GitLab vs YouTrack (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, YouTrack grades higher than GitLab: 3.2 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
YouTrack grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
GitLab
DevSecOps platform with issue boards, epics and CI/CD built in
YouTrack
Issue tracker and project management tool from JetBrains
Which one is for you
Pick GitLab if
- Fits if your team already keeps code and CI/CD on GitLab
- Works for organizations that need to host the tool themselves
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a simple task manager for non-technical people
- Pricey if you outgrow 5 users, as Premium is $29 per user a month
- Watch out: Ultimate has no published price
- Watch out: AI features need the GitLab Credits add-on beyond a limited-time promotional amount
Pick YouTrack if
- Fits if you're a software team that wants issues linked to your IDE and build server
- Works for teams of 10 or fewer, since Cloud and Server are both free at that size
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you grow to 11, because then every user is paid, from $4.50 a month each billed annually
- Skip it if you want to buy Server licenses outright, as they've been annual subscriptions since June 23, 2026
- Tight if you store lots of files, since paid Cloud gives 3 GB per user with no way to buy more
- Pricey if you run a big helpdesk, because from 4 agents every agent is charged and needs a user license too
- Not for you if you want a desktop app, and self-hosting Server means running a Docker image yourself
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAGitLabFair | 3.2GPAYouTrackVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DPremium is $29 per user a month on annual billing, about three times the category's middle of $9. Ultimate has no published price. | BFrom 11 users, Cloud is $4.50 a user a month billed annually with every feature in it, which is inside the cheapest quarter for project tools here, and the per-user price falls as the team grows. Helpdesk agents are extra beyond three, at $5.50 each a month. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree plan: 5 users per top-level group, 400 compute minutes a month and 10 GiB, plus a 30-day Ultimate trial with no card. The 5-user cap is where you will stop. | AFree for up to 10 users on Cloud or Server, and it's the whole product bar a custom logo, with 30 GB of storage and 3 helpdesk agents. No cap a team of 10 would run into. |
| Features | CIssues, epics, boards, burndown charts and wikis tied to code. The listing says it is not a general task manager for non-technical teams. | AIt covers the whole job and then some its rivals don't: Kanban, Scrum and mixed boards, a Gantt chart with estimates and dependencies, time tracking with timesheets, a knowledge base, whiteboards, workflow automation, and a ticket helpdesk with service-level agreements in the same product. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Planning, pipelines and permissions come as one big platform, so there is a learning curve. | CNo store rating on record, and this is a tracker you shape: projects, fields and workflow rules are yours to set before it fits how you work. Cloud is at least hosted, and the trial takes up to 100 users with no card. Server means running a Docker image yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb app with Jira, Slack, Jenkins and AWS CodePipeline integrations and an API. Self-managed and single-tenant versions exist; no desktop or phone apps. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, plus a Server version for your own infrastructure, with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, TeamCity, Jenkins, Zendesk, Slack and Telegram wired in and apps adding more. No desktop app is listed, which is what holds it to a B. |
| Best for | software teams that want planning next to their code | issue tracking that's free for up to 10 users |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: GitLab and YouTrack. How we grade
Price against what you get
GitLab starts at $29 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. YouTrack starts at $4.50 a month for each person and scores 3.0.
YouTrack scores higher and starts $24.50 a month lower. Of the other project management tools on the chart, 60 score higher than GitLab for less, and none scores higher than YouTrack for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- GitLab is open source, according to its own site.
- YouTrack also covers wiki, Gantt & timelines and time tracking.
At a glance
| GitLab | YouTrack | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $29 per user / month, billed annually | $4.50 per user / month, billed annually (Cloud, 11 or more users) |
| Free plan | Free plan on GitLab.com: 5 users per top-level group, 400 compute minutes a month and 10 GiB of storage. | Free for up to 10 users on Cloud or Server, with every feature except a custom logo. Cloud includes 30 GB of storage and 3 helpdesk agents. |
| Free trial | 30-day Ultimate trial, no credit card required | 14-day Cloud trial with up to 100 users, no credit card required; 60-day trial for YouTrack Server |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | GitLab | JetBrains |
| Price read from | about.gitlab.com | jetbrains.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
GitLab
- The Free plan on GitLab.com is capped at 5 users per top-level group.
- Ultimate has no published price; it is quoted through sales.
- AI features need the GitLab Credits add-on beyond the included promotional credits, which the page says are available for a limited time.
- Project tracking is aimed at software delivery; it is not a general task manager for non-technical teams.
YouTrack
- From 11 users every user is paid: Cloud starts at $4.50 per user / month billed annually, or $5.40 billed monthly.
- YouTrack Server is sold as an annual subscription in fixed user packs; licenses bought since June 23, 2026 are no longer perpetual.
- With 4 or more helpdesk agents, every agent is charged and each one also needs a user license.
- Cloud storage is tied to seats: 30 GB on the free plan and 3 GB per user on paid plans, with no way to buy more separately.
Key features
GitLab
- Issues, epics and boards
- Planning uses issues and epics, with issue boards that support Scrum and Kanban workflows and parent-child relationships between items.
- Planning next to code
- Work items live on the same platform as repositories and pipelines, so each item can be tied to the code and deployments behind it.
- Reports and dependency views
- Burnup and burndown charts, drill-down reports and the Value Streams Dashboard, plus a view of dependencies across issues, epics and roadmaps.
- Scaled agile frameworks
- The vendor says it supports SAFe, LeSS and Disciplined Agile with governance controls for larger organizations.
- Wikis and documentation
- Wikis and static websites can be written and published directly from GitLab, next to the code they describe.
- Duo Agent Platform
- AI features for planning and delivery are available through the GitLab Credits add-on, and each paid plan includes a promotional amount of credits.
YouTrack
- Agile boards
- Boards support Kanban, Scrum and mixed approaches, for planning at any level from an individual backlog to an enterprise portfolio.
- Gantt charts and time tracking
- An interactive Gantt timeline schedules tasks with estimates and dependencies. Time is tracked automatically or by hand and reviewed on timesheets.
- Knowledge base and whiteboards
- Articles hold internal notes and plans or a public knowledge base. Whiteboards gather issues, tickets and notes that can be turned into tasks and articles.
- Workflows and apps
- Workflows are rules that automate the life cycle of tasks, such as deadline reminders, field updates and recurring tasks. Apps add further features and integrations.
- Helpdesk
- Helpdesk projects give support agents ticket handling with service-level agreements and unlimited reporters. 3 agents are free; on larger teams each costs $5.50 a month, billed annually.
- AI Assistant
- JetBrains AI summarizes tasks, articles and tickets, suggests replies and turns text into issues. Free credits, refilled weekly, come with Cloud and with paid Server subscriptions.
Plans
GitLab
Free$0
5 users per top-level group, 400 compute minutes a month, source code management, CI/CD and static application security testing.
Premium$29
per user / month, billed annually
Unlimited users, 10,000 compute minutes a month, advanced CI/CD, team project management, SLA management and priority support.
UltimateCustom
50,000 compute minutes a month, guest users, security testing, value stream management and strategic portfolio management.
YouTrack
Cloud: 1–10 users$0
Hosted by JetBrains. All features except a custom logo, 30 GB of storage, 3 helpdesk agents and free AI Assistant credits.
Server: 10 users$0
Installed on your own server from a Linux or Windows Docker image. Free for up to 10 users and 3 agents, including updates.
Cloud: 11+ users$4.50
per user / month, billed annually ($5.40 billed monthly)
The per-user price falls as the team grows, down to $1.53 at 10,000 users on annual billing. 3 GB of storage per user and a custom logo.
Server: 15-user pack$900
per year, annual subscription
Self-hosted instance with a year of updates and technical support. Larger packs include 25 users for $1,500, 50 for $3,000 and 100 for $6,000.
Ways to pay less
GitLab
- Other savings
Ultimate free for qualifying open source projects
GitLab for Open Source gives qualifying open source projects Ultimate-tier features, including 50,000 compute minutes, at no cost.
YouTrack
- Annual discount
Two months free on annual Cloud billing
Annual Cloud subscriptions start at $4.50 per user / month against $5.40 billed monthly, which JetBrains describes as saving 2 months' worth of costs.
- Startups
50% off for startup companies
Private software development companies in business for less than five years may qualify for 50% off up to 10 commercial licenses for JetBrains products, including YouTrack.
- Nonprofit
50% off for non-profit organizations
Registered non-profit organizations can apply for a 50% discount on commercial pricing, depending on their business model, by requesting a quote from sales.
- Education
50% off for universities, free for classrooms
Universities and accredited educational institutions can get 50% off commercial subscriptions for internal projects, and free classroom licenses for teaching.
- Other savings
Free licenses for open source projects
Non-commercial open source projects can qualify for free YouTrack licenses if they meet the requirements of JetBrains' support program.
- Other savings
25% off when migrating from another tool
Customers who currently hold a commercial license for a competing tool qualify for a 25% discount on commercial YouTrack subscriptions.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, GitLab or YouTrack?
As of Nov 13, 2026, YouTrack is cheaper to start with: $4.50 a month for each person, against $29 a month for each person for GitLab. GitLab starts at $29 per user / month, billed annually, and YouTrack starts at $4.50 per user / month, billed annually (Cloud, 11 or more users).
Which has a free plan, GitLab or YouTrack?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both GitLab and YouTrack have a free plan.
Which platforms do GitLab and YouTrack run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only YouTrack lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.