# Fossil vs Gerrit

| Attribute | Fossil | Gerrit |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 45.7 (3% (low)) | 45.2 (56% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 1,232 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 36,850 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"An open-source distributed version control system that combines version control with built-in project management features including bug tracking, wikis, forums, and email alerts. It runs as a single self-contained executable with a built-in web interface and can be easily self-hosted on minimal infrastructure. It is indexed under Version Control.","source":"https://fossil-scm.org/","question":"What is Fossil?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Fossil is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://fossil-scm.org/","question":"Is Fossil free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Fossil supports Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://fossil-scm.org/","question":"What platforms does Fossil support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Fossil can be deployed on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://fossil-scm.org/","question":"Can Fossil be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"An open-source web-based code review system that uses patchset-based review workflows similar to traditional mailing list practices. It provides fine-grained access controls, scales to thousands of developers, and integrates with CI/CD pipelines through a REST API and extensible plugin architecture. It is indexed under Version Control.","source":"https://www.gerritcodereview.com/","question":"What is Gerrit?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Gerrit is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.gerritcodereview.com/","question":"Is Gerrit free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Gerrit. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.gerritcodereview.com/","question":"What platforms does Gerrit support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Gerrit can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.gerritcodereview.com/","question":"Can Gerrit be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Gerrit is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/GerritCodeReview/gerrit","question":"Is Gerrit open source?","confidence":0.67}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | An open-source distributed version control system that combines version control with built-in project management features including bug tracking, wikis, forums, and email alerts. It runs as a single self-contained executable with a built-in web interface and can be easily self-hosted on minimal infrastructure. | A web-based code review tool that facilitates team collaboration on Git repositories through patch-based review processes, granular access controls, and integration with CI/CD systems. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"self","vcs_model":"distributed","license_model":"free","open_source_core":"open_source"}` | `{"hosting":"self","vcs_model":"centralized","api_surface":"REST","built_in_ci":false,"code_review":"gerrit_change_based","license_model":"free","monorepo_scale":true,"underlying_vcs":"Git","open_source_core":"open_source"}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"GitHub"}]` | - |
| language.primary | - | Java |
| license.spdx | - | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"linux":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open-source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://fossil-scm.org/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T22:42:19.288Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.gerritcodereview.com/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T23:01:24.482Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| security.scorecard | - | 3.2 |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2FGerritCodeReview%2Fgerrit&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Version Control)

| Capability | Fossil | Gerrit |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Model** |  |  |
| VCS model | Distributed | Centralized |
| Underlying VCS supported (Git / Mercurial / SVN / Perforce / multiple) | - | Git |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | Self-hosted only |
| **Review** |  |  |
| Code review | - | Gerrit change-based |
| **Storage** |  |  |
| Large-file / binary handling | - | - |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Monorepo scale (partial clone / sparse / VFS) | - | ✓ |
| **DevOps** |  |  |
| Built-in CI | - | ✗ |
| **Access** |  |  |
| Access control granularity | - | - |
| **Federation** |  |  |
| Federation / decentralisation (ActivityPub / email) | - | - |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-source core | Open-source | Open-source |
| Self-managed license model | Free | Free |
| **Integration** |  |  |
| API surface (REST / GraphQL / webhooks) | - | REST |
| **Enterprise** |  |  |
| SSO / SAML / SCIM | - | - |
| **Security** |  |  |
| Signed commits / supply-chain (GPG / SSH / sigstore) | - | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-20T03:31:31.558Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*