CircleCI vs GitLab Pricing (2026)

How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.

CircleCI GitLab
Starts at $15/mo $29/mo
Number of plans 3 3
Free plan
Free trial —
Pricing model usage-based per-seat

Price is one row. To weigh the features too, use our feature comparison template →

Free

$0/mo
  • Up to 6,000 build minutes
  • Up to 5 active users/month
  • Docker, Windows, Linux, Arm, macOS, self hosted runners
  • 30x concurrency

Performance

$15/mo
  • 30,000 credits included free
  • 5 active users included free
  • Larger resources
  • 80x concurrency
  • Optional 8x5 support add-on

Scale

Custom
  • Customizable plans
  • Enterprise controls
  • Largest resource classes
  • All environments, even GPU
  • Optional 24/7 support add-on

Free

$0/mo
  • 5 users per top-level group
  • 400 compute minutes per month
  • Source Code Management & CI/CD
  • 10 GiB adjustable storage
  • Static Application Security Testing

Premium

Popular
$29/mo
  • Unlimited licensed users
  • 10,000 compute minutes per month
  • Advanced CI/CD
  • Team Project Management
  • SLA Management
  • Priority Support

Ultimate

Custom
  • Unlimited guest users
  • 50,000 compute minutes per month
  • Application Security Testing
  • Software Supply Chain Security
  • Vulnerability Management
  • Strategic Portfolio Management
  • Value Stream Management
  • Compliance and Governance

CircleCI vs GitLab FAQ

Which one is cheaper?
CircleCI starts lower at $15/mo, compared to $29/mo for GitLab.
Can I use either one for free?
Both offer free plans, so you can try each without paying. Start with whichever fits your workflow better and upgrade when you hit the limits.
How do they charge?
Different approach here. CircleCI uses usage-based pricing, while GitLab goes with per-seat. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
Which one is a better deal?
Depends on what you need. CircleCI: Sitting in the middle of the CI/CD pack, undercutting some enterprise-first competitors on entry price while still using usage-based mechanics that can get expensive at scale. They're clearly fishing for teams that started on GitHub Actions or Jenkins and now need something more purpose-built without jumping straight to enterprise pricing. GitLab: GitLab sits mid-to-premium in the DevOps platform category — pricier per seat than raw source-control tools like Bitbucket, but positioned as a full lifecycle replacement so you're not stacking separate CI, security, and PM tool bills. They're chasing platform-consolidation buyers, not the cheapest-seat shoppers.

Still deciding? See the best CircleCI alternatives or the best GitLab alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.

Stop checking your competitors manually.

Outmano watches your competitors' prices and features for you. See how competitor pricing monitoring works.

Try Outmano free »

14-day free trial