Gitea vs Gogs
Both are free/open-source alternatives to GitHub. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Gitea
Popular, easy-to-run self-hosted Git service.
Gitea is a fast, lightweight Git forge written in Go and released under the permissive MIT license. It provides repository hosting, pull requests, code review, issue tracking, a package registry across many formats, and GitHub-Actions-compatible CI via Gitea Actions. It has the largest community and third-party ecosystem among the open forges and installs in minutes from a single binary or container. It is stewarded by the for-profit CommitGo, Inc., which also offers paid Gitea Enterprise and Gitea Cloud offerings alongside the open-source core.
Gogs
Ultra-lightweight, painless self-hosted Git service.
Gogs is a minimal, self-hosted Git service written in Go and released under the MIT license — the project Gitea was originally forked from. Its goal is to be the simplest and most resource-frugal way to run your own Git server, shipping as a single binary that runs on almost anything, including low-power ARM devices. It covers the essentials (repositories, issues, pull requests, webhooks) but moves more slowly and offers fewer features than Gitea, Forgejo, or GitLab.
Side by side
| Gitea | Gogs | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 98 | 96 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Pricing | Free / self-host (optional paid Enterprise and Cloud tiers) | Free / self-host |
Gitea edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Gitea
Strengths
- +Largest community and third-party ecosystem of the open forges
- +Permissive MIT license; simple single-binary or container install
- +Very light on resources — comfortable on modest hardware
- +GitHub-Actions-compatible CI, package registry, OAuth/LDAP, and a mature REST API
Trade-offs
- −Steered by a for-profit company (CommitGo) with paid Enterprise/Cloud tiers, a mild governance consideration versus a non-profit steward
- −Self-hosting means you handle backups, upgrades, and security yourself
- −Advanced enterprise features (e.g. SSO auto-scaling runners) are reserved for the paid Enterprise edition
- −Issue/PR and workflow data still need conversion when migrating between platforms
Gogs
Strengths
- +Extremely lightweight — runs on minimal hardware, including a Raspberry Pi or ARM board
- +Permissive MIT license and a simple single-binary install
- +Low maintenance footprint for small teams and personal use
- +Standard Git under the hood keeps code and history fully portable
Trade-offs
- −Slower release cadence and a smaller maintainer team than Gitea or Forgejo
- −Fewer features (no built-in Actions-style CI; lighter package/registry support)
- −Smaller community and integration ecosystem
- −Self-hosting responsibilities (backups, upgrades, security) rest with you
Facts verified 2026-07-07. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.