Gitea vs GitLab CE

GitHub Actions provides CI/CD only and relies on GitHub hosting, not a self-managed platform.

GiteaPainless self-hosted Git service

GitLab CEFree community edition of GitLab: Git hosting, CI/CD and issues

Which to pick

Pick Gitea if you want…

All-in-one self-hosted Git and CI/CD platform
CI/CD on GitHub
Integrations with Slack, Discord or MS Teams (on Gitea's list, not GitLab CE's)

Pick GitLab CE if you want…

Self-hosted Git hosting & CI/CD
Integrations with Linux, Docker or Kubernetes (on GitLab CE's list, not Gitea's)

Side by side

What it is: Gitea:Self-hosted Git service with code hosting, code review, issue tracking, packages and built-in CI/CD.; GitLab CE:GitLab CE is a free self-hosted platform for Git repository hosting, CI/CD pipelines, and issue tracking.
Best for: Gitea:All-in-one self-hosted Git and CI/CD platform; GitLab CE:Self-hosted Git hosting & CI/CD
Who it’s for: Gitea:Developers and teams needing a self-hosted Git platform with CI/CD and package registry.; GitLab CE:Teams that need a self-managed DevSecOps solution with full control over data and infrastructure.
Pricing: Gitea:Freemium; GitLab CE:Freemium
Plans: Gitea:Open Source Free; GitLab CE:Free $0 per user/month · Premium $29 per user/month, billed annuall
Open source: Gitea:Yes, 58,252 GitHub stars; GitLab CE:Yes, 24,556 GitHub stars
Works with: Gitea:Slack, Discord, MS Teams, Lark, GitHub Actions, Drone, Woodpecker, Argo CD; GitLab CE:Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Helm Chart, GitLab Operator, AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform

Gitea features

Code hosting & review. Create, manage and review Git repositories with pull requests and branch protection.
Integrated CI/CD. Gitea Actions runs workflows using GitHub-compatible YAML syntax and over 20 K plugins.
Project management. Issue tracking, kanban boards, milestones, time tracking and dependencies.
Package registry. Supports more than 20 public or private package types such as NPM, Maven, PyPI and Docker.
Multi-platform deployment. Runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD and Kubernetes with x86 and arm64 support.
Enterprise features. SAML SSO, audit logs, Kubernetes auto-scaling runners and priority support in Enterprise plan.

GitLab CE features

Git repository hosting. Provides Git version control with web UI, merge requests and access controls.
Built-in CI/CD. Runs automated pipelines directly in the platform without external tools.
Issue & project management. Tracks work items, milestones, epics and integrates agile planning features.
Security scanning. Offers SAST, DAST, container scanning and secret detection across all tiers.
AI code assistance. GitLab Duo Agent Platform delivers AI code suggestions and chat in the IDE.
Flexible deployment options. Install via Docker, Helm, Linux packages, Kubernetes operator or reference architectures.

Gitea vs GitLab CE FAQ

Is Gitea or GitLab CE free?+

Gitea has a free plan (Open Source) and paid plans. GitLab CE has a free plan and paid plans.

Is Gitea or GitLab CE open source?+

Yes, both are open source: Gitea (go-gitea/gitea on GitHub, MIT license) and GitLab CE (gitlabhq/gitlabhq on GitHub).

Do Gitea and GitLab CE integrate with the same tools?+

Their integration lists don't overlap: Gitea lists Slack, Discord, MS Teams, Lark and 7 more; GitLab CE lists Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Helm Chart and 4 more.

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Gitea

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GitLab CE