Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GitHub VS Gogs

Compare GitHub VS Gogs and see what are their differences

GitHub logo GitHub

Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.

Gogs logo Gogs

A painless self-hosted Git service written in Go
  • GitHub Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-05
  • Gogs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-21

GitHub

Website
github.com
$ Details
Release Date
2008 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Chris Wanstrath
Employees
500 - 999

Gogs

Website
gogs.io
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Release Date
-

GitHub features and specs

  • collaboration
    GitHub provides a platform for multiple developers to work on the same project concurrently, facilitating collaboration through features like pull requests, code reviews, and issues tracking.
  • integration
    GitHub integrates seamlessly with various third-party tools and services, such as CI/CD pipelines, project management tools, and many development environments, enhancing productivity and workflow efficiency.
  • version_control
    Utilizes Git for version control, allowing users to track changes, revert to previous versions if necessary, and manage different branches of development, ensuring code stability and history tracking.
  • community
    With millions of developers and a vast repository of open-source projects, GitHub fosters a robust community where users can contribute to projects, seek help, share knowledge, and collaborate broadly.
  • availability
    GitHub is a cloud-based platform, which means that projects are accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, providing flexibility and convenience to developers globally.
  • documentation
    GitHub allows for comprehensive project documentation through README files, wikis, and GitHub Pages, making it easier for users to understand project context and contribute effectively.

Possible disadvantages of GitHub

  • cost
    While GitHub offers free plans, more advanced features and private repositories come at a cost, which might be a barrier for some individuals or small teams.
  • steep_learning_curve
    For newcomers, especially those unfamiliar with Git, the learning curve can be quite steep, making it challenging to utilize all of GitHub's features effectively.
  • privacy_concerns
    Given its expansive, open nature, users must be cautious with sensitive or proprietary information. Even with private repositories, there is a latent concern over data privacy and security.
  • interface_complexity
    The user interface, while powerful, can be overwhelming and complex for beginners or those not deeply familiar with version control concepts.
  • performance_issues
    Occasionally, GitHub may experience downtime or performance issues, which can disrupt workflow and prevent access to repositories temporarily.
  • limited_storage
    GitHub imposes limitations on storage space and file size within repositories, which can be restrictive for projects requiring large datasets or binaries.

Gogs features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Gogs is designed to be extremely lightweight and fast, running efficiently with minimal resource usage, which is ideal for personal projects or small teams.
  • Self-hosting
    By allowing users to host their own Git service, Gogs provides greater control over data privacy and security, making it suitable for sensitive projects.
  • Cross-platform Support
    Gogs can run on various operating systems including Windows, macOS, Linux, and ARM, offering flexible deployment options across different environments.
  • Easy Installation
    The installation process for Gogs is straightforward and quick, with binaries and Docker images available for different platforms, reducing setup time.
  • Active Development
    Gogs has an active open-source community and regular updates, ensuring new features, bug fixes, and improvements are continually being made.
  • Low Dependencies
    Gogs has few dependencies, simplifying the installation and maintenance process by reducing potential compatibility issues.
  • Customizable
    With a wide range of configuration options, Gogs allows users to tailor the platform to meet their specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of Gogs

  • Limited Features
    Compared to more comprehensive Git platforms like GitLab or GitHub, Gogs lacks some advanced features such as built-in CI/CD pipelines and extensive integrations.
  • Smaller Community
    Gogs has a smaller user base compared to more popular platforms, which can lead to fewer third-party plugins, extensions, and external resources.
  • Scalability
    While Gogs is suitable for small to medium environments, it might not scale as effectively for large enterprises with extensive requirements.
  • Support
    Being an open-source project, Gogs primarily relies on community support, which may not be as immediate or extensive compared to commercial platforms offering professional support services.
  • User Interface
    While functional, Gogs' user interface is not as polished or feature-rich as those of some other Git service platforms.

Analysis of GitHub

Overall verdict

  • GitHub is considered an excellent choice for developers and teams looking for a reliable and efficient platform for version control and collaboration. Its community support, extensive documentation, and innovative features make it a preferred choice in the software development community.

Why this product is good

  • GitHub is a widely used platform for version control and collaboration, popular among developers and teams for its robust features, ease of use, and integration capabilities. It allows for streamlined project management, code review, and continuous integration, enhancing productivity and collaborative workflows.

Recommended for

  • Individual developers working on personal projects
  • Software development teams in need of collaborative tools
  • Open-source project maintainers and contributors
  • Organizations looking for scalable version control solutions

Analysis of Gogs

Overall verdict

  • Gogs is generally well-regarded for its simplicity, performance, and ease of setup. It is particularly well-suited for users who do not need the full suite of features offered by larger Git services like GitHub or GitLab and prefer a more streamlined and resource-efficient solution.

Why this product is good

  • Gogs is a self-hosted Git service that is lightweight, easy to install, and simple to use. It's written in Go, which means it has minimal dependencies and can run on a variety of operating systems. This makes it an excellent choice for users who want to set up their own Git server with straightforward configuration and management. Gogs provides core Git functionalities and some additional features like an intuitive web interface, repository management, and user management.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for a lightweight and easy-to-manage Git hosting solution.
  • Organizations that need a self-hosted option without the overhead of more complex systems.
  • Users who prioritize performance and simplicity over extensive features.

GitHub videos

How to do coding peer reviews with Github

More videos:

Gogs videos

No Gogs videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GitHub and Gogs)
Software Development
98 98%
2% 2
Git
87 87%
13% 13
Code Collaboration
92 92%
8% 8
Project Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GitHub and Gogs

GitHub Reviews

  1. Reinhard
    · Boss at CLOUD Meister ·
    perfect 4 open Source

Best Forums for Developers to Join in 2025
GitHub Discussions is a communication forum for the community around an open source or internal project. Discussions enable fluid, open conversation in a public forum. Discussions are transparent and accessible, but they are not related to code.
Source: www.notchup.com
The Top 10 GitHub Alternatives
However, like any (human) product, the platform has its limits, downsides, and critics. GitHub has been barred by certain governments, and even if that isn’t exactly the company’s fault, the users are the ones limited from pushing their code. Another criticism concerns the price tag: some users have pointed out that GitHub’s pricing model is too inflexible. Moreover, some...
Top 10 Developer Communities You Should Explore
GitHub also has an extensive API that allows it to integrate workflows seamlessly. Continuous integration, code review tools, and project management features make GitHub an essential tool for any developer, and the community aspect adds a layer of connectivity that enriches the overall experience.
Source: www.qodo.ai
Top 7 GitHub Alternatives You Should Know (2024)
FAQs: Are there any cloud source repositories similar to GitHub?Is there a free alternative to GitHub?
Source: snappify.com
Best GitHub Alternatives for Developers in 2023
We may earn from vendors via affiliate links or sponsorships. This might affect product placement on our site, but not the content of our reviews. See our Terms of Use for details. Looking for an alternative to GitHub? Check out our in-depth list of the best GitHub competitors, covering their features, pricing, pros, cons, and more.

Gogs Reviews

The Top 10 GitHub Alternatives
Lightweight: Gogs has low minimal requirements and can run on an inexpensive Raspberry Pi. Some users even run Gogs instances on their NAS devices, making it one of the few GitHub alternatives that can help you justify to your partner why you’re getting a NAS device apart from for pulling the latest episodes from your favourite anime show.
Gitea - Alternative to GitLab and GitHub
That said, Gita/Gogs is pretty. And might hold the hand of people only used to github. It is great that it is self-contained as a binary, so can be used with minimal configuration, like other front-ends.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GitHub seems to be a lot more popular than Gogs. While we know about 2270 links to GitHub, we've tracked only 28 mentions of Gogs. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GitHub mentions (2270)

  • 7 Ways AI Code Review Can Save Hours of Developers' Effort
    Enterprise teams can roll out AI reviewers with minimal friction by simply connecting tools to their GitHub/GitLab instances. Once integrated, the AI does the first pass of code review as part of the normal CI/CD pipeline. Anecdotally, teams report merges happening up to 89% faster after enabling AI review agents, since the automated feedback avoids multiple back-and-forth cycles. By aligning with existing... - Source: dev.to / 4 days ago
  • Deploying a NestJS and VueJS App with Dokploy
    Focusing on the image step, -f let's you specify the Dockerfile you want to use while -t is for the image tag. ${{ secrets.DOCKER_USERNAME }} is pulled from your actions' secrets. To set your secrets and variables, head to https://github.com/{username}/{repo_name}/settings/secrets/actions. You should see options for repository secrets and environment secrets. Environment secrets allow you to override your default... - Source: dev.to / 25 days ago
  • How to Use GitHub Copilot for Free (Student Discount Guide)
    If you don’t have one already, go to https://github.com and sign up for a free account. Be sure to use your school-issued email address if you have one—it helps GitHub verify your student status faster. - Source: dev.to / 20 days ago
  • Proper setup for a MiniScript GitHub repo
    The most important thing you should do for any MiniScript-related project is to tag it (in the "About" info) with miniscript. This will cause your project to appear under the miniscript topics list: Https://github.com/topics/miniscript. - Source: dev.to / 21 days ago
  • Day 11 Deploy Vue 3, Svelte 5, and Angualr Applications to Github Pages
    Go to https://github.com///settings/pages and click the live site to verify it is running. - Source: dev.to / 21 days ago
View more

Gogs mentions (28)

  • 100+ Must-Have Web Development Resources
    Gogs: An easy-to-setup self-hosted Git service. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Go's old $GOPATH story for development and dependencies
    Yeah, I'm actually doing that with Gitea: https://about.gitea.com/ Some people went with the forgejo fork: https://forgejo.org/ though Gitea itself was a fork of Gogs, if I remember correctly: https://gogs.io/ I also ran GitLab in the past: https://about.gitlab.com/ but keeping it updated and giving it enough resources for it to be happy was troublesome. There's also GitBucket: https://gitbucket.github.io/ and... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Forgejo forks its own path forward
    > Gitea but the other one Wouldn't that also be Gogs? https://gogs.io/ I remember when that one was what a lot of people were looking into, before the Gitea fork happened. It's odd to see how this has happened yet again, but I guess is a good thing that it's even possible in the first place, if there are indeed differing values and goals? - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Gitlab or Gitea for self-hosting Git?
    I did use https://gogs.io/ in the past. Was nice. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Beware Offers of “Help” with Your Projects
    This reminds me of Gogs [0], where the original author refused a lot of good ideas and improvements, eventually leading to a fork [1] that's now a lot more popular and active than the original. [0] https://gogs.io/ [1] https://gitea.io/en-us/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing GitHub and Gogs, you can also consider the following products

GitLab - Create, review and deploy code together with GitLab open source git repo management software | GitLab

BitBucket - Bitbucket is a free code hosting site for Mercurial and Git. Manage your development with a hosted wiki, issue tracker and source code.

Gitea - A painless self-hosted Git service

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Treehouse - Treehouse is an award-winning online platform that teaches people how to code.

Git - Git is a free and open source version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. It is easy to learn and lightweight with lighting fast performance that outclasses competitors.