act vs GitLab
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?
act
Run GitHub Actions workflows locally for fast feedback
VS
GitLab
Git-repository manager providing wiki, issue-tracking and CI/CD
| Feature | act | GitLab |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,000 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 71,417 | — |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces | GitHub Actions | GitHub |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is act or GitLab better?
Neither is universally better. act has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are act and GitLab free and open-source?
Yes. act is licensed under MIT and GitLab under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run act and GitLab with Docker?
act: check the project docs for container support. GitLab: check the project docs for container support.