act vs Gitea Act Runner
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted ci/cd & build options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | act | Gitea Act Runner |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 72,094 | ★ 800 |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces | GitHub Actions | GitHub Actions |
What are act and Gitea Act Runner?
act
act lets developers run GitHub Actions workflows on their own machine using Docker, providing fast local feedback before pushing. It reads the same workflow files used by GitHub so behavior closely matches CI.
- Local GitHub Actions runs
- Docker-based execution
- Reuses workflow files
- Fast feedback loop
Gitea Act Runner
Act Runner is the official runner for Gitea Actions, executing workflow jobs defined in repositories. It brings GitHub Actions-style automation to self-hosted Gitea instances.
- GitHub Actions-compatible workflows
- Docker and host execution
- Lightweight Go binary
- Auto-registration with Gitea
act vs Gitea Act Runner: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Act is the more established project (first released 2019), while Gitea Act Runner arrived in 2023. Act has the considerably larger community, at 72,094 GitHub stars versus 800. Gitea Act Runner lists first-class Docker deployment; act does not.
Why pick each one
Choose act if…
- Test CI before pushing
- Saves CI minutes
Watch out for
- Not all actions supported
- Docker required
Choose Gitea Act Runner if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is act or Gitea Act Runner better?
act is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Gitea Act Runner if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are act and Gitea Act Runner free and open-source?
Yes. act is licensed under MIT and Gitea Act Runner under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run act and Gitea Act Runner with Docker?
act: check the project docs for container support. Gitea Act Runner: yes.