GitHub alternative for EU teams
Simon
GitHub and Codebahn differ on jurisdiction, pricing, and portability. If those don't matter to you, stay where you are.
When to stay on GitHub
- Your workflows depend on the GitHub Marketplace, Copilot, code scanning, or Dependabot. Forgejo has no equivalent for these.
- Your procurement requires SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 today. GitHub has both. We are not your vendor yet.
- You need macOS or Windows hosted runners. Codebahn runs Linux only.
- You need SAML SSO, audit log streaming, or IP allow lists. GitHub Enterprise covers that scope.
You can use both. Git is Git; the remote is the only thing that changes.
Side by side
| codebahn | GitHub | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Hackerman AB (Sweden) | Microsoft Corporation (USA) |
| Governing law | Swedish / EU | US (California) |
| CLOUD Act exposure | None. No US entity, parent, or sub-processor | Yes. US company, subject to US law |
| Pricing model | Capacity-based, not per-seat. Unlimited users | Per seat ($4/user/month on Team) |
| 10-person team | €49/mo (Team tier) | $40/mo |
| 25-person team | €49/mo | $100/mo |
| CI included | 3,000–25,000 min/mo by tier | 2,000–50,000 min/mo by plan |
| Hosted runners | Linux (EU, Paris). BYO runners for custom hardware | Linux, macOS, Windows |
| Interfaces | Web, SSH, CLI, MCP server | Web, SSH, CLI, MCP server, mobile apps, desktop app, VS Code, Copilot |
| Data residency | EU-only. All sub-processors EU-incorporated | US default. EU residency on Enterprise Cloud ($21/user/mo) |
| Backups | Daily encrypted, separate EU region, verified weekly | Managed by GitHub (not user-configurable) |
| Export | One-click org export, standard format, re-export any time | Per-repo via CLI or API. No org-level export. Archives expire after 7 days |
| Open source | Private repos only. For open source, use Codeberg | Free for public repos |
| Certifications | None yet. SOC 2 on the roadmap | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 |
At 10 people, GitHub Team is cheaper ($40 vs €49). At 25, Codebahn costs less than half. At 50, a quarter. Codebahn Team also includes 10,000 CI minutes; GitHub Team includes 3,000. Full pricing.
GitHub EU data residency requires Enterprise Cloud ($21/user/month, separate domain). A 25-person team: $525/month. On Codebahn, EU residency is the default on every tier.
What changes when you move
Import carries code and metadata (issues, PRs, labels, milestones, releases). GitHub App or token, up to 100 repos at once.
.github/workflows/ files run without renaming. Most GitHub Actions work as-is. runs-on: ubuntu-latest routes to EU runners in Paris.
No macOS or Windows runners. Default runner: 3 GB usable memory (GitHub private repos: 8 GB); codebahn-medium for 7 GB. Copilot, code scanning, and Dependabot have no equivalents. Test before committing.
Team permissions are not migrated. Invite your team, add SSH keys, update remotes. CI that calls the GitHub API directly needs rewriting. Budget a day for a small team, a week for complex workflows.
Built to be left
One-click export: every repo, issue, PR, release, review. Standard Forgejo format. No ticket, no wait. Export now and check, before you sign up.
On GitHub, export is per-repo via CLI or API. Archives exclude LFS, discussions, and packages, and expire after seven days. No org-level export.
We would rather build something people stay with because it works than something they cannot leave. The exit is tested, it is one click, and it works on any ordinary day. That is a smaller bet than the one you are making right now, on terms you cannot export and an exit you have never tested.
GitHub is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. This is an independent comparison, not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or GitHub. Codebahn is built on Forgejo, a community fork of Gitea governed by Codeberg e.V.