Git Hosting Solutions — Complete Overview
Your current setup: Bare Git (Zurich) — SSH-only, no web UI, no issues
SaaS Solutions (They Host, You Pay/Free)
1. GitHub (USA, Microsoft)
|
|
| Type |
SaaS (Proprietary) |
| Cost |
Free (public + private, 3 collaborators), Team $4/user/month |
| Features |
Issues, PRs, Actions (CI/CD), Codespaces, Copilot |
| Pros |
Everyone uses it, massive ecosystem, best integrations |
| Cons |
US jurisdiction (CLOUD Act), vendor lock-in, Microsoft |
| Best for |
OSS projects, when you need network effects |
2. GitLab.com (USA)
|
|
| Type |
SaaS (Open Core — some features open, some proprietary) |
| Cost |
Free (400 CI minutes/month), Premium $29/user/month |
| Features |
Issues, MRs, CI/CD (built-in), Container registry, DevSecOps |
| Pros |
Generous free CI, integrated DevOps platform |
| Cons |
Complex, heavy, can be slow, US company |
| Best for |
Teams wanting integrated CI/CD without setup |
3. Bitbucket (USA, Atlassian)
|
|
| Type |
SaaS (Proprietary) |
| Cost |
Free (5 users), Standard $3/user/month |
| Features |
Issues, PRs, Pipelines (CI/CD), Jira integration |
| Pros |
Works with Jira/Confluence if you use Atlassian |
| Cons |
Smaller community than GitHub, Atlassian ecosystem lock-in |
| Best for |
Teams already in Atlassian ecosystem |
4. SourceHut (USA, Drew DeVault)
|
|
| Type |
SaaS (Open Source — sourcehut.org is open) |
| Cost |
Free during beta, then ~$2/month or pay-what-you-want |
| Features |
Git + Mercurial, email-based workflow, minimal web UI |
| Pros |
No JavaScript, fast, privacy-focused, true open source |
| Cons |
Different workflow (email-based), smaller community |
| Best for |
Minimalists, people who hate web bloat |
5. Codeberg (Germany, EU)
|
|
| Type |
SaaS (runs Gitea, non-profit) |
| Cost |
Free (donations welcome) |
| Features |
Gitea-based: Issues, PRs, CI via Woodpecker |
| Pros |
EU-hosted (GDPR-friendly), non-profit, no tracking |
| Cons |
Smaller than GitHub, occasional downtime |
| Best for |
EU-based projects, privacy-conscious, avoiding Big Tech |
Self-Hosted Solutions (You Host, You Control)
|
|
| Type |
Open Core (CE is open, EE is proprietary) |
| Cost |
Free (self-hosted) |
| Install |
Complex — requires PostgreSQL, Redis, Ruby, Go |
| Resources |
4GB+ RAM minimum, prefers 8GB |
| Features |
Issues, MRs, CI/CD (with runners), Registry, Wiki |
| Pros |
Full-featured, industry standard for self-hosting |
| Cons |
Heavy, complex to maintain, resource hungry |
| Best for |
Large teams needing full DevOps platform |
7. Gitea (Go, Lightweight)
|
|
| Type |
Open Source (MIT License) |
| Cost |
Free |
| Install |
1 binary, 5 minutes |
| Resources |
~100MB RAM, runs on Raspberry Pi |
| Features |
Issues, PRs, CI/CD (via Act runners), Registry, Wiki |
| Pros |
Light, fast, easy, GitHub-like UI |
| Cons |
Smaller ecosystem than GitLab, newer (less mature) |
| Best for |
Small-medium teams, low resources, quick setup |
8. Gogs (Go, Minimal)
|
|
| Type |
Open Source (MIT License) |
| Cost |
Free |
| Install |
1 binary |
| Resources |
Very light — lighter than Gitea |
| Features |
Basic: repos, issues, PRs (simpler than Gitea) |
| Pros |
Extremely light, simple |
| Cons |
Less active development, fewer features than Gitea |
| Best for |
Minimalists who just need repos + basic issues |
9. Forgejo (Gitea Fork)
|
|
| Type |
Open Source (Fork of Gitea) |
| Cost |
Free |
| Origin |
Community fork after Gitea went to non-profit governance |
| Features |
Same as Gitea |
| Pros |
100% community-controlled, no corporate influence |
| Cons |
Newer fork, smaller community (for now) |
| Best for |
Those who want Gitea features but pure community governance |
10. Your Current: Bare Git + SSH
|
|
| Type |
Just Git (no platform) |
| Cost |
Server cost only |
| Install |
git init --bare |
| Resources |
Minimal |
| Features |
Git only — no issues, no PRs, no web UI |
| Pros |
Full control, minimal attack surface, simple |
| Cons |
No collaboration features, manual everything |
| Best for |
Small teams, maximum control, minimal complexity |
Summary: Which Should You Choose?
| Your Priority |
Solution |
Why |
| Maximum visibility for OSS |
GitHub |
Everyone's there |
| EU data residency + OSS |
Codeberg |
GDPR-friendly, non-profit |
| Self-hosted, low resources |
Gitea |
1 binary, 100MB RAM |
| Self-hosted, full DevOps |
GitLab CE |
Complete platform |
| Minimalist, email workflow |
SourceHut |
No bloat, true open source |
| Keep current + add issues |
Gitea on Zurich |
Upgrade your bare Git |
| Maximum control, no web |
Keep bare Git |
What you have now |
My Recommendation for You
Hybrid: GitHub Free + Your Zurich Bare Git
Public repo (clavitor) → GitHub Free (OSS visibility)
Private dev repo (clavitor-dev) → Zurich Bare Git (compliance/control)
Or full upgrade: Gitea on Zurich
- 1 binary install
- Web UI with issues/PRs
- Still self-hosted in Switzerland
- GDPR-friendly
Want me to:
- A) Write skill to install Gitea on Zurich?
- B) Set up GitHub Free + sync workflow?
- C) Keep current bare Git + document manual issue workflow?