SourceHut Review, Pricing & Features

SourceHut is an independent, ad-free software forge with Git/Mercurial hosting, CI, bug tracking, and mailing lists. See features and pay-what-you-can pricing.

Category
DevOps
Pricing
subscription (pay-what-you-can, tiered), from $4/month
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 19, 2026
Founded
2018
Headquarters
Hoorn, Netherlands
Free PlanOpen SourceFreemiumSelf-Hosted

What Is SourceHut

SourceHut is a software forge built and maintained by developer Drew DeVault, launched to public alpha in November 2018 as a deliberately minimal, privacy-respecting alternative to mainstream platforms like GitHub and GitLab.

Rather than a single monolithic product, SourceHut is a suite of independent tools, including git.sr.ht and hg.sr.ht for repository hosting, builds.sr.ht for continuous integration, lists.sr.ht for mailing lists, and SourceHut's built-in issue tracker, that interoperate but can also be used individually.

Key Features

SourceHut emphasizes privacy and simplicity: the platform states it has no tracking or advertising, and all core features work without JavaScript, appealing to developers who want a lightweight, fast interface.

The platform is 100 percent open source and self-hostable, and favors a mailing-list-based code review workflow reminiscent of projects like the Linux kernel, alongside built-in CI and issue tracking that many competing forges only offer through third-party add-ons.

Pricing

SourceHut uses a pay-according-to-your-means model with three tiers, Amateur Hackers, Typical Hackers, and Professional Hackers, priced at $4, $8, and $12 per month respectively (or the euro equivalent), with no functional difference between them beyond the contribution amount.

Paying annually gives roughly two months free compared to monthly billing, and users experiencing financial hardship can request aid; contributing to projects already hosted on SourceHut does not require a paid account at all.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Strong privacy stance with no tracking or advertising
  • Fully open source and self-hostable
  • Works without JavaScript for a fast, lightweight experience
  • Affordable pay-what-you-can pricing with financial aid available
  • Built-in CI and mailing-list workflows favored by many established open-source projects

Cons

  • Less polished, modern interface than GitHub or GitLab
  • Smaller community and ecosystem than mainstream forges
  • Mailing-list-centric workflow has a learning curve for developers used to pull requests
  • Fewer built-in project management features compared to GitHub

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SourceHut?

SourceHut is an independent, privacy-focused software forge offering Git and Mercurial hosting, continuous integration, mailing lists, and issue tracking.

Who created SourceHut?

SourceHut was created by developer Drew DeVault and launched to public alpha in November 2018.

How much does SourceHut cost?

Paid tiers are $4, $8, or $12 per month (or the euro equivalent), chosen according to what the user can afford, with all tiers offering the same features.

Is SourceHut free to use?

Creating an account to contribute to existing projects is free; paying is only required to host your own projects on SourceHut.

Does SourceHut support pull requests like GitHub?

SourceHut favors a mailing-list-based patch review workflow rather than GitHub-style pull requests, though it can be adapted to different workflows.

Can I self-host SourceHut?

Yes, SourceHut is 100 percent open-source software and can be self-hosted by anyone.

Does SourceHut track users or show ads?

No, SourceHut states it has no tracking or advertising anywhere on the platform.

What services are included in a SourceHut subscription?

A subscription covers Git and Mercurial hosting, continuous integration, mailing lists, and issue tracking across the SourceHut suite.

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