Argo CD 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.
Not the right match-up?
Argo CD
Declarative GitOps continuous delivery for Kubernetes
VS
Gitea Act Runner
CI/CD runner for Gitea Actions
| Feature | Argo CD | Gitea Act Runner |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | kubernetes, helm | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,867 | ★ 800 |
| First released | 2018 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Spinnaker | GitHub Actions |
Why pick each one
Choose Argo CD if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 23.9k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
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 Argo CD or Gitea Act Runner better?
Neither is universally better. Argo CD has the larger community, while Gitea Act Runner is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Argo CD and Gitea Act Runner free and open-source?
Yes. Argo CD is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Gitea Act Runner under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Argo CD and Gitea Act Runner with Docker?
Argo CD: check the project docs for container support. Gitea Act Runner: yes.