# GitLab-CE vs WriteFreely

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | GitLab-CE | WriteFreely |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 ✓ | 65/100 |
| Rank in category | #4 of 14 in Code Hosting | #2 of 24 in Blogging |
| GitHub stars | 24 547 ✓ | 5 276 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +0 | +19 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 3 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | v0.17.2 · 10 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Ruby | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

GitLab-CE scores 77/100 against 65/100 for WriteFreely, so it is the safer default.

WriteFreely ships more often: 3 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for GitLab-CE.

If you want the quickest setup, WriteFreely is easier to run; GitLab-CE needs more configuration.

WriteFreely is growing faster right now (+19 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [GitLab-CE](https://selfhost.directory/project/gitlab-ce) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/gitlab-ce.md)
- [WriteFreely](https://selfhost.directory/project/writefreely) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/writefreely.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/gitlab-ce-vs-writefreely