GitLab Reviews

“outstanding repositories”

Pros

Something that really stands out is that in the free tier you get unlimited private repositories and even build minutes included. That means you can use their built-in CI/CD machines to run tests, build projects and even deploy code without paying anything. GitHub can offer similar workflows through outside services but having everything available in a single platform feels much more convenient. Another big plus is the self-hosting option for anyone worried about keeping their code on a public online service. If you choose to self-host you do need to set up the runners on your own which is only a minor inconvenience.

Cons

Setting up the self-hosted version does come with some added complexity. Also, gitlab.com does not seem to have the same level of traffic or activity as GitHub.

“Easy to manage”

Pros

Signing up on this tool with an email address takes just one click which makes getting started really quick. It also lets us set up Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery workflows without much trouble. Viewing source code and handling project management is efficient using this software. We can also assign permissions to people across the organization so they only access the projects they are responsible for.

Cons

The dashboard can be a little complicated at first especially for beginners so it helps to have some prior knowledge of how it works.

“DevOps service on one free platform”

Pros

Using this software you can bring DevOps in as a service with one platform. It's a free tool, you can deploy it on your own internal servers and the whole team can use it without any issue. Their documentation is excellent. Pretty much everything you need is available on the official site so there's very little to worry about. Absolutely fantastic work by the team.

Cons

CE edition may have a few limitations, such as allowing only a single reviewer for a merge request.

“Free private projects for everyone”

Pros

Level of customization is excellent and it's been very easy to pick up. The free private projects are a huge plus especially for hobbyists. Once in production, running pipelines and checking their logs is very easy. It also works perfectly with Heroku which makes the whole workflow even better.

Cons

It does take some time to learn how to make full use of everything the software can do.

“very dependable platform”

Pros

Assigning memberships and roles to users is simple and the service itself has been very dependable. It's also budget-friendly and connects with other tools without much effort. More than anything, I appreciate that it doesn't try too hard to look flashy or overcomplicate things. It just works so once your projects are set up, you can pretty much leave it alone without dealing with constant issues.

Cons

Merge and pull request experience can feel a bit disorganized at times. It does include some project planning features but in reality, you'll probably end up relying on another tool like JIRA for that part.

“everything in one open platform”

Pros

Along with many other features it includes CI/CD, a clean and polished interface and free unlimited private repositories. Since it is open source, you can also host your own version if you have specific requirements and need that extra level of security.

Cons

With so many features packed in, getting started can feel a bit overwhelming at first especially if you are new to some of the tools and options it provides.

“Simpler than competitors”

Pros

Compared to other options in the market it much easier to use and a lot simpler to get used to.

Cons

The free tier really needs to be expanded to support more users.

“Code management done well”

Pros

Managing code with it feels very easy. The features I appreciate most are creating merge requests and keeping track of code versions through version control. On top of that, the product is budget-friendly.

Cons

Backups can take a bit longer than expected but other than that, I really haven't noticed any downside to this product.

“good for our version control needs”

Pros

Our teams handle every part of version control in it and we've been really happy with it. I've also worked with Bitbucket and GitHub myself and to me it stands out as the best option of the bunch.

Cons

I don't have any complaints about this software. It works really well and is very easy to use.

“interface got much nicer”

Pros

The interface looks much more polished now and details like that really matter to me.

Cons

There is nothing that I dislike about it.

“Impressive product”

Pros

It's CI/CD capabilities are outstanding especially when it comes to integration.

Cons

Features like the wiki are not very easy to find.

“Great command line interface”

Pros

Working with the command line interface has been a really good experience. It is quite simple to use, the commands run efficiently and the error messages are clear enough to understand quickly which makes fixing issues much easier.

Cons

Graphical interface still looks like it could use some improvement. Branch merging could also be handled better.

“developer-friendly software”

Pros

Clean interface which makes it pleasant to work in. It's open source and free to use and while there are paid plans available, the free version already covers most of what I need. It offers a wide range of tools for software developers.

Cons

One thing to keep in mind is that, it comes with a bit of a training required especially for team members who are not very technical.

“Easy check-ins”

Pros

Managing my source code through this has made check-ins and check-outs very easy.

Cons

Merging is a bit complicated and it takes some time to really get comfortable with it.

“Pleasant to use”

Pros

The interface is easy to use right after installation. A few specific functions do take some time to fully understand but overall it's very approachable. I especially enjoy the way code comparisons are handled and how the discussion features are set up. Deleting remote branches is also very convenient.

Cons

Reverting code through the tool isn't very easy and I'd rather handle that part manually. The merge function it provides also doesn't behave the way I expect it to.

“Private server hosting for extra security”

Pros

Works a lot like GitHub but admins can install their own instance on a private server which makes it possible to add extra security layers around projects.

Cons

Looking through older versions of the code is a bit difficult.

“Free repositories that stay current”

Pros

Switching between repositories and branches is really convenient and it also works well with private servers. I also appreciate that it's free, open source and gets updated regularly.

Cons

Because updates come out so often, it can take a while to adjust to the new under-the-hood changes and UI tweaks. The backup process could also be faster.

“Very simple to explore”

Pros

Exploring the platform is actually very simple and that's the part I appreciate the most.

Cons

I still don't feel entirely comfortable working with this version control tool.

“Setup is easy enough”

Pros

Installation was very easy and the setup didn't take much effort. The issue tracking and user management features are especially impressive.

Cons

It's not quite as polished as GitHub but if GitHub is out of your budget, this is still one of the best options to go with.

“valuable CI feature”

Pros

GitLab CI is easily the most valuable part of this tool for me. Travis CI may have introduced the YAML-based build setup first but their CI took that idea much further and made pipelines far more flexible and expressive. Travis worked well enough for common languages and typical open-source projects but the tool made it possible to build enterprise-level pipelines with many stages and multiple jobs running in parallel. On top of that, having the git repository, Docker registry and several other tools all in one place makes it feel like a complete platform, covering everything from early development and builds to deployment and monitoring.

Cons

Few pages can be slow especially the pipelines list in larger projects. There are also some pages that still lack search and sorting options. That said these feel like relatively minor drawbacks to me