# GitLab review (2026): is the free plan enough? > DevSecOps platform with issue boards, epics and CI/CD built in Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. GitLab is a DevSecOps platform that keeps source code, CI/CD pipelines and planning in one place. For project management it offers issues, epics, boards, roadmaps and milestones next to the repositories the work belongs to. It runs as GitLab.com, a self-managed install or the single-tenant GitLab Dedicated. - **Category:** Project Management - **Made by:** GitLab (since 2011) - **Website:** https://about.gitlab.com - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you want a simple task manager for non-technical people. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, GitLab has a free plan, and paid plans start at $29 per user / month, billed annually. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** Free plan on GitLab.com: 5 users per top-level group, 400 compute minutes a month and 10 GiB of storage. - **Free trial:** 30-day Ultimate trial, no credit card required. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | 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. | | Ultimate | Custom | 50,000 compute minutes a month, guest users, security testing, value stream management and strategic portfolio management. | Read from https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with GitLab before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Ultimate free for qualifying open source projects** (Other savings): GitLab for Open Source gives qualifying open source projects Ultimate-tier features, including 50,000 compute minutes, at no cost. Source: https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/open-source/ ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Software teams that want planning and code in one tool - Organizations that need to self-host or use single-tenant SaaS - Teams already running their CI/CD on GitLab ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. GitLab puts issues, epics and boards on the same platform as repositories and pipelines, with a free plan for up to 5 users per group. Premium costs $29 per user a month and Ultimate is quote only, and it is not built for non-technical teams. - **Value for money: D.** Premium is $29 per user a month on annual billing, about three times the category's middle of $9. Ultimate has no published price. - **Free plan and trial: B.** Free 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. - **Features: C.** Issues, epics, boards, burndown charts and wikis tied to code. The listing says it is not a general task manager for non-technical teams. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. Planning, pipelines and permissions come as one big platform, so there is a learning curve. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web app with Jira, Slack, Jenkins and AWS CodePipeline integrations and an API. Self-managed and single-tenant versions exist; no desktop or phone apps. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from GitLab's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among project management tools - GitLab's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 38 of the 149 other project management tools we grade, and level with 31. - It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 101 of 149) and worst on value for money (D, above 1). - Its paid plans start at $29 a month for each person, against a middle price of $9 for the category: 103 of the 121 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 60 tools score higher and cost less. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/project-management ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace GitLab you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 80 of the 149 other project management tools grade higher. It costs $348 a year. GitLab is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself. - You could make: Issue tracking and kanban boards: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. - You could not: It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team. - You could not: AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Jira, Slack, Jenkins, AWS CodePipeline **Tags:** Issue tracking, Kanban boards, Workflow automation, AI features, Open source, Self-hostable, Public API ## Alternatives - [GitHub Issues](https://toolgpa.com/tools/github-issues): Issue tracking and project planning built into GitHub. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/github-issues-vs-gitlab) - [Jira](https://toolgpa.com/tools/jira): Issue and project tracking for software and business teams. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gitlab-vs-jira) - [YouTrack](https://toolgpa.com/tools/youtrack): Issue tracker and project management tool from JetBrains. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gitlab-vs-youtrack) - [Zenhub](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zenhub): Agile project management built on top of GitHub issues. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gitlab-vs-zenhub) - [Assembla](https://toolgpa.com/tools/assembla): Managed Git, SVN and Perforce hosting with project management. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/assembla-vs-gitlab) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/ - https://about.gitlab.com/free-trial/ - https://about.gitlab.com/company/ - https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/agile-delivery/ - https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/open-source/ - https://about.gitlab.com/integrations/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/gitlab Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).