# Gitea vs GitHub (2026)

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified September 14, 2026.

> **Verdict:** Choose Gitea if you want to self-host Git infrastructure for free with no cap on users or repositories. Choose GitHub if you want the largest open-source ecosystem, native mobile apps, and don't mind paying per user once you outgrow the free tier's usage limits. The deciding factor is hosting model: Gitea's MIT-licensed core is genuinely free with unlimited users when self-hosted, while GitHub's free tier is hosted SaaS with unlimited repos but capped CI/CD minutes, and its network effect of integrations and open-source projects has no equivalent in Gitea's data.

**Choose Gitea if:** You want to self-host Git hosting for free with no artificial cap on users or repositories; You need a lightweight platform that runs comfortably on small servers, unlike heavier self-hosted alternatives; You want Gitea Actions' compatibility with existing GitHub Actions workflow syntax to ease a self-hosted migration; You're comfortable with Gitea Enterprise's required 1-year commitment in exchange for SSO and audit logs; You don't need native iOS or Android apps, since Gitea's platform list is web and desktop only

**Choose GitHub if:** You want the largest network effect of any Git host, where most open-source projects and third-party tools integrate first; You need native iOS and Android apps for reviewing code away from a desktop; You want cloud development environments (Codespaces) built into the platform; You want a published, per-user monthly price instead of Gitea Cloud's unpublished pricing that requires signing up to see; You want the platform with more third-party reviews backing it, at 6,198 Capterra reviews versus Gitea's 9 on ProductHunt

## At a glance

|  | Gitea | GitHub |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing | Free tier · paid from $9.50/mo | Free tier · paid from $4/mo |
| License | Open core | Freemium |
| 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 | development teams that want Git hosting combined with integrated CI/CD, project tracking, and code review in a single platform, from individual open-source maintainers up to large enterprises requiring SSO and compliance |
| Ratings | Product Hunt 5/5 (9 reviews) | Capterra 4.8/5 (6,198 reviews) |

## Feature comparison

| Feature | Gitea | GitHub |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starting price | Yes (free (self-hosted, MIT); Enterprise from $9.50/user/mo) | Yes (free (Free tier); Team from $4/user/mo (promo rate, first 12 months)) |
| Free tier | Yes (unlimited users and repositories, self-hosted) | Yes (unlimited public/private repos, 2,000 CI/CD min/mo) |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Free self-hosting with no user cap | Yes (unlimited users and repos, MIT-licensed) | No (GitHub.com is hosted SaaS; this data covers github.com, not GitHub Enterprise Server) |
| Vendor-managed cloud option | Yes (Gitea Cloud, pricing unpublished, 30-day free trial) | Yes (github.com, pricing published on the pricing page) |
| License | Open core — MIT core, proprietary Enterprise add-ons | Freemium — closed source |
| CI/CD | Yes (Gitea Actions, compatible with GitHub Actions workflow syntax) | Yes (GitHub Actions, 2,000-50,000 min/mo depending on tier) |
| Package registry formats | Yes (20+ formats (npm, PyPI, Maven, Cargo, and more)) | Yes (Packages, 500MB-50GB storage depending on tier) |
| SSO / SAML | Yes (Gitea Enterprise, from $9.50/user/mo) | Yes (GitHub Enterprise, from $21/user/mo (promo rate)) |
| Enterprise billing commitment | Partial (requires a 1-year commitment, paid online) | Unknown (no commitment term stated in this data) |
| Cloud development environments | Unknown | Yes (GitHub Codespaces, from the Team tier) |
| AI coding assistant | Unknown | Yes (GitHub Copilot, sold as a separate add-on subscription) |
| External rating | 5/5 (9 ProductHunt reviews) | 4.8/5 (6,198 Capterra reviews) |
| Learning curve | Moderate | Moderate |
| Resource footprint | Yes (lightweight Go binary, runs on small VPS or Raspberry Pi-class hardware) | N/A — fully managed SaaS, no self-hosted footprint in this data |

## Gitea vs GitHub pricing: which costs less?

Gitea is free to self-host with unlimited users and repositories if you're willing to run the server yourself, while GitHub's equally free tier is unlimited on repos but caps CI/CD minutes at 2,000/month before per-user paid tiers apply.

Gitea Enterprise (self-hosted) starts at $9.50/user/month but requires a mandatory 1-year commitment paid online, while GitHub's Team ($4/user/month) and Enterprise ($21/user/month) prices shown are promotional first-year rates that increase afterward. Gitea also sells Gitea Cloud, a managed hosting option, but its subscription price isn't published anywhere on the site.

## Which is easier to use, Gitea or GitHub?

Both are rated a moderate learning curve in this data, with GitHub's difficulty concentrated in configuring Actions and navigating large repositories, and Gitea's in self-hosting and administering the server itself.

## Which has more third-party ecosystem and integrations, Gitea or GitHub?

GitHub has the far larger ecosystem, described in this data as the largest network effect of any Git host, with most open-source projects and third-party developer tools integrating with GitHub first.

Gitea's data explicitly names a smaller third-party integration and marketplace ecosystem as a real limitation compared to GitHub or GitLab, even though Gitea Actions can reuse existing GitHub Actions workflow files to ease that gap for CI/CD specifically.

## Which lets you self-host for free with no user limit, Gitea or GitHub?

Gitea does: its open-source core is MIT-licensed with unlimited users and repositories at no cost, while this data covers GitHub's hosted github.com product rather than a free self-hosted alternative.

## Strengths and weaknesses

### Gitea

- Pro: Open-source core is free with unlimited users and repositories, no artificial caps.
- Pro: Lightweight Go binary runs comfortably on small servers, unlike heavier self-hosted alternatives.
- Pro: Gitea Actions is compatible with existing GitHub Actions workflow syntax, easing migration.
- Pro: Supports 20+ package registry formats (npm, PyPI, Maven, Cargo, and more) built in.
- Con: Gitea Enterprise requires a 1-year commitment with online payment rather than flexible monthly billing.
- Con: Gitea Cloud pricing is not published on the site; the number is only revealed after starting the signup flow.
- Con: Smaller third-party integration and marketplace ecosystem than GitHub or GitLab.
- Con: Self-hosted deployments still require the team to manage updates, backups, and uptime themselves on the free tier.

### GitHub

- Pro: Free tier includes unlimited public and private repositories with no user-count restriction.
- Pro: The largest ecosystem of open-source projects, integrations, and third-party tooling of any Git host.
- Pro: GitHub Actions and Codespaces provide integrated CI/CD and cloud dev environments without separate tools.
- Pro: Frequent, well-communicated platform updates and a large community that resolves issues quickly.
- Con: Team and Enterprise pricing ($4 and $21 per user/month) are introductory rates for the first 12 months, increasing afterward.
- Con: GitHub Actions and repository security settings have a steeper learning curve for teams new to CI/CD configuration.
- Con: Navigating and discovering content in very large repositories with many branches and workflows can be difficult.
- Con: Advanced Security features (secret scanning, code scanning at scale) are largely gated behind Enterprise pricing.

## Which fits your use case?

| Use case | Pick | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Team wanting to self-host Git infrastructure for free with unlimited users | Gitea | Gitea's open-source core is MIT-licensed with no artificial user or repository caps; GitHub's free tier is hosted SaaS with CI/CD minute limits. |
| Open-source project wanting maximum visibility and third-party tooling support | GitHub | GitHub is described as having the largest network effect of any Git host, the default home for most public open-source projects. |
| Small team wanting a lightweight platform on a modest VPS | Gitea | Gitea's lightweight Go binary runs comfortably on small servers, unlike heavier self-hosted alternatives. |
| Team wanting native mobile apps to review pull requests away from a desktop | GitHub | GitHub's platform list includes iOS and Android; Gitea's data lists web and desktop platforms only. |
| Team wanting cloud-based development environments built into the platform | GitHub | GitHub Codespaces is available from the Team tier; Gitea's data lists no equivalent feature. |
| Enterprise wanting SSO without a mandatory prepaid annual commitment | GitHub | Gitea Enterprise requires a 1-year commitment paid online; GitHub's Enterprise pricing in this data states no such commitment term. |

## Migration FAQ

### Should I use Gitea or GitHub?

Use Gitea if you want to self-host Git hosting for free with unlimited users; use GitHub if you want the largest open-source ecosystem, native mobile apps, and cloud dev environments.

### Is Gitea cheaper than GitHub?

For self-hosting, yes — Gitea's open-source core is free with unlimited users and repositories, while GitHub's equivalent free tier caps CI/CD minutes at 2,000/month and its paid tiers charge per user.

### Can GitHub replace Gitea?

Yes for teams that don't need to self-host, since GitHub's hosted platform covers the same core Git hosting, CI/CD, and code review workflow, though it doesn't offer Gitea's free-to-self-host, unlimited-user model.

### Does Gitea or GitHub offer free self-hosting with unlimited users?

Gitea does — its MIT-licensed open-source core is free to self-host with unlimited users and repositories, while this data covers GitHub's hosted github.com product rather than a free self-hosted option.

## Neither a match?

- 5 alternatives to Gitea: https://findalternative.to/gitea
- 6 alternatives to GitHub: https://findalternative.to/github

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