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GitLab vs Gitea 2026: DevOps vs Lightweight Git

GitLab is a comprehensive DevOps platform with built-in CI/CD, issue tracking, and advanced security features, while Gitea is a lightweight, self-hosted Git service focused on simplicity and minimal resource consumption. GitLab suits enterprises needing integrated workflows; Gitea suits teams prioritizing low overhead and self-control.

GitLab

GitLab

DevOps-first Git platform with built-in CI/CD, available as SaaS or self-hosted for complete control.

Enterprise teams, DevOps-focused organizations, and projects requiring integrated CI/CD and security scanning.

Score63%
VS
Gitea

Gitea

Lightweight, self-hosted Git service written in Go requiring <500MB RAM with no dependencies

Small teams, hobby projects, resource-constrained environments, and organizations wanting simple Git hosting without DevOps integration.

Score63%

Quick Answer

AI Summary

GitLab is a comprehensive DevOps platform with built-in CI/CD, issue tracking, and advanced security features, while Gitea is a lightweight, self-hosted Git service focused on simplicity and minimal resource consumption. GitLab suits enterprises needing integrated workflows; Gitea suits teams prioritizing low overhead and self-control.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Choose GitLab if you need an enterprise-grade DevOps platform with integrated CI/CD, advanced security scanning, and comprehensive project management across teams. Choose Gitea if you want a lightweight, minimal-overhead Git hosting solution for small teams or projects where simplicity and resource efficiency matter more than integrated tooling.

Community feedback

Was this verdict helpful?

GitLab
8/10
Gitea
7/10
GitLab

Choose GitLab if

Best pick

Enterprise teams, DevOps-focused organizations, and projects requiring integrated CI/CD and security scanning.

Gitea

Choose Gitea if

Small teams, hobby projects, resource-constrained environments, and organizations wanting simple Git hosting without DevOps integration.

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Key Differences at a Glance

  • Deployment Model:Gitea wins(Self-hosted only (lightweight) vs Cloud SaaS + Self-hosted Enterprise)
  • Built-in CI/CD Pipelines:GitLab wins(Yes (GitLab CI/CD included) vs No (requires third-party integration))
  • Minimum RAM Requirement:Gitea wins(512MB or less vs 4GB recommended)
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

37 numeric metrics compared

MetricGitLabGiteaRatio
Built-in CI/CD Minutes (Free Plan)(minutes/month)400 minutes with shared runners
Storage (Free Plan)(GB)5GB total
Monthly Active Users(millions)Approximately 30 million users
Starting Price (Per User/Month)(USD)$10.50 for Premium
Free Monthly CI/CD Minutes (Private Repos)(minutes)400 minutes
Container Registry Free Storage(GB)5 GB per project
Marketplace Ecosystem Size(actions/templates)900+ Templates
Enterprise Security (SAST) Cost(USD/month per user)Included in Ultimate ($99/month per user)
Maximum Parallel Jobs (Free Tier)(concurrent jobs)10 concurrent pipelines
Job Startup Time(seconds)12-15 seconds
Free Tier Monthly Minutes(build minutes)400 minutes
Self-Hosted Annual Cost (Single User)(USD)$990
Setup Time to First Pipeline(minutes)45-60 minutes
Pre-built Integration Orbs/Templates(count)80+ Templates
Pro Plan Annual Cost (per user)(USD)$228/year ($19/month)
Maximum CI/CD Pipeline Minutes (free tier/month)(minutes)400 minutes/month
Minimum RAM Requirement(GB)4GB0.5GB
Setup Time (Fresh Installation)(minutes)30-45 minutes5-10 minutes
Database Options Supported(count)3 (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)3 (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)
API Rate Limit (Unauthenticated)(requests/hour)30060
Security Scanning Features(count)5 (SAST, DAST, dependency, secret, container)0
Community-Maintained Forks/Mirrors(count)Forgejo, GitLab Community Edition1+ active forks
Monthly Cost (Single User, Premium)(USD)$8.25 (Premium at $99/year)
Free CI/CD Minutes Monthly(minutes)400 minutes (shared)
Maximum Concurrent Users Supported(users)10,000+ (with performance degradation)
Platform Integration Count(integrations)400+ via marketplace
Free Tier Storage Limit(GB)10 GB (projects)
CI/CD Minutes Included (Free Tier)(minutes/month)400 minutes
Pro Plan Cost Per User(USD/month)$29 (Premium plan)
API Rate Limits (free tier)(requests/minute)600 (authenticated)
Community Forum Members (approx)(members)150000
Cloud Pricing (Starting Tier)(USD/user/month)$29/month
Agile Board Templates(number)5-8 built-in
Public Repositories (Total)(repositories)14,000,000+
Free Tier CI/CD Minutes(minutes/month)400 minutes/month
Self-Hosting Cost (Per User/Year)(USD)$99 (Premium Edition)
Marketplace Integrations(count)2,500+

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

7 attributes compared head-to-head

GitLab
4GitLab
GitLab leads
Gitea
3Gitea
  • Deployment Model

    GitLab

    Cloud SaaS + Self-hosted Enterprise

    Gitea

    Self-hosted only (lightweight)(winner)

  • Built-in CI/CD Pipelines

    GitLab

    Yes (GitLab CI/CD included)(winner)

    Gitea

    No (requires third-party integration)

  • Minimum RAM Requirement

    GitLab

    4GB recommended

    Gitea

    512MB or less(winner)

  • Issue Tracking & Project Management

    GitLab

    Advanced (epics, roadmaps, requirements)(winner)

    Gitea

    Basic (issues, labels, milestones)

  • Container Registry

    GitLab

    Native support included(winner)

    Gitea

    Not included

  • Security Scanning Features

    GitLab

    SAST, DAST, dependency scanning (paid plans)(winner)

    Gitea

    None built-in

  • Setup Complexity

    GitLab

    Moderate (Docker, Kubernetes options)

    Gitea

    Very simple (single binary)(winner)

Full Comparison

GitLab
Gitea
Built-in CI/CD Minutes (Free Plan)(minutes/month)
400 minutes with shared runners
Built-in CI/CD Pipeline(included)
Native GitLab CI/CD
Self-Hosting Support
Community and Enterprise editions available
Self-Hosted Option Available
Yes (free Community Edition)
Self-Hosted Edition Available
Community, Premium, and Ultimate editions
Public Repositories
Unlimited on all plans
Storage (Free Plan)(GB)
5GB total
SAST Security Scanning
Built-in for all tiers
Native Security Scanning
Yes (SAST, DAST, container, dependency)
Security Scanning Features(count)
5 (SAST, DAST, dependency, secret, container)
0
Built-in Security Scanning Tools
Included in Free tier (SAST, DAST, Dependency, Container)
Monthly Active Users(millions)
Approximately 30 million users
Free Plan Available
Yes, with 5GB storage limit
Starting Price (Per User/Month)(USD)
$10.50 for Premium
Free Tier Monthly Minutes(build minutes)
400 minutes
Self-Hosted Annual Cost (Single User)(USD)
$990
Monthly Cost (Single User, Premium)(USD)
$8.25 (Premium at $99/year)
Show 6 more attributes
Free Tier Storage Limit(GB)
10 GB (projects)
Pro Plan Cost Per User(USD/month)
$29 (Premium plan)
Cloud Pricing (Starting Tier)(USD/user/month)
$29/month
Free Tier Access
Yes - includes 50,000 CI/CD minutes
Self-Hosting Cost (Per User/Year)(USD)
$99 (Premium Edition)
Free Public Repo Storage(GB)
Unlimited
Free Monthly CI/CD Minutes (Private Repos)(minutes)
400 minutes
Container Registry Free Storage(GB)
5 GB per project
Marketplace Ecosystem Size(actions/templates)
900+ Templates
Platform Integration Count(integrations)
400+ via marketplace
Marketplace Integrations(count)
2,500+
Enterprise Security (SAST) Cost(USD/month per user)
Included in Ultimate ($99/month per user)
Built-in Project Management Features
Issues, Epics, Roadmaps, advanced Boards, Milestones
Native GitHub Integration Required
Requires separate account/platform
Maximum Parallel Jobs (Free Tier)(concurrent jobs)
10 concurrent pipelines
Job Startup Time(seconds)
12-15 seconds
API Rate Limit (Unauthenticated)(requests/hour)
300
60
Source Control Integration
Native Git (no external required)
Setup Time to First Pipeline(minutes)
45-60 minutes
Setup Time (Fresh Installation)(minutes)
30-45 minutes
5-10 minutes
Built-in Project Management(status)
Yes (issues, boards, wiki, milestones)
Container Registry Included
Yes (free Docker registry)
Maximum CI/CD Pipeline Minutes (free tier/month)(minutes)
400 minutes/month
Issue Tracking & Project Management
Built-in full-featured system
Built-in CI/CD Included
Yes (GitLab CI/CD)
No
Show 3 more attributes
Container Registry Support
Native (included)
Not included
Git Repository Hosting
Integrated
Agile Board Templates(number)
5-8 built-in
Pre-built Integration Orbs/Templates(count)
80+ Templates
Free Tier Private Repositories(count)
Unlimited
Pro Plan Annual Cost (per user)(USD)
$228/year ($19/month)
Jira Integration Quality(rating)
Third-party plugin required
Minimum RAM Requirement(GB)
4GB
0.5GB
Database Options Supported(count)
3 (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)
3 (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)
Community-Maintained Forks/Mirrors(count)
Forgejo, GitLab Community Edition
1+ active forks
Community Forum Members (approx)(members)
150000
Free CI/CD Minutes Monthly(minutes)
400 minutes (shared)
Built-in Container Registry
Yes, included in all tiers
Free Tier CI/CD Minutes(minutes/month)
400 minutes/month
Built-in CI/CD Integration
GitLab CI/CD (native pipeline engine)
Maximum Concurrent Users Supported(users)
10,000+ (with performance degradation)
Maximum Team Members (Free Tier)(users)
Unlimited
API Rate Limits (free tier)(requests/minute)
600 (authenticated)
Self-Hosting Capability
Open-source Community Edition available
Active Directory Integration
Via third-party plugins/SAML
Test Case Management Module
Basic; limited test case tracking
CI/CD Minutes Included (Free Tier)(minutes/month)
400 minutes
Public Repositories (Total)(repositories)
14,000,000+
Web-based Code Review
Merge Requests with code owner enforcement
Enterprise Compliance Features
DORA metrics, advanced audit, compliance reporting (Premium+)

Pros & Cons

10 pros·6 cons across both

GitLab
Gitea
GitLab

GitLab

+5-3

Pros

  • Built-in CI/CD pipelines eliminate need for external tools
  • Native container registry and Kubernetes integration
  • Advanced security features (SAST, DAST, secret detection)
  • Comprehensive project management with epics and roadmaps
  • Supports 40+ integrations for webhooks and external services

Cons

  • Higher resource requirements (4GB+ RAM minimum)
  • Steep learning curve for new users
  • Premium features locked behind paid tiers
Gitea

Gitea

+5-3

Pros

  • Ultra-lightweight (runs on 512MB RAM or less)
  • Single binary deployment with minimal dependencies
  • Very fast setup and installation (5-10 minutes)
  • Intuitive web interface requiring no special knowledge
  • Low operational overhead and minimal maintenance

Cons

  • No built-in CI/CD (requires external runners)
  • Limited project management features
  • No native container registry or security scanning

Frequently Asked Questions

5 questions

  1. Gitea does not have built-in CI/CD, but you can integrate external CI/CD systems like Drone, GitHub Actions runners, or Jenkins via webhooks. This requires additional setup and management compared to GitLab's integrated approach.

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