subforge vs Assembla

Built by someone
who left Assembla.

Assembla charges per user — for a 5-person studio that's $60–100/month, for SVN hosting whose interface hasn't had a meaningful update in over a decade. subforge is the independent, modern alternative built for game teams. Free while in beta.

Try subforge free See pricing
Per seat
Assembla bills every user — collaboration costs you more
Free
subforge while in beta — paid plans coming, priced per team
Independent
No investors, no acquisition, no surprise price hikes

Per-seat pricing doesn't make sense for SVN

SVN is inherently a team tool — committing assets, locking files, working together on large binary files. Charging per seat penalises collaboration. subforge prices per team instead: one flat rate covers everyone in your studio, so adding a new artist or engineer doesn't mean another line item on your invoice. It's free while in beta, with fair per-team pricing to come.

Feature comparison

Assembla subforge
SVN hosting
Pricing model Per seat (~$12–20/user/mo) Per team
Cost while in beta ~$60–100 / mo Free
Modern web UI Dated ✓ Modern
Asset previews
Groups & team access Limited
Path-based permissions
Independent & ad-free Enterprise-owned
Migration assistance
Free plan, no card required

Independent — and built to stay

subforge exists because Assembla became non-viable for the maker's own game studios: prices climbing, the product standing still. It's deliberately independent and sustainable — no investors pushing for growth or an exit, no acquisition waiting to happen. Fair pricing, proper support, and your repos stay plain SVN so you're never locked in. The aim is simply to still be here, and still affordable, in five years.

Migrating from Assembla

subforge can import your existing SVN repository directly, preserving every revision, author, date, and commit message. Your team's working copies can be repointed with a single svn relocate command if UUID preservation is enabled during import — no re-checkout needed.

Start the import yourself in a few clicks, or ask for a hand — migration help is included.

See for yourself — no card required

Import a repo, invite your team, and try it for free. Upgrade when you're happy.

Not convinced yet? Follow along — we'll send occasional updates as subforge develops.