Forgejo vs Gitea (2026)
By Noahlast updated
Forgejo
ForgejoA free, self-hosted lightweight software forge for Git repositories, issues, and CI, forked from Gitea to stay community-governed.
- Pricing
- Free
- License
- Open source
Best for developers and organizations that want a GitHub-style forge on self-hosted infrastructure, governed by a community rather than a company
Gitea
GiteaA self-hosted Git service with code review, CI/CD, and package registry built in, free and open source under MIT with paid Enterprise self-hosted plans from $9.50/user/month.
- Pricing
- Free tier · paid from $9.50/mo
- License
- Open core
Best for teams that want to self-host Git repository hosting, CI/CD, and package management with unlimited free users, upgrading to Enterprise only for SSO and compliance features
Which should you choose?
Choose Forgejo if…
wins 2/6 use cases
- You want a forge governed by its community that can never be relicensed away from free software
- You want no paid tier, feature gating, or seat limits anywhere in the product
- You want hosted Git without a commercial vendor: Codeberg is a nonprofit, community-run Forgejo instance
- You want a project independent of centralized, VC-backed platforms, with no official GitHub mirror by design
Choose Gitea if…
wins 3/6 use cases
- You need SAML SSO, audit logs, and priority support with an SLA (Enterprise, $9.50-$19/user/month, 1-year commitment)
- You want a built-in package registry for 20+ formats, including npm, PyPI, Maven, and Cargo
- You want managed hosting from the vendor: Gitea Cloud, with a 30-day free trial
- You run servers on Windows, macOS, FreeBSD, or Kubernetes, not just Linux
- You want Kubernetes autoscaling CI runners and installation assistance (Enterprise)
Forgejo vs Gitea: feature comparison
| Feature | Forgejo | Gitea |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Yesfree, no paid tier | Yesfree open-source edition; Enterprise from $9.50/user/mo |
| Free edition limits | Yesno seat limits or feature gating | Yesunlimited users and repositories |
| Paid plans | Nothe project sells no paid tier | YesEnterprise $9.50-$19/user/mo, 1-year commitment paid online |
| Managed hosting | Partialnone from the project; community-run services like Codeberg | PartialGitea Cloud, 30-day free trial, pricing unpublished |
| License | Yesfree and open source, community-governed | YesMIT core (open core with paid Enterprise) |
| Governance | Yescommunity fork, cannot be relicensed away from free software | Partialopen core alongside paid Enterprise and Cloud products |
| Platforms | Partialweb, Linux | Yesweb, Windows, macOS, Linux (plus FreeBSD, Kubernetes) |
| Runs on small hardware | Yessmall VPS or Raspberry Pi | Yessingle Go binary for small VPS or Raspberry Pi-class hardware |
| CI/CD | YesForgejo Actions, GitHub Actions-compatible | YesGitea Actions, GitHub Actions-compatible |
| Autoscaling CI runners | Unknown | YesKubernetes autoscaling runners on Enterprise |
| Package registry | Unknown | Yes20+ formats including npm, PyPI, Maven, Cargo |
| Code review and issues | Yespull requests, issue boards, wikis | Yespull-request review, issues with kanban boards |
| SAML SSO and audit logs | Unknown | YesEnterprise ($9.50-$19/user/mo) |
| Paid support with SLA | Nono paid tier from the project | Yespriority support with SLA on Enterprise |
| Learning curve | Partialmoderate | Partialmoderate |
| External rating (Product Hunt) | Unknown | Yes5/5 from 9 reviews |
Forgejo vs Gitea: pricing
Every tier both tools publish, as we last checked them — not just the entry price.
Forgejo
- Self-hostedFree and open source software; install on your own server or VPS. No paid tier or hosted SaaS plan is sold by the Forgejo project itself.Free
Gitea
- Open Source (self-hosted)MIT-licensed; unlimited users and repositories, Gitea Actions CI/CD, packages, issue tracking, community support.Free
- Enterprise (self-hosted)Per user, ranges $9.50-$19/user/month depending on tier/company size; requires a 1-year commitment paid online. Adds SAML SSO, audit logs, Kubernetes autoscaling runners, installation assistance, and priority support with an SLA. Discounts available for nonprofits and small companies.$9.50/mo
- Gitea CloudFully managed hosting with a 30-day free trial; exact subscription pricing is not published on the site and requires signing up to view.Custom
What is the difference between Forgejo and Gitea?
Forgejo is a community-governed fork of Gitea created in 2022 after governance disagreements, while Gitea continues as an MIT-licensed open-core project with paid Enterprise and Cloud editions.
Both are lightweight self-hosted forges with Git hosting, pull requests, issues, and GitHub Actions-compatible CI, and both run on hardware as small as a Raspberry Pi. Forgejo's fork exists to guarantee the project stays community-governed and can never be relicensed away from free software; the project sells nothing and hosts its own source on Codeberg with no official GitHub mirror. Gitea adds commercial options on top of its free MIT core: Gitea Enterprise for SSO, audit logs, and SLA support, and Gitea Cloud for managed hosting.
Forgejo vs Gitea pricing: which costs less?
Forgejo and Gitea both cost nothing to self-host with unlimited users, but only Gitea sells paid options: Enterprise at $9.50-$19/user/month on a 1-year commitment and Gitea Cloud at an unpublished price.
Gitea's open-source edition includes unlimited users and repositories, Gitea Actions, packages, issue tracking, and community support at no cost. Gitea Enterprise requires a 1-year commitment paid online, with discounts for nonprofits and small companies, so 20 users cost $190-$380/month under that commitment. Gitea Cloud includes a 30-day free trial, and its price appears only after starting signup. Forgejo has no paid tier, so its only costs are the server and the time spent on updates, backups, and scaling.
Which is easier to self-host, Forgejo or Gitea?
Forgejo and Gitea are equally light to self-host, since both run on a small VPS or Raspberry Pi-class hardware and both carry a moderate learning curve.
Gitea ships as a single Go binary and supports Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD, and Kubernetes, while Forgejo runs on Linux. With either free edition, the team handles its own updates, backups, and uptime. Gitea offers a way out of that work through Gitea Cloud managed hosting or Enterprise installation assistance; Forgejo users who don't want to run a server can use community-run instances like Codeberg.
Can Forgejo replace Gitea?
Forgejo can replace Gitea's free edition for Git hosting, pull requests, issues, and GitHub Actions-compatible CI, but Forgejo sells no Enterprise tier, so organizations that want SAML SSO, audit logs, and SLA-backed support as a package get those from Gitea Enterprise.
Forgejo started as a Gitea fork, so the day-to-day workflow is close: repositories, pull requests, code review, issues, and Actions-compatible CI. Gitea also includes a package registry for 20+ formats, and Gitea Enterprise adds Kubernetes autoscaling runners. Forgejo's reasons to switch are governance and price: no company controls the roadmap, and no feature sits behind a paid tier.
Strengths and weaknesses
Forgejo
Pros
- Fully free and open source with no paid tier, feature gating, or seat limits.
- Runs on far less CPU and memory than GitLab, practical for a small VPS or home server.
- Forgejo Actions provides GitHub Actions-compatible CI/CD without a third-party runner.
- Community governance structure prevents the project from being acquired or relicensed away from free software.
Cons
- No official managed hosting from the Forgejo project; teams must self-host and maintain their own instance.
- No official GitHub mirror by design, which can make discovery harder for developers who default to searching GitHub.
- Smaller plugin and integration ecosystem than GitHub or GitLab.
- Migrating an existing GitHub or GitLab organization's issues, wikis, and CI configuration requires manual work.
Gitea
Pros
- Open-source core is free with unlimited users and repositories, no artificial caps.
- Lightweight Go binary runs comfortably on small servers, unlike heavier self-hosted alternatives.
- Gitea Actions is compatible with existing GitHub Actions workflow syntax, easing migration.
- Supports 20+ package registry formats (npm, PyPI, Maven, Cargo, and more) built in.
Cons
- Gitea Enterprise requires a 1-year commitment with online payment rather than flexible monthly billing.
- Gitea Cloud pricing is not published on the site; the number is only revealed after starting the signup flow.
- Smaller third-party integration and marketplace ecosystem than GitHub or GitLab.
- Self-hosted deployments still require the team to manage updates, backups, and uptime themselves on the free tier.
Which fits your use case?
| Use case | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Open-source project that wants a forge no company can relicense | Forgejo | Forgejo is community-governed by design and forked from Gitea specifically so it can never be relicensed away from free software. |
| Company that needs SAML SSO and audit logs on a self-hosted forge | Gitea | Gitea Enterprise adds SAML SSO, audit logs, and priority support with an SLA for $9.50-$19/user/month on a 1-year commitment. |
| Hobbyist hosting personal repositories on a Raspberry Pi | Tie | Forgejo and Gitea both run on Raspberry Pi-class hardware and cost nothing to self-host. |
| Team that wants managed hosting from the vendor | Gitea | Gitea Cloud is fully managed with a 30-day free trial, while the Forgejo project sells no hosted plan; Gitea Cloud's price is only shown after signup. |
| Team publishing npm, PyPI, Maven, or Cargo packages next to its code | Gitea | Gitea includes a built-in package registry supporting more than 20 formats. |
| Developer who wants a hosted forge without a commercial vendor | Forgejo | Forgejo powers Codeberg, a nonprofit community-run instance, which is where the Forgejo project hosts its own source. |
Neither a match?
Both lists carry verified pricing and honest weaknesses for every option.
Popular comparisons
Forgejo vs Gitea: migration FAQ
Should I use Forgejo or Gitea?
- Use Forgejo if you want a fully free, community-governed forge with no paid tier; use Gitea if you want the same lightweight self-hosted workflow with a vendor-backed path to SAML SSO, audit logs, SLA support, and managed Gitea Cloud hosting.
Is Forgejo cheaper than Gitea?
- No, Forgejo and Gitea are both free to self-host with unlimited users; Forgejo simply has no paid tier at all. Gitea charges only for optional Enterprise features ($9.50-$19/user/month on a 1-year commitment) and Gitea Cloud hosting.
Can Forgejo replace Gitea?
- Yes for Git hosting, code review, issues, and CI, since Forgejo began as a Gitea fork and offers repositories, pull requests, and GitHub Actions-compatible Forgejo Actions for free. Teams that need SAML SSO, audit logs, or a vendor SLA should compare against Gitea Enterprise.
Why was Forgejo forked from Gitea?
- Forgejo was forked from Gitea in 2022 after governance disagreements, to guarantee the project stays community-governed and can never be relicensed away from free software.
Does Forgejo have a GitHub mirror?
- No, Forgejo deliberately has no official GitHub mirror and hosts its canonical source on Codeberg, a nonprofit Forgejo instance. Developers who search GitHub first may not find the project there.