Open-source alternatives to GitHub
9 self-hostable open-source projects that replace GitHub, ranked by computed health score with real self-hosting cost.
Why people 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 and Forgejo are lightweight self-hosted GitHub clones, repos + Actions + issues for unlimited users on a $5 VPS.
The 9 alternatives, ranked by health
Health score is a 6-dimension composite. See methodology for formula and weights.
Git with a cup of tea! Painless self-hosted all-in-one software development service, including Git hosting, code review, team collaboration, package registry and CI/CD
Go library for accessing the GitHub v3 API
Untangle your GitHub Notifications
The GitButler version control client, backed by Git, powered by Tauri/Rust/Svelte
OctoLinker, Links together, what belongs together
Convert documentation websites, GitHub repositories, and PDFs into Claude AI skills with automatic conflict detection
Get Android app updates straight from the source.
A list of cool features of Git and GitHub.
git and git flow cheat sheet
Cost comparison vs GitHub
Self-hosting cost on cheapest plan meeting requirements vs GitHub entry tier ($4/mo).
| Project | Self-host /mo | GitHub /mo | Save /yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gitea | $4.13 | $4+ | , | Deploy → |
| go-github | $4.13 | $4+ | , | Deploy → |
| octobox | $4.13 | $4+ | , | Deploy → |
| gitbutler | $4.13 | $4+ | , | Deploy → |
| browser-extension | $4.13 | $4+ | , | Deploy → |
| Skill_Seekers | $4.13 | $4+ | , | Deploy → |
| Obtainium | $4.13 | $4+ | , | Deploy → |
| github-cheat-sheet | $4.13 | $4+ | , | Deploy → |
Pick your alternative
Most operators land on gitea (top health score in this category; cheapest VPS path is gitea on hetzner for $4.13/mo).
Data refreshed daily. Pricing for GitHub sourced from official site.