@Codeberg Not using cloud based services, but comparing self-hosted Gitlab and Forgejo is night and day.
- Gitlab has opaque database files for everything. Forgejo has plain git repos and SQL databases.
- Gitlab locks basic features like enforcing PR approvals behind a paid license.
- Bloat. Gitlab is trying to be a forge, a CI system, a project management tool, and 20 other things. Forgejo is a forge (but I worry that it's taking on CI now).
On the negative side, forgejo need to complete their API. Many things in their data model are not accessible through it.