Gitea vs GitLab Runner
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted git hosting & forges options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Gitea
Lightweight self-hosted Git service
VS
GitLab Runner
Run CI/CD jobs for GitLab on your own infrastructure
| Feature | Gitea | GitLab Runner |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Git Hosting & Forges | Git Hosting & Forges |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 57,266 | ★ 8,500 |
| First released | 2016 | 2015 |
| Replaces | GitHub, GitLab | GitHub Actions runner |
Why pick each one
Choose GitLab Runner if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 8.5k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Gitea or GitLab Runner better?
Gitea is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider GitLab Runner if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Gitea and GitLab Runner free and open-source?
Yes. Gitea is licensed under MIT and GitLab Runner under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gitea and GitLab Runner with Docker?
Gitea: yes. GitLab Runner: yes.