Alternatives to GitHub
The default code host with Actions and Copilot
GitHub ranks #4 of 7 in Git hosting, with an Alt Score of 85. It is freemium from Free and available on Web, iOS, Android, Windows and macOS. 12 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Software developers and engineering teams who need to host Git repositories and collaborate on code, from individual open-source maintainers to large enterprise organizations.
Git repository hosting with pull requests for code review and merging, Issues for tracking bugs and tasks, and GitHub Actions for CI/CD automation. It also includes GitHub Copilot for AI-assisted coding, plus package registry, wiki, and project board features. Access to millions of public open-source repositories and a large developer community.
You push code to Git repositories hosted on GitHub, then use branches and pull requests to propose and review changes before merging. Actions workflows can automatically build, test, and deploy code in response to repository events like pushes or pull requests.
Why people leave GitHub
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Git hosting checklist (16 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Git hosting checklist | GitHub | Codeberg | Forgejo | GitLab | Bitbucket | Gitea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Private repos (free) | ||||||
| CI/CD built in | ||||||
| Pull-request reviews | ||||||
| Issues & projects | ||||||
| Self-hostable | ||||||
| Package registry | ||||||
| Pages / static hosting | ||||||
| Federation support | ||||||
| API access | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| LFS support | ||||||
| Fine-grained permissions |
Every fact and feature listed for GitHub is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-09
Free The basics for individuals and organizations $ 0 USD per month $ 0 USD per month forever
https://github.com/pricing -
Starts at Free verified 2026-07-09
Free The basics for individuals and organizations $ 0 USD per month forever
https://github.com/pricing -
Status active verified 2026-07-09
Frequent new-feature launches.
GitHub Copilot Get suggestions for whole lines of code or entire functions right inside your editor.
https://github.com/features -
Platforms Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS verified 2026-07-09
GitHub Desktop for Windows/macOS; Web is the primary platform.
GitHub Mobile is available as an Android and iOS app.
https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/using-github/github-mobile -
Private repos (free) Yes verified 2026-07-09
Unlimited public/private repositories Host open source projects in public GitHub repositories, accessible via web or command line.
https://github.com/pricing -
CI/CD built in Yes verified 2026-07-09
2,000 CI/CD minutes/month … Use execution minutes with GitHub Actions to automate your software development workflows.
https://github.com/pricing -
Pull-request reviews Yes verified 2026-07-09
Pull request reviews are one of the primary ways people collaborate on GitHub. Reviewers can comment on changes, suggest improvements, and approve or request changes before code is merged.
https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/collaborating-with-pull-requests/reviewing-changes-in-pull-requests/about-pull-request-reviews -
Issues & projects Yes verified 2026-07-09
Issues & Projects Give your developers flexible features for project management that adapts to any team, project, and workflow — all alongside your code.
https://github.com/pricing -
Self-hostable Yes verified 2026-07-09
GitHub Enterprise Server self-hosts on AWS, Azure, GCP, Hyper-V, OpenStack, VMware.
About GitHub Enterprise Server
https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-server@latest/admin/overview/about-github-enterprise-server -
Package registry Yes verified 2026-07-09
GitHub Packages is a platform for hosting and managing packages, including containers and other dependencies.
https://docs.github.com/en/packages/learn-github-packages/introduction-to-github-packages -
Pages / static hosting Yes verified 2026-07-09
GitHub Pages is a static site hosting service that takes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files straight from a repository on GitHub … and publishes a website.
https://docs.github.com/en/pages/getting-started-with-github-pages/about-github-pages -
Federation support No verified 2026-07-09
No federation protocol; centralized platform.
GitHub Copilot Write better code with AI ... Actions Automate any workflow ... Issues Plan and track work
https://github.com/features -
API access Yes verified 2026-07-09
You can use GitHub's API to build scripts and applications that automate processes, integrate with GitHub, and extend GitHub.
https://docs.github.com/en/rest/about-the-rest-api/about-the-rest-api -
Open source No verified 2026-07-09
Only the Desktop client is open source; the GitHub platform itself is proprietary.
GitHub Desktop is a free, open source application that helps you to work with files hosted on GitHub or other Git hosting services.
https://docs.github.com/en/desktop/overview/about-github-desktop -
LFS support Yes verified 2026-07-09
Git LFS handles large files by storing references to the file in the repository … GitHub Free 2 GB
https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/working-with-files/managing-large-files/about-git-large-file-storage -
Fine-grained permissions Yes verified 2026-07-09
Each token is granted specific, fine-grained permissions, which offer more control than the scopes granted to personal access tokens (classic).
https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/keeping-your-account-and-data-secure/managing-your-personal-access-tokens
FAQ
Yes. Forgejo, GitLab and Bitbucket have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Codeberg, Forgejo and GitLab — every license claim links its source.