What is the difference between GitLab and Gitea?

GitLab is best for Teams that want an all-in-one DevOps platform they can self-host, while Gitea is best for Teams wanting lightweight self-hosted Git. GitLab starts at Free and Gitea starts at Free.

Is GitLab or Gitea cheaper?

GitLab starts at Free and is free. Gitea starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Gitea?

Both GitLab and Gitea offer free tiers.

GitLab vs Gitea

GitLab is Complete DevOps platform with Git hosting, CI/CD, security, and project management in one tool, while Gitea is lightweight, self-hosted Git service written in Go — fast, easy to install, and open source. GitLab is built for teams that want an all-in-one devops platform they can self-host, whereas Gitea targets teams wanting lightweight self-hosted git.

At a glance

	GitLab	Gitea
Best for	Teams that want an all-in-one DevOps platform they can self-host	Teams wanting lightweight self-hosted Git
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	✓
Actions CI	—	✓
CI/CD Pipelines	✓	—
Container Registry	✓	—
Lightweight	—	✓
Merge Requests	✓	—
Package Registry	—	✓
Security Scanning	✓	—
Self-Hosted	✓	✓

GitLab

Strengths

All-in-one DevOps platform — Git, CI/CD, security
Self-hostable (open-source Community Edition)
Built-in CI/CD without additional setup
Strong security and compliance features

Weaknesses

Interface can be overwhelming
Self-hosted version requires significant resources
Slower than GitHub for basic Git operations
Community Edition lacks some key features

Try GitLab → Full review

Gitea

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Self-hosted deployment gives you full control over your data and infrastructure
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Self-hosting requires Linux admin skills and ongoing server maintenance
Large binary files (videos, PSDs) are still a pain to manage in Git-based systems

Try Gitea → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both GitLab and Gitea are free, so this decision comes down to features and philosophy rather than budget.

Feature gaps: GitLab offers CI/CD Pipelines, Container Registry and Merge Requests that Gitea lacks. Gitea brings Actions CI, Lightweight and Package Registry that GitLab does not have. Both share Self-Hosted.

Team fit: GitLab is geared toward any size teams, while Gitea is aimed at small teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Open source: Both GitLab and Gitea are open source, so self-hosting and code audits are on the table with either choice.

Where each tool shines: GitLab's biggest strengths are: all-in-one devops platform — git, ci/cd, security. self-hostable (open-source community edition). Gitea's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. self-hosted deployment gives you full control over your data and infrastructure.

Watch out for: With GitLab, users commonly note that interface can be overwhelming. With Gitea, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose GitLab if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that want an all-in-one devops platform they can self-host
You specifically need CI/CD Pipelines and Container Registry
You care about self-hostable (open-source community edition)
Your team size fits the any size profile GitLab is designed for

Choose Gitea if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting lightweight self-hosted git
You specifically need Actions CI and Lightweight
You care about self-hosted deployment gives you full control over your data and infrastructure
Your team size fits the small teams profile Gitea is designed for