Updated May 15, 2023
Introduction to GitHub Alternatives
GitHub is an important tool and works well on an open-source project. GitHub users can use Git or Subversion to manage their software projects. They allow unlimited free public code repositories for all users of GitHub. In addition, Github enables a social networking site for software developers. Developers use three important elements in GitHub: a fork, merge, and pull request. Non- programmers use GitHub to work on multimedia projects and documentaries. Although GitHub helps to build a central repository, we have other interesting options to decide alternatives to GitHub to display and store their creations on the cloud server. In today’s software world, repository management services are key components of version control tools and code collaboration.
Top 7 GitHub Alternatives
This article briefly discusses the top seven Alternatives To GitHub and their comparisons.
1. Bitbucket
Developer: Atlassian
In contrast to GIT, bitbucket comes in terms of usage and popularity around the globe. They provide at least a five-user account and free access to unlimited private and public repositories. Different Operating systems support this Platform. And they can create a new deployment model for any team member, which can be deployed in the cloud. They have features like code search, pull request, and branching permissions for protecting the job. Atlassian works as a client for a bitbucket. They primarily support game development with Git’s large file storage. They have features like integration with Slack, supporting static websites and code-aware search, and efficiently managing the code.
2. SourceForge
Developer: SlashDot Media
It is a centralized place for software developers to manage open-source software development. They provide efficient tools for developers to create their open-source projects. It supports any number of individual projects (Apache, File Zilla). SourceForge hosts both static and dynamic web pages for online code repositories. The pros part is they are reliable and consistent. SourceForge makes it easy to download projects. SourceForge allows the storage of source code and binary files in the repository. They have added features like a wiki, forum, mail list, blog, and ticketing system.
SourceForge URL: https://sourceforge.net/projects/myproject/
3. GitLab
Developer: GitLab.com
It is a GIT repository management tool, open-source software. You can install it on your server with a custom host and a secure and powerful application for handling DevOps Lifecycle to monitor the software. The installation procedure is fast with the availability of packages. They do code reviews and issue-tracking processes. We use GitLab for clean and intuitive UI. Besides this, they have extended features like Time tracking; updating is regular and easy, and unlimited repositories (Private/public for users). GitLab integrates with third-party apps to allow external authentication and confidentiality. The branching system in GitLab makes it easy to design, test and manage the code effectively.
4. GitKraken
Developer: Junio Hamano
It is a cross Platform Git Client with user–a friendly interface with attractive features such as in-app tasks, merges tools with added undo and redo options, and is quick to learn. They run on Mac, Windows and Linux systems and are free for commercial purposes. The features make it best for collaborating faster on software projects. They are easy to use for beginners with less memory. GitKraken can be used as a primary GIT GUI Tool and read visually. They have smooth integration with GitLab, BitBucket, and GitHub.
5. RhodeCode
Developer: Rhode Code Inc.
It is a good alternative to GitHub with an open-source platform and supports online editing. You can perform and get notifications with live chats and live code reviews from the outside user. It supports Mercurial, Git, and SVN. The random facts about Rhode Code are they have flexible and advanced code reviews and pre and post-commit. Rhode Code’s community version is free, and the enterprise edition is paid service. They have very high security (advanced permission system) with centralized user management.
6. Gogs
Developer: GIT
Commonly known as Go Git Service, an alternative to GitHub written in Go (you can execute anywhere) with minimal requirements and requires less RAM. They have a built-in wiki and issue tracking for project documentation. They have a good features with excellent performance and efficiency. Gogs can be run on any platform.
7. BeanStalk
Developer: WildBit
Another alternative to GitHub is Beanstalk. It allows code editing in the browser, so the user must not switch to the command line every time. BeanStalk is not a free version that needs a trial subscription and is versatile. They provide strong security for password protection that large corporations make it safer to use BeanStalk. BeanStalk has a code review option which is helpful for the teams to look out for outside coders. They allow organizing multiple environments. They run for Git and SVN hosting.
Comparison Table for GITHub Alternatives
Following is The comparison table explained below:
| Comparison of GIT Alternatives | GitLab | SourceForge | BitBucket | RhodeCode | Gogs | BeanStalk | GitKraken |
| Type | Host and self-hosted on a cloud server | Website host | Host and self-hosted | Self – Hosted | Self – Hosting | Versatile Platform | Cross-Platform |
| Cost-effectiveness | Free | Free | Free subscription for five users | Free | Free Version | Paid version dollar 15/mo | Free version available |
| Source and support | Open Source and imports GIT | Open source Projects | Closed Source and supports GIT, CodePlex, HG | Open Source with the community edition | Open Source with MIT license | Open Source | They are not open source |
| Multiple database systems | Supported with a limited version | MySql Database | They have good functionality | They have good functionality | They support only GIT management and SQL driver, and go-sqlite3 | Amazon RDS | Kraken _db |
| Built-in CI/CD | They have good CI/CD feature |
NIL |
NIL. CI tool is not free. |
NIL |
They have built-in CI/Continuous delivery for free. |
Yes, using AWS. |
They have CI/CD Integrations. |
| Pull-Merge Request | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, with simple pull request/commit-by-commit. | Cannot make pull-request | Creates new comment in pull request | Pull request for certain branch is available |
| Web hosting | Static | Dynamic and CMS | Static sites | Nil | GitLab Pages | No hosting | Web App |
| Code reviews | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes. They have powerful code reviews | Yes | Yes | To review the repository, they have code reviews |
Recommended Articles
This has been a guide to GitHub Alternatives. Here we have discussed the top 7 GitHub alternatives with a comprehensive table of comparison. You may also look at the following articles to learn more –
