European alternatives

European alternatives to GitHub: Codeberg, Forgejo, and Radicle

Compare Codeberg, Forgejo, and Radicle for Git hosting, issues, pull requests, CI, packages, Pages, self-hosting, governance, and migration from GitHub.

By the Federal Europa editorial team Reviewed 2026-08-22

On this page

European options and the jobs they do
What to compare before switching
Ownership, scope and the shortlist
Sources and review

European options and the jobs they do

Codeberg is a Berlin-based, community-driven non-profit Git host powered by Forgejo. Forgejo is open-source forge software that organisations can install on their own infrastructure and use for repositories, issues, pull requests, projects, packages, and automation. Radicle is an open-source peer-to-peer collaboration stack built on Git, designed to remove the central hosting authority altogether. These options cover different levels of operational control and workflow change.

Git repositories are usually the easy part of a GitHub move. The deeper dependency includes issues, pull requests, Actions, secrets, packages, Pages, releases, wikis, discussions, teams, bots, OAuth applications, security alerts, and the public contributor graph. A project may also depend on GitHub for discovery even when its canonical repository lives elsewhere.

What to compare before switching

A work tool becomes infrastructure once teams build documents, workflows, and institutional memory inside it. Portability, open formats, self-hosting, administrator controls, integrations, and a credible exit plan can matter more than feature-count parity on day one.

Choose Codeberg when public or community software needs a European non-profit host without running servers. Deploy Forgejo when an organisation needs its own domain, policies, identity, backups, runners, and data location. Explore Radicle when peer-to-peer sovereignty and local-first operation justify a larger workflow change. Mirroring during transition can preserve discovery and provide a rollback path.

Ownership, scope and the shortlist

This guide uses European in a precise, disclosed way. Some options are based in the EU, some elsewhere in Europe, and some are open-source projects whose jurisdiction depends on the host you choose. None of those labels automatically guarantees privacy, security, good labour practices, or a perfect fit.

Treat this page as a shortlist, not a verdict. Federal Europa does not rank countries or sell placement in this guide. The useful outcome is a more contestable European market in which people and organisations can switch, export their data, and keep more than one credible door open.

European options worth comparing

Germany / non-profit host

Codeberg

A public Git hosting service run by Codeberg e.V. in Berlin and powered by Forgejo. It is especially aligned with free and open-source projects; check its terms and resource expectations before moving large workloads.

Open-source forge

Forgejo

Self-hostable software with repositories, issues, pull requests, projects, Actions-compatible automation, package registries, wikis, and administration. Sovereignty depends on who operates the instance.

Peer-to-peer Git

Radicle

A local-first, peer-to-peer code collaboration stack with cryptographic identities and Git-based issues and reviews. It removes the central forge but requires a less conventional operating model.

How to choose without buying the flag

Inventory repositories, organisations, teams, issues, pull requests, Actions, runners, secrets, packages, Pages, releases, wikis, and apps.
Test repository migration with full branches, tags, large files, permissions, issue history, and redirects or mirrors.
Rewrite CI jobs deliberately; do not assume every GitHub Action or marketplace integration is portable or safe.
Confirm backups, disaster recovery, security updates, abuse response, storage limits, and administrator staffing.
Keep contributor instructions and canonical-repository links clear across websites, package metadata, and documentation.

Check before you rely on it

Federal Europa keeps this friendly, but official details can depend on your country, route, status, timing, airline, seller, or document situation.

The provider's current legal notice, privacy policy, security documentation, and subprocessors.
Whether the exact plan you need is available in your country and where its data is processed.
Whether you can export your data in a useful format and leave without rebuilding everything.

Plain-language FAQ

Questions people usually ask next

What is the best European alternative to GitHub?

Codeberg is the simplest hosted European non-profit option for many open projects. Forgejo is stronger when you want to run the platform yourself. Radicle is for teams ready to adopt peer-to-peer collaboration.

Can Forgejo run GitHub Actions?

Forgejo Actions intentionally resembles GitHub Actions and supports many familiar workflows, but compatibility is not absolute. Audit action sources, syntax, runners, secrets, and permissions before migration.

Is GitLab a European alternative to GitHub?

GitLab has European roots and a globally distributed workforce, but GitLab Inc. is a US-incorporated public company. This guide therefore does not label it an EU-owned alternative.

Related countries

Germany Federal, industrious, green, musical, argumentative, practical, and full of different regional worlds.

Sources and review

Federal Europa keeps the friendly voice, but practical facts still need official or reliable sources.