GitLab Premium vs HCL AppScan comparison

GitLab and HCLSoftware are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. GitLab is ranked #23 with an average rating of 8.5, while HCLSoftware is ranked #20 with an average rating of 8.3. Additionally, 100% of GitLab users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of HCLSoftware users who would recommend it.

GitLab Premium

Read 4 GitLab Premium reviews

198 Views
152 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Read 44 HCL AppScan reviews

4,387 Views
3,071 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

GitLab Premium

HCL AppScan

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between GitLab Premium and HCL AppScan based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Application Security Tools solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed GitLab Premium vs. HCL AppScan Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

GitLab Premium vs. HCL AppScan

December 2025

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Helped 879,853 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

GitLab Premium

Ranking in Application Security Tools

23rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

HCL AppScan

Ranking in Application Security Tools

20th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (17th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (4th)

Featured Reviews

Bharadwaj Deepak Mohapatra

DevOps Engineer at ENTERPRISE SYSTEM SOLUTIONS LIMITED

Have managed internal projects efficiently but face challenges with user interface and navigation

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.

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Ravi Khanchandani

Founder Director at Techsa Services

Has improved identification of encryption and authentication issues across cloud and on-prem applications

During the learning curve of onboarding HCL AppScan, we learned that HCL has altered the portfolio and now offers HCL AppScan 360, which has a much better look and feel with an improved user interface. However, there is one feature called SCA, which stands for Software Composition Analysis, that could be improved. When I'm doing an application scan, HCL AppScan has the ability to generate information about what components are in use. For example, if I'm scanning a web application, it shows me the various components being used. It tells me whether I have Java libraries, .NET frameworks, or other log management libraries such as Log4j, and what versions of those specific components are present. I would like to see more detailed reports from the tool. Currently, you can find out the components belonging to a specific software, but if detailed reporting became available, you would be in a better position to identify vulnerabilities. For instance, I could identify that I had the Log4j vulnerability and know that I need to fix my application accordingly. If they add the features I'm describing, I would consider giving them a higher rating. However, I've only been experienced with the product for three months.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The biggest benefit from GitLab Premium is that both repository management systems are good, as both GitHub and GitLab are valuable, and the main advantage is that GitLab Premium has community support, making it good in all aspects for small organizations."

"The main benefits I received from GitLab Premium are that I save money and streamline my management process of applications."

"The main benefits from advanced CI/CD capabilities in GitLab Premium include automation to pull and merge the codes together, and it's all done automatically."

"GitLab Premium is much more reliable, quicker, faster, and basically easier to operate compared to GitHub."

"HCL AppScan has helped us improve our security posture, as we've been able to identify quite a few issues."

"Technical support is helpful."

"It has certainly helped us find vulnerabilities in our software, so this is priceless in the end."

"The security and the dashboard are the most valuable features."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the scanning or security part."

"It's generally a very user-friendly tool. Anyone can easily learn how to scan"

"AppScan's most valuable features include its ability to identify vulnerabilities accurately, provide detailed remediation steps, and the newly introduced AI-powered features that enhance its functionality further."

"For me, as a manager, it was the ease of use. Inserting security into the development process is not normally an easy project to do. The ability for the developer to actually use it and get results and focuses, that's what counted."

More HCL AppScan pros

Cons

"The biggest drawbacks of GitLab Premium are GUI and configuration. GUI is the primary concern, but other aspects are good."

"The automation part could be improved. Nowadays AI is being actively used, and if we could integrate something like ChatGPT with GitLab Premium, it would be easier for us to check logs and debug faster."

"One thing which I think can be improved is the CI/CD Integration"

"I would love to see more containers. Many of the tools are great, they require an amount of configuration, setup and infrastructure. If most the applications were in a container, I think everything would be a little bit faster, because all our clients are now using containers."

"A desktop version should be added."

"I would like to see the roadmap for this product. We are still waiting to see it as we have only so many resources."

"They have to improve support."

"It's a little bit basic when you talk about the Web Services. If AppScan improved its maturity on Web Services testing, that would be good."

"Many silly false positives are produced."

"We have experienced challenges when trying to integrate this solution with other products. When you compare it with the other SecOps products, the quality of the output is too low. It is not a new-age product. It is very outdated."

More HCL AppScan cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"The solution is cheap."

"Our clients are willing to pay the extra money. It is expensive."

"AppScan is a little bit expensive. IBM needs to work a little bit on the pricing model, decreasing the license cost."

"The tool was expensive."

"The product is moderately priced, though it's an investment due to extensive code analysis needs."

"The price is very expensive."

"I would rate the product's pricing a nine out of ten. The product's pricing is expensive compared to the features that they offer."

"Pricing was the main reason that we went ahead with this solution as they were the lowest in the market."

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	31

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with GitLab Premium?

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 pro...

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What advice do you have for others considering GitLab Premium?

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 p...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for GitLab Premium?

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 op...

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What do you like most about HCL AppScan?

The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is its integration with the SDLC, particularly during the coding phase.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HCL AppScan?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HCL AppScan?

I'm currently working with BigFix and HCL AppScan. At least three people in my company are using HCL AppScan. Since we are a reseller, we run it in both lab environments and live production applica...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Security Tools

January 2026

Download GitLab Premium product report

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

December 2025

Download HCL AppScan product report

Also Known As

No data available

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

Overview

Information not available

GitLab

IBM Security AppScan enhances web application security and mobile application security, improves application security program management and strengthens regulatory compliance. By scanning your web and mobile applications prior to deployment, AppScan enables you to identify security vulnerabilities and generate reports and fix recommendations.

HCLSoftware

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Essex Technology Group Inc., Cisco, West Virginia University, APIS IT

Buyer's Guide

GitLab Premium vs. HCL AppScan

December 2025

Free Report: GitLab Premium vs. HCL AppScan

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