GitHub vs Gitea
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $4-$21/user/mo on GitHub.
Side-by-side
| GitHub | Gitea (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $4-$21/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | GitHub's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | GitHub controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (MIT) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (manual) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 79 / 100 |
Why teams leave GitHub
- Private repo limits + Action minute limits on lower tiers
- Per-user pricing for orgs
- Cloud-only, your code lives on Microsoft's infra
- Enterprise tier required for SAML SSO and audit logs
Gitea answers this by: Gitea and Forgejo are lightweight self-hosted GitHub clones, repos + Actions + issues for unlimited users on a $5 VPS.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using GitHub at the midpoint price ($12.5/user/mo).
| Period | GitHub | Gitea on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $62.5 | $4.13 | $58.37 |
| Yearly | $750 | $49.56 | $700.44 |
| 3 years | $2,250 | $149 | $2,101 |
Deploy Gitea now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
Affiliate disclosure — these links may earn ossreplace a commission at no cost to you.
Common questions
Is Gitea a good alternative to GitHub?
Gitea is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to GitHub with an ossreplace health score of 79/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the MIT license, versus GitHub's $4–21/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Gitea than GitHub?
A 5-person team pays about $62.5/mo on GitHub. Self-hosting Gitea on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $2,101 less over three years (93% lower).
Is Gitea hard to self-host?
Gitea self-hosts on your own VPS. You handle the install, backups, and updates yourself in exchange for full data ownership and no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Gitea vs GitHub?
Yes. Because Gitea runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With GitHub, GitHub controls the hosting, storage, and access.