My use case for GitLab Premium involves consolidating multiple tools for different use cases such as performance testing, SAST, DAST, project management, and advanced project management. Initially, the organization was using close to eight or nine different tools. When I joined this organization as a consultant, they were already using the intermediate level of GitLab within the ecosystem. I recommended that rather than using multiple tools while already paying for them, they add some additional budget and move to GitLab Premium. This would help reduce the maintenance and management of multiple tools and eventually reduce the overall licensing cost.
GitLab Premium
GitLabExternal reviews
878 reviews
from
and
External reviews are not included in the AWS star rating for the product.
Consolidating multiple dev and security tools has streamlined workflows and reduced maintenance time
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The functions I found most valuable in GitLab Premium start with the core functionality of Git and version controlling, which is quite solid. The integrations and built-in capabilities provided for security, infrastructure management, SAST, DAST, performance testing, and advanced-level project management make it a solid tool to use.
The code review feature in GitLab Premium improves my development process, and it represents the most basic functionality they provide. It is quite effective to use, particularly the merge request feature that they have.
The planning tools in GitLab Premium, such as roadmaps, help my team manage projects and timelines effectively.
The main benefits I received from GitLab Premium are that I save money and streamline my management process of applications. I am able to reduce costs and maintenance time because I do not have to maintain multiple tools, multiple servers for those tools, or multiple licenses. This helps to reduce both costs and man-hours significantly.
What needs improvement?
GitLab Premium is quite solid now, though there is always room for improvement. They provide a feature for integrating it with provisioning tools such as Terraform and others, but if they could provide direct integration and a segregated unit or feature that helps manage files and maintain versioning in a more visualized way, that could significantly improve the capability.
I have not come across anything lacking in functionality within GitLab Premium that I am looking for. In the future, if there is something, I might suggest it. As of now, whatever the demands of the clients I am working for, GitLab Premium is fulfilling that with the version and capabilities they provide, so I am satisfied.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with GitLab Premium for approximately four years now since my client opted for it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of GitLab Premium as nine out of ten since I never encounter any issues with it, though there might be some minor ones.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of GitLab Premium is quite solid. I can rate it as ten considering we started with twenty users initially for this particular client when we opted for Premium, and we have scaled up to over one thousand two hundred users so far without facing any challenges.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the technical support from GitLab positively based on my experience. I have approached them a couple of times for issues I was unable to understand or implement, and I received solid support and inputs to fix those issues.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup process for GitLab Premium is simple, as we are using their SaaS platform. There is no setup involved; we just need to create an account, and then it is ready to use. It is a plug and play solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The comparison of GitLab Premium with competitors shows that it is not unique. There are other tools available with similar features, such as GitHub and Azure DevOps from Microsoft, which also offer almost the same functionalities.
For me, the main reason to choose GitLab Premium is that it provides all the same functionality for a lower price compared to other platforms. They are almost the same in terms of cost. It all depends on how a sales team approaches the management. I mainly work as an executor and implementer, providing suggestions and conducting POCs, but the final decision is with the client. Clients are approached by different sales representatives to choose their product or others. We provide them inputs, features, and ratings, and then it is up to them which product they proceed with. GitLab Premium does come with a couple of extra features that are not available in other products on the market now, so it has a premium edge.
What other advice do I have?
I require clarification on which feedback about the effectiveness of GitLab Premium for audit events you are asking about.
Overall, I give GitLab Premium a final rating of nine out of ten for the product. I give GitLab Premium a rating of nine out of ten.
I continue to recommend GitLab Premium to different clients where I work.
Have managed internal projects efficiently but face challenges with user interface and navigation
What is our primary use case?
GitLab Premium is being used, but the CI/CD functionality is not utilized. GitLab also provides the entire CI/CD ecosystem, but that is not being used. GitLab Premium is used for version controlling only.
The primary use case for GitLab Premium is version controlling. Version controlling and triggering capabilities are available, and GitLab configuration is good, but not comparable to GitHub.
GitLab Premium is used for internal needs only.
GitHub Actions are used for enterprise clients, as GitHub is widely used across the enterprise client base. Maximum enterprise clients are using GitHub, while some clients are using Azure Repos. For internal purposes, GitLab Premium is used because most proof of concept work has been done with Jenkins, and automation testing is also performed with Jenkins. A dedicated server for GitLab Premium is maintained because there are more than 350 users. If GitHub were implemented instead, it would be costlier. GitLab Premium is less costly, which is the main reason for the choice.
GitHub is used widely for enterprise clients, while GitLab Premium is used as a customer and user solution.
How has it helped my organization?
Advanced scheduling capability for pipelines does not impact build and deployment speed. This is not felt because integration has been done with a Jenkins project. More than 100 projects are integrated with the Jenkins CI/CD pipeline, and all those repositories are in GitLab Premium only. No lag or slowness is experienced because webhooks have been integrated with all pipelines for auto build triggers. Builds are triggered within seconds.
What is most valuable?
The biggest benefit from GitLab Premium is that both repository management systems are good, as both GitHub and GitLab are valuable. The main advantage is that GitLab Premium has community support. For small organizations, GitLab Premium is good in all aspects. However, for enterprise use, GitLab Premium is also chargeable, though not to the same extent as GitHub.
What needs improvement?
When discussing improvements for GitLab Premium, the main area is the GUI. GitHub's GUI is very good, offering many collaboration options and the ability to customize dashboards. GitHub's look and feel is superior, but GitLab Premium's dashboard is very simple.
Regarding capabilities lacking in GitLab Premium, the main concern is the GUI. For example, in GitHub, there is a right side profile where settings can be directly accessed, and there is a direct section for developer mode with clear segregation. In GitLab Premium, when accessing users, confusion sometimes arises between root user and main user. There is an option for groups, but it is not direct. When clicking on groups, it goes to another section where groups must be found. This hierarchy could be more straightforward and direct.
The biggest drawbacks of GitLab Premium are GUI and configuration. GUI is the primary concern, but other aspects are good.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
A stability rating of eight points is given for GitLab Premium.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
GitLab Premium's scalability is rated at 8.5.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is felt to be good, but not comparable to GitHub. There is some additional response time, which sometimes feels like a delay. Fast response is needed, but not to the level provided by Microsoft.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Regarding installation and deployment, GitLab Premium is quite easy to deploy. This is confirmed by the fact that more than 100 projects are managed by GitLab Premium and integrated with Jenkins CI/CD. Build and deployment are quite seamless.
What was our ROI?
Regarding ROI with GitLab Premium, in terms of price, GitLab Premium is better because it is less expensive. GitHub is much more costly.
Regarding whether GitLab Premium is rentable, much clarity cannot be provided because all of these matters are handled by the network management team. Return on investment cannot be provided with much clarity because when working for enterprise clients, they pay hourly for IT systems. These things may be affordable or if they are costlier, they are managed when clients pay the company. GitLab Premium is manageable, and there is no additional complexity regarding ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
GitLab Premium is affordable in terms of pricing, while GitHub is a bit pricier. If working with a much more complex and vast organization at the enterprise level, GitHub would be the choice. If operating a small organization or startup company without much complex scenarios, GitLab Premium is good.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Regarding code review enhancements, GitLab Premium is being used for code-based implementation. For new enterprise clients, GitHub is preferred, but for startup companies that are new to development and operations, GitLab Premium is good because it does not charge much more than GitHub. For small organizations, small teams, and small companies, GitLab Premium is good. For the enterprise level, if working with much complex operations, much greater security, and much more usability and accessibility regarding user access and parameters, GitHub is preferred.
What other advice do I have?
The company relationship with Microsoft and GitHub is as a service provider, while with GitLab Premium, the relationship is as a customer and user.
If operating a startup company, GitLab Premium should be used, as GitLab Premium also provides a community edition with which many things can be done that are available on GitHub.
Regarding scheduling for pipelines, advanced scheduling capability does not impact build and deployment speed. This is not felt because integration has been done with a Jenkins project. All repositories are in GitLab Premium only. No lag or slowness is experienced because webhooks have been integrated with all pipelines for auto build triggers. Whenever any developer pushes any commit or code to the GitLab Premium repository, it automatically triggers within seconds.
The biggest benefit from GitLab Premium is that both repository management systems are good, as both GitHub and GitLab are valuable. The main advantage is that GitLab Premium has community support. For small organizations, GitLab Premium is good in all aspects. However, for enterprise use, GitLab Premium is also chargeable, though not to the same extent as GitHub.
This review has been rated with an overall rating of eight out of ten.
GitLab: The All-in-One Solution for Developers
What do you like best about the product?
GitLab offers everything a developer needs to manage their projects. I find it easy to share code, review my recent changes, and it also helps me identify issues introduced by other developers.
What do you dislike about the product?
As of now i dont find something that i don't like about gitlab.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It helps me to manage projects
Help me with CI/CD
Help me to review code pushed by other dev.
i can easily maange projects
Help me with CI/CD
Help me to review code pushed by other dev.
i can easily maange projects
A Developer’s Best Friend
What do you like best about the product?
GitLab is pretty straightforward to use for day-to-day development work. Setting it up and getting CI/CD running doesn’t take much effort, which I really appreciate. Having everything in one place — code, issues, and pipelines — makes working with the team smoother. Also, whenever we’ve reached out, the support team has been quick and helpfull.
What do you dislike about the product?
Since GitLab offers so many features, it can feel a bit overwhelming when you’re just starting out. Also, I’ve noticed that performance can slow down a little when working with larger repositories, but it’s not a big issue once you get used to the workfloww
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
As an Android developer, GitLab helps me keep everything organized in one workflow — code reviews, issue tracking, and CI/CD builds for different app flavors. It makes collaboration with backend and QA teams much smoother, and automated pipelines save a lot of time during testing and releases. Overall, it’s helped us ship updates faster and with fewer headaches.
Robust CI/CD Features, But Community Support Needs Improvement
What do you like best about the product?
The platform offers a wide variety of features that support and advance our CI/CD practice.
What do you dislike about the product?
The community and support leave something to be desired. There are problems that have been reported by numerous users over the years, yet they still have not been addressed.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Version control and CI/CD are the key features that enable us to deliver better software more quickly.
GitLab: Powerful All-in-One DevOps, but Can Be Heavy for Small Teams
What do you like best about the product?
GitLab is an all-in-one DevOps platform that brings everything — from code hosting and CI/CD pipelines to issue tracking and security — under one roof. The best part is its seamless CI/CD integration, which makes automating builds, tests, and deployments incredibly easy. Its Merge Request workflows, inline code reviews, and visibility into pipelines help teams collaborate efficiently. The user interface is clean, intuitive, and works great for both small teams and enterprise-scale projects.
What do you dislike about the product?
While GitLab is powerful, it can feel heavy for smaller projects. The initial setup for CI/CD runners and permissions can be a bit complex, especially for new users. Occasionally, pipeline execution speed slows down for larger repos, and the pricing for premium tiers can be high for startups. Also, the UI could load faster when dealing with large numbers of issues or merge requests.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
GitLab helps us manage the entire software development lifecycle in one place. It solves the problem of switching between multiple tools for version control, CI/CD, and issue management. With GitLab, our workflows are more streamlined — code reviews, deployments, and monitoring happen within the same platform. This has improved collaboration across teams, reduced development time, and given us better visibility and control over releases.
Easy and Fun
What do you like best about the product?
There are many useful features, such as Milestones, Groups, Workspaces, and 2Do-s, among others. I also appreciate the user interface. All the members of our small team were able to handle the implementation easily. While working on a side project, we used it frequently, and it never felt disruptive or annoying—which is something we really appreciate.
What do you dislike about the product?
Actually we used GitLab for small team and all was perfect - so we didn't faced with difficulties or something to dislike.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
GitLab provided our team with a seamless environment to spark ideas, begin coding, deploy, and test, all while quickly receiving clear results for our MVP. During this fast-paced and hectic period, using GitLab made the entire process feel smooth and efficient.
GitLab review by Jannatul
What do you like best about the product?
GitLab CI/CD is seamlessly integrated and not an afterthought. Its flexibility allows for YAML-based pipeline configurations, making it adaptable to a variety of workflows. This results in fast, customizable pipelines that are effective for tasks ranging from simple builds to complex, multi-stage deployments.
What do you dislike about the product?
The sheer number of features and options can feel overwhelming, particularly for teams that are new to GitLab or DevOps. Additionally, GitLab offers limited built-in granularity when it comes to permission settings, especially in comparison to tools like GitHub Enterprise or Bitbucket.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
GitLab manages both our infrastructure and application deployments efficiently, with built-in security checks ensuring everything runs smoothly. We have also been able to integrate it seamlessly with various cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and GCP.
Very Efficient and Structured Solution for the whole Workflow from Management to Deployment
What do you like best about the product?
It started out with a very minimalistic approach, but over time, they have consistently enhanced their features and addressed bugs with better support for customer satisfaction. The platform is now easier to use and less complicated. It also integrates with all the popular mailing, communication, collaboration, and alerting applications. We use it for all our work tracking and releasing. Very easy to implement and build upon.
What do you dislike about the product?
Still has less features compared to peers. But it has everything we really need.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It can be integrated seamlessly with all the popular apps for coding, releasing, testing and alerting logs and all the management workflows too.
DevOps Operations are Easy
What do you like best about the product?
Source Code Management, Issue Tracking and Project Management are self hosted process.
What do you dislike about the product?
Costing is too high,Roadmaps are undefinable.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Currently we are storing our Source code inside the Gitlab, and easy to use by command prompt.
showing 1 - 10