GitLab
6.8/10GitLab is a DevSecOps platform that combines source code, CI/CD, security, and agile planning with issues, boards, and epics for software teams.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
GitLab is a single application for the whole software delivery lifecycle. It covers Git repositories, merge requests, CI/CD pipelines, and security scanning, and it adds planning tools on top: issues, tasks, labels, weights, milestones, iterations, Kanban-style issue boards, epics, roadmaps, wikis, and time tracking. You can use it on GitLab.com SaaS, self-manage it on your own infrastructure, or run it as GitLab Dedicated, a single-tenant service managed by GitLab. It suits engineering organisations that want their planning to sit right next to their code and pipelines. It suits marketing or client service teams much less well. Pricing is per user. The Free plan allows up to five users per private top-level group, with 400 compute minutes and 10 GiB of storage. Premium costs $29 per user per month, billed annually, and includes 10,000 compute minutes. Ultimate has custom pricing. GitLab sells add-ons for usage-based AI credits, extra compute minutes, storage, and an Enterprise Agile Planning seat for Ultimate customers. Integrations include Jira, Slack, and many CI and security tools, and there is a full REST and GraphQL API. The main limitation for project management is that the stronger planning features sit in the paid tiers. The documentation lists OKRs as Ultimate-only and not ready for production, and reviewers say the interface is complex and changes often for people who don't write code.
Our Rating
Who GitLab is best for
Good fit
Self-managed and Dedicated deployment options, Ultimate security features, and a publicly listed vendor suit large engineering organisations.
Premium suits mid-sized software teams that want planning and CI/CD on one platform.
The Free tier and the Premium plan help software startups get started, although the Free plan caps private groups at five users.
Less suited
It fits small dev teams, but it is complex for small businesses that don't build software.
Its planning tools are built around code workflows, and reviewers note a steep learning curve.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Planning, code, CI/CD, and security live in one tool, so issues link directly to merge requests and pipelines.
- Time tracking with estimates and logged time is included on every tier, including Free.
- It can be self-managed or run as single-tenant Dedicated, which suits regulated enterprises.
- Reviewers on G2 and Capterra rate it about 4.5 out of 5 and praise its robust CI/CD and version control.
Cons
- Users who don't write code face a lot of complexity, and reviewers complain about frequent interface changes.
- Ultimate pricing isn't public, and Premium is listed only with annual billing.
- OKRs require Ultimate and are still not ready for production; the global time tracking report is also experimental.
- Users have long complained that epics exist only at the group level.
Key Features
GitLab Pricing
Free
- 10 GiB storage
- 400 compute minutes per month
- Issues, boards, and time tracking
- 5 users per private top-level group
Dedicated
- Custom pricing
- Ultimate features
- Single-tenant SaaS fully managed by GitLab
Premium
or $348/user/year
- Unlimited licensed users
- 500 GiB storage per project
- 10,000 compute minutes per month
- Billed annually at $29 per user per month
- 12 AI credits per user per month (promotion)
Ultimate
- Custom pricing
- Unlimited guest users
- OKRs (not ready for production)
- 50,000 compute minutes per month
- 24 AI credits per user per month (promotion)
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Free plan costs nothing but limits private top-level groups to 5 users, with 400 compute minutes and 10 GiB of storage.
Premium costs $29 per user per month, billed annually. Ultimate and Dedicated are priced through sales.
Yes. On all tiers you can record estimates and time spent on issues, tasks, merge requests, and epics. The cross-project global report is still experimental.
Yes. The Self-Managed Free, Premium, and Ultimate plans run on your own infrastructure, and GitLab Dedicated is a single-tenant managed option.
Only on Ultimate, and only behind a feature flag. The documentation says the feature is not ready for production use.
Through GitLab Credits at $1 per credit. Premium and Ultimate currently include some credits per user as a promotion.
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