# Forgejo vs GitLab

**Leader by Vioscale score:** GitLab

| Attribute | Forgejo | GitLab |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 45.8 (8% (low)) | 60.1 (61% (medium)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Open-source platform for managing software projects and collaborative development. Can be deployed as a cloud-hosted instance or self-hosted, offering a GitHub-like experience with lower resource requirements and built-in federation support. | GitLab is an integrated DevOps platform combining source code management, CI/CD, planning, and security scanning with AI agents that automate development workflows while maintaining team control. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"both","vcs_model":"centralized","federation":true,"built_in_ci":true,"code_review":"pr_mr","license_model":"free","underlying_vcs":"Git","open_source_core":"open_source"}` | `{"hosting":"both","built_in_ci":true,"code_review":"pr_mr","license_model":"seat_priced_ee"}` |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"DE","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open source. Use hosted instances or self-host at no cost.","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://forgejo.org/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T22:38:41.571Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","summary":"Flexible pricing with seat-based licenses and usage-based credits; annual commitment option available","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://gitlab.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T21:52:27.821Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |

## Capabilities (Version Control)

| Capability | Forgejo | GitLab |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Model** |  |  |
| VCS model | Centralized | - |
| Underlying VCS supported (Git / Mercurial / SVN / Perforce / multiple) | Git | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Cloud + self-hosted | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Review** |  |  |
| Code review | PR / MR | PR / MR |
| **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 | - |
| Self-managed license model | Free | Seat-priced EE |
| **Integration** |  |  |
| API surface (REST / GraphQL / webhooks) | - | - |
| **Enterprise** |  |  |
| SSO / SAML / SCIM | - | - |
| **Security** |  |  |
| Signed commits / supply-chain (GPG / SSH / sigstore) | - | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T15:00:55.921Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*