Gerrit Code Review vs gitStream

Gerrit Code Review is a free, self-hosted web system for collaborative review of Git repositories through patchset workflows. Teams can discuss changes with inline comments, manage patchsets, and configure approval processes. Fine-grained access controls determine who can access code. Gerrit lists integrations with Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Zuul, REST API, and webhooks for CI/CD and other automation. The project says global replication and active-active clustering can support thousands of concurrent developers, and presents the system for small teams through large organizations, including regulated industries. Gerrit is Apache 2.0 licensed. Its listed plan costs nothing, with no licensing fees and use at any scale without restrictions. Supported platforms are API, Linux, self-hosted, and web. Documentation and community provide support; the community supports the last three releases on a best-effort basis without a guaranteed response or resolution SLA. Plugin reliability is not guaranteed, and ongoing maintenance is not guaranteed for plugins without direct maintainers.

gitStream uses YAML configuration files to automate pull request workflows and shape code review. It can add context to pull requests, route work to code experts or reviewers, and merge changes designated as safe, small fixes, or work from trusted teams. Contextual labels can estimate review time and flag Jira information, missing tests, or deleted files. LinearB's AI services can generate pull request descriptions and review code changes. Automations can also notify security teams about sensitive changes. Setup guides cover GitHub, GitHub Server, GitLab, and Bitbucket Cloud; the listed code hosts are GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. gitStream is available on the web or self-hosted. The free account has a monthly cap on pull requests that can trigger automations; once reached, new pull requests do not run them and the check is marked Skipped. Paid pricing starts at $29 per user per month, billed annually. A 45-day Essentials trial requires no credit card but is currently limited to GitHub Cloud users. LinearB says the product uses Git metadata and immediately deletes shallow-cloned data after processing, without scanning, analyzing, or saving code.