Top 3 Open Source Alternatives to GitHub in 2025: GitLab, Gitea, and Gogs
- Philip Moses
- Sep 25
- 4 min read
When most people think of hosting code, GitHub is the first name that comes to mind. It’s big, popular, and full of open-source projects. But it’s not the only option. Many developers, teams, and companies in 2025 are looking for open-source GitHub alternatives—tools they can control, customize, and even run on their own servers.
In this blog, we’ll look at the top three open-source alternatives to GitHub in 2025: GitLab, Gitea, and Gogs. We’ll cover what they are, their key features, and how they compare in terms of hosting, ease of use, performance, and community support.
1. GitLab – The All-in-One DevOps Platform
If you want an alternative that does more than just host code, GitLab is the big name. GitLab is like an entire workshop in one place. You get source code hosting, issue tracking, wikis, merge requests, built-in CI/CD pipelines, and even a container registry.
You can use GitLab in two ways:
GitLab.com – a hosted service (free and paid plans available).
Self-hosted GitLab CE (Community Edition) – free to install on your own server.
GitLab is powerful but also resource-heavy. To run it yourself, you’ll need a strong server with multiple CPU cores and at least 8GB of RAM. It’s best suited for larger teams or companies that need advanced features like security scanning, automation, and even AI tools (GitLab Duo), which help speed up coding and reviews.
👉 Best for: Teams and businesses that need an enterprise-level tool with everything built in.
2. Gitea – Lightweight and Feature-Rich
Gitea is a lightweight, open-source Git hosting solution made by the community. It’s simple, fast, and easy to install—so easy that you can run it on a Raspberry Pi or a small VPS.
Even though it’s lightweight, Gitea has grown a lot. It now includes:
Git hosting with issues, pull/merge requests, and wikis.
Built-in CI/CD (Gitea Actions).
A package registry for storing and sharing packages.
Extra security features like two-factor authentication.
You can host it yourself for free, or use Gitea Cloud (a paid hosted version) if you don’t want to manage servers. Paid plans start at around $10–$19 per user per month, but the self-hosted option is completely free.
👉 Best for: Developers, small teams, and open-source projects that want most GitHub-like features in a faster, simpler package.
3. Gogs – The Simplest Option
Gogs (short for Go Git Service) is all about simplicity. It’s one of the easiest Git hosting tools to install—just download it and run a single file. Gogs works on almost any system (Linux, Windows, macOS, ARM devices) and can even run smoothly on the tiniest servers.
It offers the basics:
Git repository hosting.
A web interface with issues and wiki support.
That’s it. No built-in CI/CD, no extra project management features. Because of its simplicity, some users have moved to Gitea for more features. Still, Gogs is perfect if you just want a no-fuss Git server that runs fast with almost no setup.
👉 Best for: Individuals or very small teams who want something minimal and super-fast.
Quick Comparison: GitLab vs Gitea vs Gogs
Feature | GitLab | Gitea | Gogs |
| Self-host or GitLab.com (free & paid) | Self-host (free) or Gitea Cloud (paid) | Self-host only (free) |
| Powerful but complex | Easy to install, user-friendly | Easiest setup of all |
| Full DevOps (CI/CD, security, AI tools) | Git basics + CI/CD + package registry | Basic Git hosting only |
| Large, enterprise-backed | Active community-driven | Smaller, less active |
| Heavy; needs strong servers | Lightweight, runs on small servers | Ultra-light, fastest |
Final Thoughts
By 2025, developers have plenty of choices beyond GitHub.
Choose GitLab if you need a full DevOps platform with all the bells and whistles.
Choose Gitea if you want a balance of features and simplicity, without heavy hardware needs.
Choose Gogs if you prefer minimalism and speed with zero fuss.
The good news? All three are open-source, meaning you control your data and can customize them as much as you want.
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