# GitHub vs Gitea: which do AI models recommend for source control, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Source control hosting. Thirteen of fourteen models named GitHub first on the direct prompt; zero named Gitea. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/developer/source-control-hosting/github-vs-gitea/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub | 70% | #1 of 10 | 16% | 83 | 14 of 14 |
| Gitea | 2% | #4 of 10 | 15% | 27 | 13 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Claude Haiku 4.5: github first (first choices: GitHub) (alternatives: Bitbucket, GitLab)
- GPT-5.4 mini: github first (first choices: GitHub) (alternatives: Azure DevOps, Bitbucket, GitLab)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: github first (first choices: GitHub) (alternatives: GitLab)
- Perplexity Sonar: github first (first choices: GitHub) (alternatives: Bitbucket, GitLab)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: github first (first choices: Bitbucket, GitHub) (alternatives: GitLab)
- Mistral Small: github first (first choices: GitHub) (alternatives: Bitbucket, GitLab)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: github first (first choices: GitHub) (alternatives: Bitbucket, GitLab)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: github first (first choices: GitHub) (alternatives: Bitbucket, GitLab)
- Kimi K2: github first (first choices: GitHub) (alternatives: GitLab)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: github first (first choices: GitHub) (alternatives: Bitbucket, GitLab)
- MiniMax M2.5: github first (first choices: GitHub, GitLab) (alternatives: Azure DevOps, Bitbucket)
- GPT-6 Luna: github first (first choices: GitHub) (alternatives: Bitbucket, GitLab)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: github first (first choices: GitHub) (alternatives: Azure DevOps, Azure Repos, GitLab)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named

## What the models said about GitHub

- "GitHub - due to controversies" (Llama 4 Maverick, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "have all experienced security breaches, credential leaks, and supply chain attacks in recent years... require careful configuration and security practices to mitigate risks" (Mistral Small, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "GitHub, especially if you need enterprise self-hosting: In May 2026, GitHub disclosed a compromise... it isn't by itself a reason to avoid GitHub.com." (GPT-6 Luna, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "The most popular and commonly used cloud-based Git platform with a user-friendly and intuitive UI and is widely regarded as the go-to platform for collaborative software development." (Muse Glimmer 30B, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "I'd recommend starting with a pilot of GitHub Enterprise Server or GitLab Self-Managed, as both offer the best balance of enterprise features and developer experience" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, scale prompt, first choice)
- "GitHub Enterprise | Best-in-class developer experience, massive open-source ecosystem, superior AI (Copilot), industry standard for talent." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, scale prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Gitea

- ""For a fresh install in May 2026, I would not pick Gitea"" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Self-Hosted Gitea / Forgejo ... these have had significant security issues" (Kimi K2, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Smaller platforms can be riskier due to less mature security practices" (Mistral Small, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "For a company on a tight budget, the best all‑around choice is Gitea (self‑hosted)." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Prioritize self-hosted/open options like Forgejo, Gitea, or Codeberg for privacy" (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, first choice)
- "self-hosted open-source options such as Forgejo or Gitea" (Perplexity Sonar, negative prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.