GitLab Reviews

“fantastic for our projects”

Pros

This is where we store most of our projects so we end up using it almost every hour. It offers a wide range of features and the integration with Jenkins, automation scripts and other tools has been excellent. Honestly it has been fabulous.

Cons

We have not run into any issues at all since the day we started using it.

“reliable self-hosted source control”

Pros

We keep all of our own and our clients' source code on dedicated in-house hardware and it has been the platform we trust for that. I haven't come across another tool that feels as dependable and maintainable for this kind of job. On top of that, it's packed with features, supports self-hosting and includes a wide range of collaboration tools for teams.

Cons

Setting up the software and running everything usually takes some trial and error and a few unexpected problems can come up along the way. That's somewhat understandable for self-hosted software handling so many complex needs but it's still something worth thinking through before deciding to run it internally even if there also seems to be a cloud-based option available.

“powerful all-in-one git platform”

Pros

It is definitely the top git repository platform out there and it offers much more than just source control. It comes with tons of features, including a Docker image repository and built-in CI/CD tools. Except some advance features, it's very simple to work with.

Cons

Because it includes so many features, it can feel overwhelming at first and a lot of the functions are specifically for a tech savvy. So really get the most out of it, you need to understand what you're doing.

“organized dev workflow”

Pros

This is a really good option if you need to bring Git, issue tracking and CI/CD together in one place. It offers an all-in-one setup for handling all of that and getting started was easy. It also worked well with our several third-party services which made it even more useful.

Cons

The biggest reason we decided not to go with it was the pricing.

“faster CI”

Pros

Getting our CI up and running with it took very little time and the whole setup felt much simpler than working with Jenkins. It also comes with plenty of useful features that help keep code quality high and support best practices throughout the development process.

Cons

There are too many pricing tiers and it is not the most affordable choice if you need access to all the useful features. Every now and then, it also runs into some frustrating bugs and limitations.

“reliable for years”

Pros

After using it for the last 3 years my overall experience has been very good.

Cons

I haven't come across any issues and it covers all my requirements.

“mobile app and friendly ui”

Pros

Mobile app is one of my favorite parts of this product and the interface is very user-friendly as well. Getting everything set up was simple and the fact that it is free makes it even better.

Cons

At times, it becomes quite slow and runs into issues connecting to or updating with the servers. The search function is also hard to use on certain pages.

“fresh UI and powerful automation”

Pros

Interface feels modern and moving from one task to another feels polished and thoughtfully designed. It covers a lot of ground and brings in some distinctive approaches to how things are handled. Github has clearly had to play catch-up with some of the features this platform already offers. The CI and automation capabilities, in particular, make it a very compelling option.

Cons

Aside from already being more familiar with Github, I honestly do not have many fair criticisms to point out here. I can genuinely see this product surpassing Github down the road.

“recommended from my side”

Pros

It's CI/CD has been a big plus for us. Its CI/CD syntax makes it possible to create fairly advanced pipelines without too much trouble and because the pipeline configuration lives inside the repository, everything stays organized in one place. It also comes with a built-in Docker registry which is really useful since we host both our build pipelines and our images there. The pricing is flexible too so I'd recommend it for startups as well as larger enterprises.

Cons

The Explore Projects feature still needs work. It would be much more helpful if there were filters to narrow projects down by technology stack. It should also allow templates at the job level so they can be reused across different environments. Another downside is integrations since there still aren't many third-party services that connect with the tool right now.

“modern devops powerhouse”

Pros

A modern DevOps platform that covers a lot in one place. It works well for managing Git repositories and tracking issues and the web-based interface is friendly and simple to navigate. Its pipeline supports the full flow from planning and management to release configuration and monitoring. The built-in static and dynamic application security testing is very useful for identifying vulnerabilities so they can be resolved before deployment. Automatic threat detection also helps surface issues in live applications. On top of that, the package, container and Helm chart registries are helpful for building and managing packages.

Cons

This software still has room to improve when it comes to configuration and the monitoring pipeline. The monitoring metrics should be presented in a much simpler way so it becomes easier to understand the impact of a merge.

“full control of ci/cd”

Pros

It really shines when it comes to CI/CD because it gives you a complete platform to track everything from the code stage all the way to deployment across the entire pipeline. As a software developer, it's especially useful because you can set up your own repositories, manage packages, work with Docker environments and thoroughly test your code while continuing to build on it. From a DevOps perspective, it's just as valuable since it helps you verify whether deployments to the environments you've set up are actually running successfully. Overall it gives our team strong end-to-end control over the CI/CD workflow across the organization. It feels like a real step away from oversized monolith deployments, risky manual releases and all those big red button moments.

Cons

A while back it wasn't the strongest option if you needed a stable integration with Atlassian tools especially Jira but that's no longer really an issue. Their team has clearly put in the effort to improve that area. If I had been asked earlier, that would have been my main criticism but at this point I honestly can't think of anything that should stop someone from giving it a try.

“User friendly customization options”

Pros

This comes with a lot of valuable features for source code management, including branches, tags, branch comparison and merge requests. The merge request workflow is especially strong for team collaboration since it supports reviews, comments, conflict resolution and attachments really well. Its CI/CD pipeline is also very practical with a user-friendly YAML configuration and clearly defined stages that help maintain code quality on every commit. It also integrates well with other DevOps tools like Sonar, Maven and Ant making it possible to cover the full CI/CD lifecycle from compilation and testing to packaging.

Cons

UI can feel fairly slow and it sometimes takes a while before the interface shows the actual pipeline progress. Another issue is that the community is relatively small so it can be difficult to find answers online when dealing with very specific problems.

“feature-packed and reliable”

Pros

Right after installation it offers so many features and capabilities that it's genuinely a pleasure to work with. We rely heavily on Issues and more recently we've also been using the Wiki feature a lot. It's a fantastic tool.

Cons

Back when we first started using it in 2017, there were occasional performance issues. These days though, it usually delivers very strong uptime and great performance.

“flexible software”

Pros

It's widely used and very flexible. There are lots of customization options and it connects well with other systems through webhooks and similar integrations. The built-in continuous integration tools are also really helpful.

Cons

Upgrading versions can create some challenges for users. For example, page layouts may look completely different from earlier versions and getting used to the new interface can take a while.

“free team-friendly file manager”

Pros

Feature set is really great especially the file manager. It works very well for team collaboration and being free is a big plus especially compared with GitHub which is backed by a company.

Cons

Quite a few features are tucked away inside menus and submenus so they are not always obvious at first. It takes some time to get familiar with where everything is and there is definitely some difficulty in learning it in the beginning.

“code analytics done right”

Pros

We went with this tool over GitHub mainly because of its code analytics feature. Beyond that it handles everything you'd want from a distributed code repository and does the job really well.

Cons

I haven't run into any downsides and I've been using it every day for years across different projects. I need it to work like a repository and that's exactly what it does.

“sleek design and budget finds”

Pros

Interface is polished and modern. There are tons of good finds across all price ranges so it works well no matter your budget. It's especially helpful when you need something quickly and honestly it's fun to scroll through even when I'm just browsing.

Cons

One issue is that some of the developer instructions are too vague. It seems like they assume every user is highly technical which definitely isn't the case for everyone on the platform.

“fast repo browsing”

Pros

The search works really well and makes it simple to move through repositories without wasting time. Pushing from the command line is also very quick.

Cons

Merge requests still feel weaker than what other providers offer and approvals being done with just a thumbs up feels limited. It is also not very clear or convenient to view changes inside an MR.

“reliable git-based vcs”

Pros

It handles the core version control work very well. Because it is built around Git there is a huge amount of documentation available which makes the software much easier to work through. It also fits organizational use nicely and the free tier offers a better limit than many other tools in this category.

Cons

Submodule handling can be frustrating. The submodule paths do not get updated even after running the recursive deinit command which makes that part of the implementation feel unreliable.

“well structured software”

Pros

I particularly appreciate how smoothly it lets me upload files to the cloud via the command line. As someone who switches between different computers for projects, it addresses a real practical need without getting in the way. Its version control is also amazing, keeping changes clear and well-structured.

Cons

I do not have any real complaints about it. The pricing is flexible and since I use the free version, it feels completely reasonable to me.