Codeberg vs GitLab
Codeberg and GitLab are two homes for code run on opposite models. Codeberg is a free, donation-funded service for free and open-source projects, running on Forgejo and operated by Codeberg e.V., a Berlin non-profit whose members elect its board. GitLab Inc. sells a DevSecOps platform as SaaS, self-managed or Dedicated, with Free, Premium and Ultimate tiers.
Choose Codeberg if
you maintain free and open-source projects and want free hosting with Pages, Woodpecker CI and a Weblate translation instance, run by a member-governed non-profit mostly on its own hardware.
Read the Codeberg reviewChoose GitLab if
you are a company with private or proprietary code, need planning, security testing and compliance in one platform, or want paid support, self-managed installs or single-tenant hosting.
Read the GitLab reviewCodeberg and GitLab side by side
| Codeberg | GitLab | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Codeberg e.V. (registered German association) | GitLab |
| Headquarters | Berlin, Germany | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Jurisdiction | EU (Germany) | EU (Netherlands) |
| Where the data sits | EU (Germany) | Self-hosted anywhere, or SaaS with EU data residency options |
| Pricing | Free | Free tier / Premium $29 per user per month billed annually / Ultimate custom pricing |
| Entry-level list price (vendor site, checked 30 September 2026) | Free; Codeberg does not charge users (donations optional) | Premium: $29 per user/month, billed annually (Free tier $0 per user/month) |
| Free tier or trial | Free | Free tier: 5 users per top-level group, 10 GiB storage |
| Certifications and checks | GDPR | GDPR |
| Source code | Open source | Open source (Community Edition open source) |
| Usually replaces | GitHub, GitLab | GitHub, Bitbucket |
| Position in our Developer Tools guide | #2 of 15 | #1 of 15 |
Both are listed in our European Developer Tools guide. The table is built from the same directory data as those entries, except the list price, which is quoted from each vendor's own pricing page (see Sources below); how we check it is described in the editorial process.
Where Codeberg and GitLab differ
Across the five points below, Codeberg has the edge on 1 point, GitLab on 3 points and one is a tie. A count like that is a summary, not a verdict: the point that matters to you may be the one the other product wins.
Who owns the platform
Codeberg e.V. is a registered non-profit association in Berlin; its members elect the presidium and board, take part in decisions under the bylaws and approve the budget once a year. It is funded by donations and membership fees. GitLab Inc. is a company listed on Nasdaq since 2021, selling Premium and Ultimate subscriptions. For users who want the platform to answer to them, Codeberg is structurally different.
Edge: Codeberg
Private and commercial code
Codeberg's FAQ says it does not offer private hosting services, tolerates private repositories mainly where they serve free software work, and recommends self-hosted Forgejo for private commercial projects; public work should carry a free licence. GitLab positions its Free tier for personal projects and open source, and its paid tiers for organisations. For proprietary company code, GitLab is the option that fits.
Edge: GitLab
Build capacity
Codeberg's Woodpecker CI needs a manual access request, is provided as-is, builds only for linux/amd64 and asks for reasonable resource use; hosted Forgejo Actions is in limited open alpha, and you can attach your own runners. GitLab lists 400 compute minutes a month on Free, 10,000 on Premium and 50,000 on Ultimate. For predictable build capacity, GitLab is the safer choice.
Edge: GitLab
Features for professional teams
GitLab's paid tiers add advanced CI/CD, team project management, application security testing, supply chain security, vulnerability management and compliance governance. Codeberg offers Forgejo-based git hosting and issues, Pages for static websites on a codeberg.page address or your own domain, CI and a Weblate instance. Businesses that need security testing and compliance reporting will find them listed by GitLab, not Codeberg.
Edge: GitLab
What you pay
Codeberg charges users nothing and does not accept payment for extra resources or exceptions to its rules; donations are optional. GitLab Free is $0 for up to 5 users per top-level group, with 10 GiB of storage per project; Premium is $29 per user a month billed annually, and Ultimate is priced on request. For an open-source maintainer, both can cost nothing.
No clear winner on this point.
When neither Codeberg nor GitLab fits
If you would rather run the forge yourself, look at self-hosted options. Forgejo, the software Codeberg runs, is the lightweight forge Codeberg recommends for private commercial work, and Gitea offers a free self-hosted forge plus paid Cloud and Enterprise editions from a company.
Codeberg vs GitLab: questions
Only in a limited way. Codeberg's mission is free software, its FAQ says it offers no private hosting services, and it recommends self-hosting Forgejo for private commercial projects. GitLab's Premium and Ultimate tiers are aimed at organisations, with Premium at $29 per user a month billed annually.
Yes. Codeberg does not charge users and relies on donations and membership fees. It is run by Codeberg e.V., a registered non-profit association in Berlin whose members elect the board and approve the budget once a year. It also acts as umbrella organisation for Forgejo, the software it runs on.
Codeberg runs most services on its own hardware in a rented facility in Berlin, with tasks such as backups offloaded to netcup and Hetzner. GitLab can be self-managed on infrastructure you choose, and GitLab Dedicated offers data residency in any AWS region; its privacy statement names GitLab B.V. and GitLab Inc.
Yes. Codeberg's FAQ mentions a limit of 100 repositories per user or organisation, which can be raised on request, and its Woodpecker CI requires an access request. GitLab's Free tier allows 5 users per top-level group, 400 compute minutes a month and 10 GiB of repository storage per project.
Sources
Facts, prices and plan details on this page were checked on the vendors' own websites on . Prices and plans change; the vendor's current page is authoritative.
- Codeberg home page: non-profit Codeberg e.V. in Berlin, Forgejo, Pages, CI, Weblate, no charge to users (checked 30 September 2026)
- Codeberg docs: What is Codeberg: members elect presidium and board; umbrella for Forgejo since 2022 (checked 30 September 2026)
- Codeberg FAQ: funding, Berlin hosting, private repository policy, 100 repository limit, no payments (checked 30 September 2026)
- Codeberg CI docs: Woodpecker access request, caveats, Forgejo Actions in open alpha (checked 30 September 2026)
- Codeberg Pages docs: static sites on codeberg.page or a custom domain (checked 30 September 2026)
- GitLab pricing page: tiers, prices, compute minutes, storage and user limits (checked 30 September 2026)
- GitLab Dedicated page: single-tenant managed service with data residency in any AWS region (checked 30 September 2026)
- GitLab company page: Nasdaq listing in 2021 (checked 30 September 2026)
- GitLab privacy statement: GitLab B.V. and GitLab Inc. handle personal data (checked 30 September 2026)
- Forgejo home page: self-hosted lightweight forge (checked 30 September 2026)
- Gitea home page: free self-hosted Gitea plus Gitea Cloud and Enterprise (checked 30 September 2026)