GitHub is a code hosting tool that is widely used for version control. The tool allows developers to work together on multiple projects. However, its GUI is could be confusing for the pleb and after confirming the acquisition of GitHub by Microsoft, where many have raised the use of an alternative for fear of possible policies.
PermalinkA Detailed List of The Best GitHub Alternatives
Now onto our main part, the best alternatives to GitHub:
PermalinkGitLab
There are a Few Good Reasons why GitLab is first on everyone’s GitHub alternative lists. It has and does everything GitHub does, but even better.
PermalinkRandom facts and features about GitLab:
- It’s free (the Community Edition) and open source. You can self-host it on a cloud server, which means you get full control over your data. It also has a free hosted option, and several paid hosted options with more features.
- It has wikis, issue tracking, code reviews, releases, private and personal branches, time tracking features, and more.
- It has GitLab pages. Which is essentially GitHub Pages. Host your static websites for free.
- But it's not all features are free
PermalinkBitbucket
You probably already know about Bitbucket has to offer. It’s free, it’s easy to use, and it’s easily integrated with a bunch of other useful tools.
PermalinkRandom facts and features about Bitbucket:
- Supports CI/CD, and it’s built-in.
- Pull requests support.
- It’s closed source and proprietary.
- Has native software clients for Windows and Mac.
- It has a hosted (cloud) version, which has a free option, and a self-hosted version – which is a paid option.
PermalinkGitea
Gitea is the most lightweight git system which you can host on a $2.50 per month server by Vultr. It’s a community fork of Gogs ( whereas Gogs is maintained by one person – that's why we skipped Gogs).
PermalinkRandom facts and features about Gitea:
- Open source and maintained by the community.
- Lightweight, which is a big plus considering it’s a self-hosted system.
- It has wikis, issue tracking, private branches, free client apps, pulls requests support, and more.
- It’s often the first choice when it comes to self-hosted git software among developers.
- If you consider the cost of hosting, it’s not really free and doesn’t have a free hosted option.
- Ironic that Gitea’s source code is still hosted on GitHub. 🙂
PermalinkPhabricator
It’s a free and open-source alternative to GitHub. The main reason why Phabricator users prefer it is the code review features.
PermalinkRandom facts and features about Phabricator:
- Amazing code review features.
- Free and open source. A hosted ($20 per month) version is available. Though you can host it yourself on a $5 per month server at Vultr.
- Supports Git, Mercurial, and SVN.
- Task Management features.
- Has wikis.
- Has Workboards and Sprints features (kanban-like tool)
- Has Chat channels.
- Accessible via the CLI.
- Voting features.
PermalinkWrapping Up: GitHub Alternatives
Although the volume of both projects and active developers in GitHub is much higher, it is seen and proven that there are reliable alternatives to this service that can cover the needs from different perspectives. it's hard to say which one is best, as each of them can serve the same purpose but with a different interface with some additional features.