CircleCI is a specialized CI/CD platform with superior performance (4.1/5 stars) and Docker-native workflows, while GitLab is an all-in-one DevOps platform offering integrated source control, CI/CD, security scanning, and monitoring in one unified system.
CircleCI vs GitLab — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Specialized CI/CD platform with Docker-native workflows and high performance
Complete DevOps platform combining Git hosting, CI/CD, security, and monitoring
Primary Function. Build Performance (avg seconds per job). Pricing Model. Free Tier Monthly Build Minutes. Integrated Source Control. Security Scanning Features. User Satisfaction Rating
Choose CircleCI if you need a lightweight, high-performance CI/CD tool focused purely on testing and deployment with minimal overhead and lower costs. Choose GitLab if you want an integrated DevOps ecosystem combining version control, CI/CD, security scanning, and monitoring in a single platform—ideal for teams seeking consolidation and reducing tool sprawl.
CircleCI: ~180 (6,000 credits) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: 24/7 dedicated support with 99.99% SLA | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: Advanced with resource scaling | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: $15-30 (for limited minutes) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: ~500+ official/community integrations | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: Fully managed by CircleCI | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, FedRAMP Ready | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: 1 concurrent job | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, GPU | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: YAML-based, intuitive | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: 6,000 credits (~30 standard builds) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: $20 per user/month | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: Advanced DLC feature included | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: Available on Performance+ plan | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: Extensive Orb Registry (~5000+ orbs) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: $30-1,200 (Performance plan starts at $30) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: 5 minutes (GitHub authorization → first build) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: 50+ official orbs | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: 1 concurrent build | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: ~2,500 MB (runner image) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: Native OAuth, PR checks, status checks, app permissions | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: YAML + visual builder + orb registry | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: 40-60% reduction with Docker layer caching | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: 6 seconds | GitLab: 12-15 seconds
CircleCI: ~400 minutes (6,000 credits) | GitLab: 400 minutes
CircleCI: No (third-party via integrations) | GitLab: Yes (SAST, DAST, container, dependency)
CircleCI: GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab (external platforms) | GitLab: Native Git (no external required)
CircleCI: 30 minutes | GitLab: 45-60 minutes
CircleCI: No (requires third-party tools) | GitLab: Yes (issues, boards, wiki, milestones)
CircleCI: 100+ Orbs | GitLab: 80+ Templates
CircleCI: Unlimited (1 concurrent job) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: $0.20/minute (pay-as-you-go) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: Advanced caching (25x faster) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: 2,000 certified orbs | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: Full SSH support | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: 10-15 minutes (OAuth + config) | GitLab: N/A
Monthly Cost (5 Users, Mid-Volume Usage)
CircleCI: 0 hours (fully managed) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: YAML (simple, human-readable) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: 1 concurrent job free | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: ~10K GitHub discussions | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: US/EU regions only (CircleCI controls) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Bitbucket Cloud | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: Full support (DLC feature) | GitLab: N/A
Configuration File Complexity (1-10 scale)
CircleCI: 7 (moderate-complex) | GitLab: N/A
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 400 minutes with shared runners
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Community and Enterprise editions available
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Unlimited on all plans
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Built-in for all tiers
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Approximately 30 million users
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Yes, with 5GB storage limit
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: $10.50 for Premium
Free Monthly CI/CD Minutes (Private Repos)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 5 GB per project
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Included in Ultimate ($99/month per user)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Issues, Epics, Roadmaps, advanced Boards, Milestones
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Requires separate account/platform
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 10 concurrent pipelines
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Unlimited (up to 5 users)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Yes (free Docker registry)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: $228/year ($19/month)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Third-party plugin required
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Yes (free Community Edition)
Maximum CI/CD Pipeline Minutes (free tier/month)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 400 minutes/month
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Built-in full-featured system
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Yes (GitLab CI/CD)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 3 (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Native (included)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 5 (SAST, DAST, dependency, secret, container)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Forgejo, GitLab Community Edition
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: $8.25 (Premium at $99/year)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 400 minutes (shared)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 10,000+ (with performance degradation)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Open-source Community Edition available
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Via third-party plugins/SAML
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Basic; limited test case tracking
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 400+ via marketplace
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 10 GB (projects)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: $29 (Premium plan)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Included in Free tier (SAST, DAST, Dependency, Container)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 600 (authenticated)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Community, Premium, and Ultimate editions
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Yes - includes 50,000 CI/CD minutes
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Native GitLab CI/CD
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: $99 (Premium Edition)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: GitLab CI/CD (native pipeline engine)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Merge Requests with code owner enforcement
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: DORA metrics, advanced audit, compliance reporting (Premium+)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: $2,900 (Premium tier at $29/user)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Unlimited public/private repos included
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 400+ templates included
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: ~20 standard field types
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 12 million+ monthly active users
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: SAST, DAST, dependency scanning included in Premium
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 2-4 hours for basic CI/CD pipeline with templates
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 500-1,000 per instance; sharding available
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Free tier and above
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: $8.25/month (Premium)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: $9,900/year (Premium self-managed)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: 20% (estimated enterprise adoption)
CircleCI: N/A | GitLab: Manual webhook-based integration
How to choose between CircleCI and GitLab
CircleCI vs GitLab — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for CircleCI vs GitLab. Contains 135 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
CircleCI vs GitLab — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for CircleCI vs GitLab.
For dedicated CI/CD usage, CircleCI offers better value: the free tier provides 6,000 build minutes/month (vs GitLab's 400), and paid plans start at $15/user/month vs GitLab's $29/month. However, GitLab's unlimited CI/CD minutes on paid plans may be more economical for high-volume pipelines.
Can CircleCI replace GitLab for source control?
No. CircleCI is CI/CD-only and requires integration with GitHub, Bitbucket, or GitLab for Git hosting. GitLab includes native Git hosting, making it a complete DevOps solution. CircleCI is best paired with an existing Git platform.
CircleCI averages 42 seconds per job execution vs GitLab's 68 seconds—approximately 38% faster. CircleCI's Docker-native architecture and superior caching (15GB vs 4GB) contribute to this performance advantage.
Does CircleCI have built-in security scanning?
No. CircleCI requires third-party integrations for security scanning. GitLab includes native SAST, DAST, dependency scanning, and container scanning, making it the better choice for security-focused teams seeking integrated vulnerability management.
Which platform should a small startup choose?
CircleCI is ideal for startups: the free tier (6,000 CI/CD minutes/month) and lower entry cost ($15/user) reduce expenses. For teams needing Git hosting + CI/CD + security in one platform, GitLab's all-in-one approach may justify the higher cost by reducing tool sprawl.
How to Choose Between CircleCI and GitLab
Primary Function: CircleCI has Dedicated CI/CD Platform, while GitLab has Full DevOps Platform (Git + CI/CD + Security + Monitoring).
Consider: Build Performance (avg seconds per job)
Build Performance (avg seconds per job): CircleCI has 42 seconds, while GitLab has 68 seconds.
Pricing Model: CircleCI has $15/user/month or pay-per-build credits, while GitLab has $29/user/month with unlimited CI/CD minutes.
Consider: Free Tier Monthly Build Minutes
Free Tier Monthly Build Minutes: CircleCI has 6,000 minutes (1 concurrent build), while GitLab has 400 minutes (1 concurrent build).
Integrated Source Control: CircleCI has GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab integration only, while GitLab has Native Git hosting included.
Security Scanning Features: CircleCI has Requires third-party integrations, while GitLab has Built-in SAST, DAST, dependency scanning, container scanning.
User Satisfaction Rating: CircleCI has 4.1/5 stars (2,400+ reviews), while GitLab has 4.3/5 stars (3,100+ reviews).