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 at a lower per-seat price, 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. I'm 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. I'm 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 | €9/seat + €10/mo team, CI included | Per seat ($29/user/month on Premium) |
| 10-person team | €100/mo (1,000 CI min included) | $290/mo (Premium) |
| 25-person team | €235/mo (1,000 CI min included) | $725/mo |
| CI included | 1,000 CI minutes included | 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 export, or group migration by direct transfer. Export 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. Not a home for open source | Free tier (5-user limit for private repos) |
| Certifications | None yet. SOC 2 on the roadmap | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 |
Codebahn Crew is €9/seat + €10/mo for the team, less than half of GitLab Premium ($29/user). A 10-person team: €100/mo vs $290. At 25 people: €235/mo vs $725. 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 plan.
GitLab does not train AI models on customer code. On privacy, the difference is jurisdiction and telemetry, not training: GitLab is a US company with US telemetry infrastructure. Codebahn has no telemetry and no third-party tracking. See what private means.
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 (40 GiB cap on GitLab.com) or by direct transfer between instances. 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.
Use it for 14 days. If it's not right, one email and I refund it.
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.