GitLab alternative for EU teams
Your code is stored and served. Not scanned, not trained on, not tracked. Codebahn has no telemetry and no third-party tracking (details).
Your code also needs to stay in the EU, and you need Git hosting and CI without the rest of the DevOps platform. A client asked, or regulation requires it (NIS2, DORA). Codebahn is managed Git from a Swedish company on EU-only infrastructure, with no US entity in the chain. All sub-processors are EU-incorporated, and EU residency is the default on every plan.
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 and ISO 27001 today. GitLab has both. We're not your vendor yet.
- You need SAML/SCIM SSO on a self-serve plan. Codebahn offers SSO on Custom plans; if you need it today on a standard tier, GitLab Premium covers that scope.
- You need group-level audit logs or compliance frameworks. Codebahn does not have these.
- You need macOS or Windows runners. Codebahn runs Linux only.
GitLab is a good product. We're 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) |
| 5-person team | €55/mo (5,000 CI min included) | $145/mo (Premium) |
| 10-person team | €100/mo (10,000 CI min included) | $290/mo (Premium) |
| 25-person team | €235/mo (25,000 CI min) | $725/mo |
| CI included | 1,000 CI minutes per seat | 400-10,000 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. Dedicated tier only (custom pricing, single-tenant AWS) |
| 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) |
| NIS2 supplier assessment | Published, no NDA required | Feature-mapping blog posts. No supplier assessment data |
| 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/month). A team of five: €55/mo vs $145. 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 only (custom pricing, single-tenant AWS). On Codebahn, EU residency is the default on every plan.
On privacy, the difference is jurisdiction and telemetry: GitLab is a US company with US telemetry infrastructure. Codebahn has no telemetry and no third-party tracking. See what private means.
If your team has compliance requirements, security questionnaires, or needs dedicated infrastructure, the Assurance plan includes hands-on onboarding and compliance support.
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. Wiki, projects, and issue boards are disabled; use a docs site, Notion, or Linear. Test before committing.
One customer moved from GitLab with binary-heavy repos. Here is their story.
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 (5 GB import size limit) or by direct transfer between instances. Exported files are deleted after 24 hours.Pipeline artifacts, webhooks, encrypted tokens, container/package registry images are excluded.
14-day money-back guarantee.
Need to discuss compliance or data residency? See the Assurance plan or reach out at hello@codebahn.net.
Comparing other options? See Codebahn vs GitHub, Codebahn vs Bitbucket, or Codebahn vs self-hosting.
GitLab is a trademark of GitLab Inc. This is an independent comparison, not affiliated with or endorsed by GitLab. Competitor data verified 2026-09-17. Sources: GitLab pricing, GitLab export docs.