Gitea vs GitHub

A practical comparison of Gitea (self-hosted, free Git service) and GitHub (cloud-hosted Git platform with CI/CD and collaboration tools) for teams deciding where to host their code.

Updated 2026-10 · 2026

Gitea

Lightweight, self-hosted Git service

Freeself-hosted, open source (MIT license)

Strengths

+Completely free and open source, no per-seat costs
+Very lightweight — runs on a $5/month VPS or a Raspberry Pi
+Full control over data, no third-party access to your code

Weaknesses

-You own the uptime, backups, and security patching
-Smaller ecosystem of integrations and marketplace apps
-No built-in large-scale compliance/audit tooling for enterprises

Best for

Small teams and self-hosters who want full control over their Git infrastructure without paying per seat.

GitHub

The default home for open source and most dev teams

FreeTeam $4/user/month, Enterprise $21/user/month

Strengths

+Huge ecosystem: Actions, Marketplace, Copilot, Dependabot, Codespaces
+Free tier includes unlimited public/private repos for individuals and small orgs
+Best-in-class discoverability for open source projects

Weaknesses

-Costs scale with headcount (Team/Enterprise plans)
-Advanced security features (secret scanning, SAML SSO) are paywalled
-Less control over data residency and hosting

Best for

Teams that want zero infra overhead, maximum ecosystem compatibility, and don't mind per-seat pricing as they grow.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Gitea	GitHub
Self-hosting	Yes, primary model	No (GitHub Enterprise Server exists but is expensive)
Pricing model	Free, pay only for your server	Free tier + per-user paid tiers
Private repos	Unlimited, free	Unlimited, free (with feature caps on free tier)
CI/CD	Gitea Actions (YAML, Actions-compatible)	GitHub Actions
Package registry	Built-in package registry	GitHub Packages
Issue tracking / PRs	Yes, built-in	Yes, built-in, more mature UI
Code search	Basic	Advanced (GitHub code search)
Copilot / AI features	Not built-in	GitHub Copilot (paid add-on)
SSO / SAML	Available, self-configured	Enterprise plan only
Community/marketplace	Small	Very large (Actions Marketplace, apps)
Uptime responsibility	You	GitHub
Open source visibility	Low	High — default discovery platform

The Verdict

Gitea wins on cost and control — it's genuinely free and takes minutes to self-host, making it a no-brainer for small teams or solo devs who don't need a huge integration ecosystem. GitHub wins when you need Copilot, Actions Marketplace, open source visibility, or you'd rather pay per seat than manage a server. If your team is under 10 people and budget-conscious, start with Gitea; move to GitHub once ecosystem and hiring-pool effects matter more than hosting costs.

How to switch from Gitea to GitHub

1Export each repo from Gitea as a bare Git repository using `git clone --mirror` against the Gitea repo URL, which gives you a full copy including all branches and tags.
2Create matching repos on GitHub (manually or via the GitHub CLI `gh repo create`), then push your mirrored repos with `git push --mirror <github-url>`.
3Migrate issues, pull requests, and wiki pages using a migration script (e.g. community tools like 'gitea2github') or recreate critical open issues manually if the backlog is small.
4Recreate your CI pipelines: convert Gitea Actions YAML (which is largely GitHub Actions-compatible) into `.github/workflows/` files and verify secrets/env vars are re-added in GitHub repo settings.
5Rebuild webhooks and integrations (Slack notifications, deploy hooks) using GitHub's native integrations or GitHub Apps instead of Gitea's webhook config.
6Update local dev remotes (`git remote set-url origin <github-url>`) and documentation, then archive or shut down the Gitea instance once the team confirms the GitHub repos are fully functional.

Gitea vs GitHub: common questions

How do I migrate repos from Gitea to GitHub?+

Each Gitea repo is a standard Git repo, so you can push it directly to a new GitHub repo with `git remote add github <url>` and `git push github --all --tags`. For issues, PRs, and wiki content, Gitea doesn't have a one-click GitHub exporter, so you'll need a script (several community tools exist on GitHub, e.g. 'gitea-to-github-migrator') or do it manually for small projects.

What do I lose moving from Gitea to GitHub?+

You lose full control over your data and infrastructure — your code now lives on GitHub's servers, and you're subject to their rate limits, downtime, and policy changes. You also move from a free tool to one with per-seat costs once you need Team or Enterprise features like SSO or advanced security.

Is GitHub's free tier enough for a small team?+

Yes, for most small teams — GitHub's free tier includes unlimited private repos, 2,000 CI minutes/month, and basic collaboration tools. You'll likely need to upgrade to Team ($4/user/month) only if you need protected branches, required reviewers, or advanced permissions.

Does GitHub integrate with the tools we already use?+

Almost certainly yes — GitHub has the largest third-party integration ecosystem of any Git platform, covering Slack, Jira, Vercel, Netlify, Linear, and thousands of Actions Marketplace apps. If you were using Gitea webhooks for custom integrations, most have a GitHub Actions or GitHub App equivalent.

Will this cost more over time than staying on Gitea?+

Yes, almost certainly — Gitea's only cost is server hosting (often $5-20/month total), while GitHub Team costs $4/user/month and Enterprise is $21/user/month. For a 10-person team, that's $0 vs $480-$2,520/year, so the switch is really about trading cost for ecosystem and reduced ops overhead.