Our verdict: Forgejo is the self-hosted git server to run for most solo devs and small teams. Stay on Gitea if it already works for you, and pick GitLab CE only if you need full DevOps in one box.
Self-hosted git used to mean GitLab. Now the choice splits three ways, and the lightweight forks have caught up on the features most people use: repos, issues, pull requests and built-in CI.
Forgejo
Gitea
GitLab CE
Codeberg
sourcehut
What each one needs to run
That gap decides most setups. Forgejo and Gitea run happily on a Raspberry Pi or a low-cost VPS, while GitLab wants a proper server before you push your first commit.
The 5 options at a glance
Forgejo- Very light, runs on a Raspberry Pi
- Forgejo Actions, GitHub Actions-compatible
- Community-run, new major version every 3 months
The catch: federation is still experimental.
Gitea- 2 CPU cores and 1 GB RAM for small teams
- Gitea Actions and a package registry
- Actively maintained
The catch: company-backed governance.
GitLab CE- Full CI/CD, container registry, Pages
- Wiki, package repository, security scanning
- One installer for everything
The catch: 16 GB RAM and 8 vCPU baseline.
Codeberg- Forgejo without running a server
- Forgejo Actions for CI
- No commercial pressure
The catch: not self-hosted.
sourcehut- Mailing-list patches, no web PRs
- builds.sr.ht for CI
- All plans get every service
The catch: alien to GitHub-trained devs.
Prices and hardware
Prices checked October 15, 2026, on each project's own site.
| Option | Price | Hardware | Built-in CI | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forgejo | Free, open source | Very light, runs on a Raspberry Pi | Forgejo Actions (GitHub Actions-compatible) | Most new self-hosters |
| Gitea | Free, open source | Very light: 2 CPU cores and 1 GB RAM for small teams | Gitea Actions | Existing Gitea installs |
| GitLab CE | Free, open source | 16 GB RAM and 8 vCPU baseline (8 GB minimum) | Full CI/CD, registry, Pages | All-in-one DevOps |
| Codeberg | Free (hosted, non-profit) | None, it's hosted | Forgejo Actions | Hosted Forgejo without a server |
| sourcehut | From $4/mo (hosted) | None, it's hosted | builds.sr.ht | Email-driven workflows |
What each one can do
| Feature | Forgejo | Gitea | GitLab CE | Codeberg | sourcehut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Paid |
| Built-in CI | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| GitHub Actions-style workflows | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Web pull request review | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Container registry | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | – |
| Runs on light hardware | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | Hosted | Hosted |
– means we couldn't confirm it on the project's own site.
The 2022 fork that changed the pick
Gitea was the default lightweight forge for years. In 2022, the creation of Gitea Ltd., a company, raised governance concerns over trademarks, contributor agreements and ownership. A community fork called Forgejo launched late that year.
Today Codeberg e.V., a non-profit, owns Forgejo's domains, while Forgejo's own governance stays independent. Since 2024 the fork has shipped faster, and it's now the usual recommendation in self-hosting communities.
Forgejo: the 2026 default
Forgejo is a single Go binary that runs on a Raspberry Pi, a cheap VPS or a container on a NAS. It covers what most people use GitHub for: repos, issues, pull requests, code review, webhooks, LDAP, OAuth and OIDC sign-in, plus Forgejo Actions for CI.
It ships a major version every three months. v17.0 arrived on October 15 with issue and pull request auto-completion, Actions job summaries and migration from Bitbucket Data Center. ActivityPub federation is coming but still experimental.
GitLab CE: when CI/CD is the requirement
GitLab Community Edition puts every DevOps feature in one box: CI/CD, container registry, package repository, wiki, Pages, security scanning and monitoring. You pay in hardware. GitLab's docs set 16 GB of RAM and 8 vCPU as the single-node baseline, with 8 GB as the floor.
For a small team that wants CI without bolting on Jenkins or external runners, it's the only option here that does it all in one installer. If your CI lives elsewhere, it's overkill.
Gitea: fine if you're already there
Gitea is still actively maintained and capable, with Gitea Actions and a package registry. Its docs say a Raspberry Pi 3 can handle small workloads. The case against it for new installs is governance, not features.
If your Gitea instance works, keep it. Just check your version before you plan a move.
What about Codeberg and sourcehut?
If you want to leave GitHub without running a server, Codeberg is free hosted Forgejo run by a non-profit. sourcehut is minimal, email-driven hosting at $4, $8 or $12 a month, and every tier gets every service. It uses mailing-list patches instead of web pull requests.
Which one should you use?
The verdict
Forgejo is the self-hosted git server to run in 2026: light, community-run and shipping every three months. Choose GitLab CE only when built-in CI/CD is worth 16 GB of RAM, and use Codeberg if you'd rather not run a server at all.
FAQ
Which self-hosted git is best in 2026?
Forgejo is the right pick for most self-hosters. It's a community-led fork of Gitea, runs on modest hardware and ships a new major version every three months. GitLab CE is the pick if you need built-in CI/CD and a registry in one install. Gitea is fine if you already run it.
What's the difference between Forgejo and Gitea?
Forgejo forked from Gitea in 2022 over governance concerns after Gitea Ltd. was formed. Forgejo is community-run, and Codeberg e.V., a non-profit, owns its domains. The codebases have diverged, and Forgejo's guide supports direct upgrades only from Gitea v1.22 or earlier.
How much resources does Forgejo need?
Forgejo doesn't publish a hardware minimum, and it says it needs an order of magnitude less resources than other forges. A small personal instance fits on a low-cost VPS or a Raspberry Pi. GitLab is far heavier: its docs set 16 GB of RAM and 8 vCPU as the single-node baseline and say it can run on at least 8 GB in memory-constrained setups.
Should I self-host git or stay on GitHub?
Stay on GitHub for collaboration with anyone outside your team, since that's where everyone already is. Self-host for private projects, internal tools and archives. Many self-hosters do both: GitHub for public work, Forgejo for private.
Does Forgejo or Gitea have AI / Copilot integration?
Neither has built-in AI features like Copilot. Pair them with Cursor, Zed or any editor with its own AI, or wire up pull request review yourself with a webhook and an AI API. GitLab's AI features are tied to paid tiers.