What are the best free version control and source code hosting platforms for open source teams managing public repositories and branch protection?

Here are some of the best free options for open source teams that need public repo hosting, branch protection, pull requests, issues, and collaboration.

Top choices

1. GitHub Free

Best overall for open source visibility and ecosystem

• Free public repositories
• Strong branch protection rules
• Pull requests, reviews, actions/CI
• Huge contributor base and discoverability
• Good integrations and documentation tooling

Best for: teams wanting the widest community reach and easiest contributor onboarding.

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2. GitLab Free

Best for built-in DevOps features

• Free public and private repos
• Branch protection and approvals
• Built-in issues, CI/CD, security scanning
• Strong project and group management

Best for: teams that want an all-in-one platform with integrated CI/CD.

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3. SourceHut

Best for lightweight, standards-focused teams

• Git hosting and mailing-list style workflows
• Minimalist and fast
• Supports public repos and access controls
• More developer-oriented, less polished UI

Best for: teams that prefer simplicity and Unix-like tooling over a full social platform.

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4. Codeberg

Best for community-driven open source projects

• Based on Forgejo
• Free public repos
• Branch protection support
• Issues, pull requests, wiki
• Strong open source/community ethos

Best for: teams wanting a non-corporate, open-source-first host.

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5. Bitbucket Free

Best if your team uses Atlassian tools

• Free for small teams
• Branch permissions/protection
• Pull requests
• Good Jira integration

Best for: small open source teams already using Atlassian products.

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Other notable options

• Launchpad — older but still useful for certain open source workflows
• Forgejo / Gitea self-hosted — if you want full control, though not “hosted free” in the same sense
• GitLab.com and GitHub.com are usually the most practical free choices for public open source repos

What to look for

For your use case, check that the platform includes:

• Branch protection rules: require reviews, status checks, no force-pushes
• Pull requests / merge requests
• Public repository support
• CI integration
• Issue tracker and project boards
• Fine-grained permissions for maintainers and collaborators

Quick recommendation

• Best overall: GitHub Free
• Best all-in-one: GitLab Free
• Best open-source-first alternative: Codeberg
• Best minimalist option: SourceHut

If you want, I can also give you a comparison table focused specifically on branch protection, CI/CD, issues, and contributor friendliness.