GitLab alternative for EU teams
GitLab is a full DevOps platform. Codebahn is managed Git. If you need the platform, use GitLab. If you need hosted repos, CI, and EU jurisdiction without per-seat pricing, keep reading.
When to stay on GitLab
- You use GitLab's security scanning (SAST, DAST, dependency scanning, container scanning, secret detection). Forgejo has no equivalent.
- Your workflows depend on GitLab CI features like multi-project pipelines, environments with Kubernetes agent, or GitLab Pages.
- Your procurement requires SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 today. GitLab has both. We are not your vendor yet.
- You need SAML/SCIM SSO, group-level audit logs, or compliance frameworks. GitLab Premium covers that scope.
- You need macOS or Windows runners. Codebahn runs Linux only.
GitLab is a good product. We are not trying to replace all of it.
Side by side
| Codebahn | GitLab | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Hackerman AB (Sweden) | GitLab Inc. (USA, Delaware) |
| 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 ($29/user/month on Premium) |
| 10-person team | €119/mo (Team tier) | $290/mo (Premium) |
| 25-person team | €249/mo (Scale tier) | $725/mo |
| CI included | 3,000–25,000 min/mo by tier | 400–50,000 min/mo by plan |
| Hosted runners | Linux (EU, Paris). BYO runners for custom hardware | Linux, macOS (beta), Windows (beta) |
| Data residency | EU-only. All sub-processors EU-incorporated | US default. EU residency on Dedicated tier (custom pricing) |
| Export | One-click org export, standard format, any time | Per-project only. 5 GB limit. Files deleted after 24 hours |
| Scope | Git hosting, CI, container registry, deployment environments | Full DevOps: SCM, CI/CD, security, packages, Kubernetes, monitoring |
| Open source | Private repos only. For open source, use Codeberg | Free tier (5-user limit for private repos) |
| Certifications | None yet. SOC 2 on the roadmap | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 |
GitLab Premium at $29/user/month is nearly three times the cost of Codebahn Team for a 10-person team ($290 vs €119). At 25 people, GitLab costs $725 vs Codebahn Scale at €249. The gap pays for platform features like SAST, DAST, and compliance frameworks. If you don't use those, you are paying for scope you don't need. Full pricing. Side-by-side comparison.
GitLab EU data residency requires the Dedicated tier (custom pricing, single-tenant AWS). On Codebahn, EU residency is the default on every tier. Read more about how capacity pricing works.
What changes when you move
Import carries repos with full history, issues, merge requests, labels, milestones, and releases. Migration guide.
GitLab CI (.gitlab-ci.yml) does not run on Forgejo. You will rewrite pipelines as GitHub Actions workflows (.github/workflows/). For simple build-test-deploy pipelines, this is a few hours. For pipelines using GitLab-specific features (multi-project pipelines, DAG, services, environments with review apps), budget more time and test carefully.
No macOS or Windows runners. Default runner: 3 GB usable memory;codebahn-medium for 7 GB. Security scanning, GitLab Pages, and the Kubernetes agent have no equivalents. Test before committing.
Built to be left
One-click export: every repo, issue, PR, release, review. Standard Forgejo format. No ticket, no wait.
On GitLab, export is per-project with a 5 GB limit. Exported files are deleted after 24 hours. Pipeline artifacts, webhooks, and encrypted tokens are excluded. GitLab's own docs advise against using project exports as backups.
Comparing other options? See Codebahn vs GitHub or Codebahn vs self-hosting.
GitLab is a trademark of GitLab Inc. This is an independent comparison, not affiliated with or endorsed by GitLab.