CircleCI vs GitLab comparison

Cancel
You must select at least 2 products to compare!
CircleCI Logo
1,781 views|1,632 comparisons
66% willing to recommend
GitLab Logo
9,416 views|7,647 comparisons
98% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between CircleCI and GitLab based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Build Automation solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed CircleCI vs. GitLab Report (Updated: May 2024).
772,679 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
reviewer0972521
Corné den Hollander
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"It's a stable product.""The automation workflow in CircleCI related to third-party applications is very good and allows standardization of applications.""The ability to automate the build process in a seamless way and run workflows effortlessly. It supports parallel builds so it can scale well. Also, it covers the basics of any build and integration tool, including email notifications (especially when tests are fixed), project insights, etc.""The solution offers continuous integration and continuous delivery.""Enables us to detect exactly which build failed and why, and to push multiple builds to our production environment at a very fast rate.""Some of the most valuable features include container-based builds, integration with Bit Bucket and being able to store artifacts."

More CircleCI Pros →

"The best thing is that as the developers work on separate tasks, all of the code goes there and the other team members don't have to wait on each other to finish.""The most valuable feature of GitLab is its security.""CI/CD is valuable for me.""The solution's most valuable feature is that it is compatible with GitHub. The product's integration capabilities are sufficient for our small company of 35 people.""Key features allow creation of well-presented Wiki that includes ideas, development, and domains.""Git hosting has an integration with ACD which is why we liked this solution in the first place.""It speeds up our development, it's faster, safer, and more convenient.""A user friendly solution."

More GitLab Pros →

Cons
"Integration with Microsoft Azure is one area for improvement. Azure is growing in its user base, and supports various cloud infrastructure components such as Service Fabric, App Service, etc. Some of Azure’s deployment models (like Kudu) require a steep learning curve, but if CircleCI would come up with such features (deployment to App Service) out of the box, it would be amazing.""There needs to be some improvement in the user interface of CircleCI.""Billing is a mess.""The solution’s pricing could be better."

More CircleCI Cons →

"I used Spring Cloud config and to connect that to GitLab was so hard.""GitLab could consider introducing a code-scanning tool. Purchasing such tools from external markets can incur charges, which might not be favorable. Integrating these features into GitLab would streamline the pipeline and make it more convenient for users.""I would like more Agile features in the Premium version. The Premium version should have all Agile features that exist in the Ultimate version. IBM AOM has a complete Agile implementation, but in GitLab, you only have these features if you buy the Ultimate version. It would be good if we can use these in the Premium version.""When deploying the solution on cloud and the CI/CD pipeline, we have to define the steps and it becomes confusing.""We have only seen a couple of issues on Gitlab, which we use for building some of the applications.""The pricing model of GitLab is an issue for me.""I rate the support from GitLab a four out of five.""I don't really like the new Kubernetes integration because it is pretty focused on the on-premise environment, but we're in a hybrid environment."

More GitLab Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The price of CircleCI could be less expensive."
  • More CircleCI Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "I think that we pay approximately $100 USD per month."
  • "The price is okay."
  • "It seems reasonable. Our IT team manages the licenses."
  • "Its price is fine. It is on the cheaper side and not expensive. You have to pay additionally for GitLab CI/CD minutes. Initially, we used the free version. When we ran out of GitLab minutes, we migrated to the paid version."
  • "It is very expensive. We can't bear it now, and we have to find another solution. We have a yearly subscription in which we can increase the number of licenses, but we have to pay at the end of the year."
  • "I don't mind the price because I use the free version."
  • "We are using its free version, and we are evaluating its Premium version. Its Ultimate version is very expensive."
  • "The price of GitLab could be better, it is expensive."
  • More GitLab Pricing and Cost Advice →

    report
    Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Build Automation solutions are best for your needs.
    772,679 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:The solution offers continuous integration and continuous delivery.
    Top Answer:Beware of skyrocketing bills as CircleCI does not provide transparency into how they charge refills. Their monthly billing statement is almost unreadable and their online dashboard doesn't provide… more »
    Top Answer:We've had occasional connectivity issues with cloud resources and build failure due to its own internal system setup and environment. That costs us credits. Support engineers do not thoroughly read… more »
    Top Answer:I find the features and version control history to be most valuable for our development workflow. These aspects provide us with a clear view of changes and help us manage requests efficiently.
    Top Answer:For small-scale usage, GitLab offers a free tier. For enterprise pricing, GitLab is more expensive than GitHub, as it's not as widely adopted. GitLab is the preferred choice for many developers… more »
    Top Answer:I believe there's room for improvement in the advanced features, particularly in enhancing the pipeline functionalities. Better integration and usability within the pipeline could make a significant… more »
    Ranking
    11th
    out of 42 in Build Automation
    Views
    1,781
    Comparisons
    1,632
    Reviews
    2
    Average Words per Review
    342
    Rating
    4.0
    1st
    out of 42 in Build Automation
    Views
    9,416
    Comparisons
    7,647
    Reviews
    48
    Average Words per Review
    409
    Rating
    8.6
    Comparisons
    TeamCity logo
    Compared 32% of the time.
    Tekton logo
    Compared 22% of the time.
    GitHub Actions logo
    Compared 10% of the time.
    Jenkins logo
    Compared 9% of the time.
    Harness logo
    Compared 3% of the time.
    Microsoft Azure DevOps logo
    Compared 50% of the time.
    SonarQube logo
    Compared 5% of the time.
    Bamboo logo
    Compared 5% of the time.
    AWS CodePipeline logo
    Compared 5% of the time.
    Tekton logo
    Compared 4% of the time.
    Also Known As
    Fuzzit
    Learn More
    Overview

    CircleCI is a leading platform for automating continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD), valued for its capability to manage software updates efficiently. With an easy-to-configure system using YAML files and robust Docker support, CircleCI streamlines backend updates, frontend developments, and mobile app testing across devices. Its parallelism feature and insightful dashboard reduce processing times and improve workflow visibility, respectively, enhancing team collaboration and productivity while maintaining high-quality outputs across development stages.

    GitLab is a complete DevOps platform that enables teams to collaborate and deliver software faster. 

    It provides a single application for the entire DevOps lifecycle, from planning and development to testing, deployment, and monitoring. 

    With GitLab, teams can streamline their workflows, automate processes, and improve productivity.

    Sample Customers
    Shopify, Zenefits, Concur Technologies, CyberAgent
    1. NASA  2. IBM  3. Sony  4. Alibaba  5. CERN  6. Siemens  7. Volkswagen  8. ING  9. Ticketmaster  10. SpaceX  11. Adobe  12. Intuit  13. Autodesk  14. Rakuten  15. Unity Technologies  16. Pandora  17. Electronic Arts  18. Nordstrom  19. Verizon  20. Comcast  21. Philips  22. Deutsche Telekom  23. Orange  24. Fujitsu  25. Ericsson  26. Nokia  27. General Electric  28. Cisco  29. Accenture  30. Deloitte  31. PwC  32. KPMG
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company19%
    Financial Services Firm12%
    Comms Service Provider6%
    Healthcare Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company16%
    Financial Services Firm16%
    Manufacturing Company13%
    Retailer10%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization25%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Company Size
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise57%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business44%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise47%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business15%
    Midsize Enterprise34%
    Large Enterprise51%
    Buyer's Guide
    CircleCI vs. GitLab
    May 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about CircleCI vs. GitLab and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
    772,679 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    CircleCI is ranked 11th in Build Automation with 5 reviews while GitLab is ranked 1st in Build Automation with 70 reviews. CircleCI is rated 6.6, while GitLab is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of CircleCI writes "Unhelpful support, unclear billing, and has offers ability to track usage". On the other hand, the top reviewer of GitLab writes "Powerful, mature, and easy to set up and manage". CircleCI is most compared with TeamCity, Tekton, GitHub Actions, Jenkins and Harness, whereas GitLab is most compared with Microsoft Azure DevOps, SonarQube, Bamboo, AWS CodePipeline and Tekton. See our CircleCI vs. GitLab report.

    See our list of best Build Automation vendors.

    We monitor all Build Automation reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.