Version Control & Code Review

Bitbucket vs Gitea: Which is Better in 2026?

Choosing between Bitbucket and Gitea? Both are popular version control & code review tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.

Quick verdict

Both Bitbucket and Gitea are strong version control & code review choices. The right pick comes down to your specific feature needs, existing stack, and team preferences.

Bitbucket vs Gitea — Side by Side

BitbucketGitea
CategoryVersion Control & Code ReviewVersion Control & Code Review
PricingFree · paid from $3.65/moFree
Starting priceFree tier availableFree tier available
Free tier
Rating4.04.1
Best forVersion Control & Code Review — git, atlassianVersion Control & Code Review — git, self-hosted

Pros & Cons

  • Cheapest per seat of the major hosts
  • Native Jira and Confluence linking
  • Pipelines CI included
  • Free tier for up to five users
  • Much smaller community than GitHub
  • Fewer third-party integrations
  • Build minutes are tight on Standard
  • No licence cost at any team size
  • Runs on tiny hardware
  • Familiar pull-request workflow
  • Your code never leaves your network
  • You own uptime, backups and upgrades
  • No contributor network
  • Ecosystem and integrations are thin

Key Features Compared

Bitbucket

  • Unlimited users
  • 2,500 build minutes
  • 5 GB LFS storage
  • Pipelines CI/CD

Gitea

  • Unlimited users and repos
  • Pull requests and issues
  • Actions-compatible CI
  • Package registry

Choose Bitbucket if…

  • You want a free tier to validate before paying.
  • Cheapest per seat of the major hosts
  • Native Jira and Confluence linking
  • Pipelines CI included
Bitbucket review & pricing

Choose Gitea if…

  • You want a free tier to validate before paying.
  • No licence cost at any team size
  • Runs on tiny hardware
  • Familiar pull-request workflow
Gitea review & pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bitbucket better than Gitea?

Both Bitbucket and Gitea are strong version control & code review choices. The right pick comes down to your specific feature needs, existing stack, and team preferences.

What is the difference between Bitbucket and Gitea?

Bitbucket — Atlassian's Git host — cheapest per seat of the big three, and the one that plugs straight into Jira. Gitea — A lightweight self-hosted Git service that runs from a single binary — the whole forge on hardware you control. Both are version control & code review tools; the comparison table above breaks down pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for.

Bitbucket vs Gitea: which is cheaper?

Bitbucket pricing: Free · paid from $3.65/mo. Gitea pricing: Free. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.

Which is rated higher, Bitbucket or Gitea?

In our catalog, Bitbucket rates 4.0 out of 5 and Gitea rates 4.1 out of 5, so Gitea has a slight edge on reviews.

See more options in our guide to the best version control & code review tools for startups.

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