teams that want GitHub-style repos, issues, packages and Actions-compatible CI in a single Go binary. GitLab is worth its much larger footprint when you need an integrated DevOps suite with mature CI/CD, a container registry, security scanning and fine-grained group management for many teams.
Best for
Choose Gitea for
Lightweight self-hosted Git with GitHub Actions-style CI.
Best for
Choose GitLab for
Organizations that want an all-in-one DevOps platform.
Deploy either in minutes
Not sure yet? Spin up a small VPS or a managed instance, try both for a week, and keep the one that fits.
- Hetzner Cloud (sponsored link, opens in a new tab)from €3.79/moBest price-to-performance VPS in Europe and the US. Ideal for Docker-based apps.
- DigitalOcean (sponsored link, opens in a new tab)from $4/moOne-click Docker droplets, a friendly dashboard and predictable pricing.
- Vultr (sponsored link, opens in a new tab)from $2.50/moHourly-billed cloud servers in 30+ regions with one-click Docker and app images.
- Contabo (sponsored link, opens in a new tab)from €4.50/moVery cheap VPS and storage boxes with generous RAM and disk, popular with home-labbers.
Sponsored links: we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. It never affects rankings.
Is Gitea a good GitLab alternative?
For most small teams, yes. Gitea covers repositories, issues, pull requests, wikis, packages and Actions-based CI with a fraction of the resources, but it lacks GitLab's deeper DevOps features such as built-in security scanning.
Can I migrate from GitLab to Gitea?
Yes. Gitea's migration tool can import repositories from GitLab, including issues, labels, milestones and merge requests when you provide an access token.
Which uses less memory, Gitea or GitLab?
Gitea, by a wide margin. It runs on single-board computers, while GitLab's documentation sets a baseline of 16 GB of memory for a single-node install.
Which is more popular on GitHub, Gitea or GitLab?
Gitea has 58,319 GitHub stars against 24,555 for GitLab. Over the last twelve months Gitea received 1,696 commits and GitLab received 2,397, so GitLab is the more actively developed of the two right now. Stars measure interest, not fit, so weigh them against the differences above.
