GitLab vs Microsoft Azure DevOps comparison

GitLab

Read 74 GitLab reviews

14,572 Views
11,603 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure DevOps

Read 128 Microsoft Azure DevOps reviews

17,929 Views
13,740 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

GitLab

Microsoft Azure DevOps

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 18, 2023

We compared Gitlab and Microsoft Azure DevOps based on our user’s reviews in four categories. After reviewing the collected data. you can find our conclusion below:

Ease of Deployment: GitLab's setup is customized to the user's needs and experience, while Azure DevOps is generally simple and direct. Third-party integrations with GitLab can be problematic, while Azure DevOps has a learning curve. Maintenance for Azure DevOps is minimal, and deployment times are generally quick due to its cloud-based nature.
Features: GitLab provides a complete package of features that are simple to deploy, backed up by useful customer support, and can be integrated with other platforms. Meanwhile, Microsoft Azure DevOps is customizable and adaptable, with smooth navigation and integration with Microsoft tools. It is especially beneficial for agile delivery and prioritizing backlogs. GitLab could improve by reducing outages, simplifying deployment processes, improving integration with other tools, providing better documentation, offering more cloud-native capabilities, improving security features, and reducing costs. On the other hand, Microsoft Azure DevOps could improve by better integrating with other tools, lowering pricing, improving support for Waterfall projects, and adding more features to the classic pipeline.
Pricing: GitLab has multiple pricing options, including a free version and paid versions with different features. Microsoft Azure DevOps has a diverse pricing structure which some users find reasonable and cost-effective. However, GitLab may be expensive for smaller teams. GitLab's initial setup cost is considered excellent, while the pricing and licensing experience with Microsoft Azure DevOps varies depending on individual needs and preferences. GitLab showed promise in terms of ROI due to its ability to accommodate a large number of users and improve DevOps score. On the other hand, Azure DevOps received positive feedback, but measuring ROI was challenging. It was suggested that GitLab may be more appropriate for bigger teams.
Service and Support: While GitLab's customer service is inconsistent among customers, Microsoft Azure DevOps generally provides good customer service with excellent support and helpful forums. However, some users feel that Microsoft could do more to improve their support.

Comparison Results : GitLab is the preferred option due to its comprehensive product that eliminates the need for multiple solutions and offers a single platform for various management tasks, including source code, build, test, artifact, and deployment management. The platform also has better integration with other platforms, more cloud-native capabilities, and a lower initial setup cost. However, Microsoft Azure DevOps is particularly useful for agile delivery and project management due to its easy navigation, customization, and integration with other Microsoft tools.

To learn more, read our detailed GitLab vs. Microsoft Azure DevOps Report (Updated: July 2024).

Buyer's Guide

GitLab vs. Microsoft Azure DevOps

July 2024

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Categories and Ranking

GitLab

Ranking in Release Automation

2nd

Ranking in Enterprise Agile Planning Tools

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (6th), Build Automation (1st), Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (6th), Rapid Application Development Software (10th), Software Composition Analysis (SCA) (6th), Fuzz Testing Tools (2nd), DevSecOps (3rd)

Microsoft Azure DevOps

Ranking in Release Automation

1st

Ranking in Enterprise Agile Planning Tools

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Number of Reviews

128

Ranking in other categories

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2024, in the Release Automation category, the mindshare of GitLab is 36.5%, up from 32.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure DevOps is 37.7%, down from 38.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Release Automation

Unique Categories:

Application Security Tools

3.9%

Build Automation

23.6%

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites

19.4%

Enterprise Agile Planning Tools

41.5%

Q&A Highlights

Netanya Carmi

Content Manager at PeerSpot (formerly IT Central Station)

Oct 04, 2023

How does Microsoft Azure DevOps compare with GitLab?

Microsoft Azure DevOps may be better for an organization that already uses other Microsoft products and services and needs a comprehensive DevOps solution with a broad range of features. GitLab may be a better choice for organizations looking for an open-source and free DevOps solution that is reportedly more straightforward to set up and manage. Of course, the best way to decide between Microsoft Azure DevOps and GitLab is to consider your organization's specific needs and requirements carefully, but here are some of the pros and cons of each solution: Azure DevOps Pros: Integrated tightly with other Microsoft products and services Has a broad range of functionality and features Provides good support for enterprise requirements Cons: Managing and setting it up may be more complex Could be costly, as reported by others GitLab Pros: Open source and may be free to use Reportedly easier to set up and manage Has a strong community support Cons: May not be as tightly integrated with other products and services as Microsoft Azure DevOps Reportedly has fewer features than Microsoft Azure DevOps May not be as well-suited for enterprise requirements

See all answers

Featured Reviews

reviewer2254248

Principle Product Manager at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

Mar 12, 2024

Improved our CI/CD processes in software dependency management

GitLab has improved our CI/CD processes in software dependency management. It handles conflicts between versions seamlessly, such as when merging different features into the main branch. With GitLab, there are no conflicts in the code itself. Versioning is also efficiently managed within GitLab, allowing us to easily track the latest main branches, previous branches, and releases. For example, if a software depends on specific versions, it's easily traceable using GitLab. One of the most significant advantages is the built-in DTS, which supports ample file storage. This capability allows us to store 30-40 gigabytes of repository sizes. The code diffs available in GitLab show the differences between the older version and the current one, indicating what has been added, deleted, or modified across the codebase. This helps you understand which portions of the code have changed within a particular file, such as a Python script, aiding in traceability and version management. The merge request feature is standard and available even in GitHub, making it accessible on most Git platforms. It is one of the fundamental features of GitLab, a free product. Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

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KulbhushanMayer

Co Founder and Technical Architect at Think NYX Technologies LLP

Aug 20, 2020

Easy to onboard and use, with complete integration between pipelines and testing

I am a consultant and this is one of the tools that I use to help develop solutions for my clients The most valuable feature is the complete integration between test cases, pipelines, and issue management. The test management section needs to be improved. It is easy to use but they can make…

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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

"Git hosting has an integration with ACD which is why we liked this solution in the first place."

"A user friendly solution."

"I have found the most valuable features of GitLab are the GitClone, GitPush, GitPull, GitMatch, GitMit, GitCommit, and GitStatus."

"We like that we can create branches and then the branches can be reviewed and you can mesh those branches back. You can independently work with your own branch, you don't need to really control the core of other people."

"Their CI/CD engine is very mature. It's very comprehensive and flexible, and compared to other projects, I believe that GitLab is number one right now from that perspective."

"I like GitLab's security and SAS tools."

"The most valuable feature of GitLab is the ability to upload scripts and make changes when needed and then reupload them. Additionally, the solution is user-friendly."

"I have found the most valuable feature is security control. I also like the branching and cloning software."

More GitLab pros

"The initial setup is very easy."

"It is easy to use. The shared repository is useful. Everything is in one environment."

"There are a lot of helpful features available for tracking dependencies."

"It's a pretty problem-free solution."

"I found the Kanban board to be the most useful for my needs."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is that it saves time."

"The reports have been most valuable. We have created some dashboards allowing us to be able to check our teams, their progress, and mission plans."

"The simplicity is very good and the customer experience is also great."

More Microsoft Azure DevOps pros

Cons

"I would like to see better integration with project management tools such as Jira."

"GitLab could improve by having more plugins and better user-friendliness."

"In the next release, I would like to see GitLab expand its integration capabilities to include platforms like DigitalOcean, which developers widely use for cloud infrastructure. Enhancing CI/CD automation features specifically tailored for DigitalOcean would be beneficial."

"Reporting could be improved."

"GitLab can improve by integrating with more tools, such as servers with Docker."

"GitLab could improve the patch repository. It does not have support for Conan patch version regions. Additionally, better support for Kubernetes deployment is needed as part of the package."

"The tool should include a feature that helps to edit the code directly."

"The solution should again offer an on-premises deployment option."

More GitLab cons

"I think that they have some menus there that are not very well placed."

"The testing environment and different pipelining concepts can be improved."

"Reporting could be better. We would like to see how many applications are onboarded in DevOps and in which phase they are. We would like to know for how many applications we have done only the repository, but we have not yet done the build pipeline or deploy pipeline. Currently, there is no such report. We have to figure it out ourselves. There is no way to check how many applications are completing their build pipelines, how many applications are completing their deploy pipeline, how many are ready to use, and how many pipelines are working."

"The tool was developed for Agile project methodology, but I've noticed that there has also been a try to incorporate what is typically done in MS Project, which is for more sequential Waterfall projects. The problem with that is that it is half-baked for Waterfall projects. If you're going to do it, then either go all the way and allow us to use the tool for both or don't do it at all."

"The UI, the user experience, is challenging for newcomers."

"Azure DevOps is set up more for development and less for testing. If it is set up correctly, everyone can use it better, but it was set up from a development point of view, which means it is lacking in what I need from a testing perspective. Just like any other tool, it depends on how it is configured. I am not happy with the way it is set up. It is configured more from a development side, and it doesn't necessarily cater to all the other areas that probably need to use it, such as testing data, etc."

"Its setup is quite complex."

"We are facing some problems because the capacity can only be measured within a project. It cannot be measured across multiple projects. So, the reporting needs to be enhanced, and there should be more graphs to be able to easily give the upper management insights about all the employees from different departments. It will be helpful for employee management. Currently, the managers over here are using Power BI for insights because the functionality of Azure DevOps Boards is not enough. So, we have to export the data into another visualization tool and get the results."

More Microsoft Azure DevOps cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"GitLab is highly priced for smaller teams, but it's okay if considering a user base of thousands."

"GitLab is comparatively expensive, but it provides value because it's feature-rich."

"There are different licensing options available, including a free limited-user license."

"GitLab is a free solution to use."

"In total, I believe we have more than 300 licenses spread over about 100 users, though I can't comment on the costs involved."

"The solution's standard license is paid annually. They have changed the pricing model and it used to be better. There is a free version available."

"The price of GitLab could be better, it is expensive."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the pricing a five out of ten."

More GitLab pricing and cost advice

"The cost is quite affordable."

"The price is reasonable for the solution."

"Its pricing is reasonable for the number of features that you get and the functionality that you can utilize for the agile delivery, which is what we are using it for. I found it extremely cost-effective."

"It has an annual subscription. It can be cheaper for partners. Many open-source products are available in the market, and it would be great if they can be a little bit more competitive in terms of pricing. A lot of startups are looking for an open-source, free, or cheap solution. If they can accommodate such requirements, it will be good for the product in the long run."

"The costs are moderate and justify the value provided."

"The price of the solution is expensive."

"For Microsoft, it can get expensive when you need heavy-duty machines."

"The main agile features are very expensive."

More Microsoft Azure DevOps pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

27%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about GitLab?

I find the features and version control history to be most valuable for our development workflow. These aspects provide us with a clear view of changes and help us manage requests efficiently.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for GitLab?

For small-scale usage, GitLab offers a free tier. For enterprise pricing, GitLab is more expensive than GitHub, as it's not as widely adopted. GitLab is the preferred choice for many developers des...

See all answers

What needs improvement with GitLab?

I believe there's room for improvement in the advanced features, particularly in enhancing the pipeline functionalities. Better integration and usability within the pipeline could make a significan...

See all answers

Which is better - Jira or Microsoft Azure DevOps?

Jira is a great centralized tool for just about everything, from local team management to keeping track of products and work logs. It is easy to implement and navigate, and it is stable and scalabl...

See all answers

Which is better - TFS or Azure DevOps?

TFS and Azure DevOps are different in many ways. TFS was designed for admins, and only offers incremental improvements. In addition, TFS seems complicated to use and I don’t think it has a very fri...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure DevOps?

Valuable features for project management and tracking in Azure DevOps include a portal displaying test results, check-in/check-out activity, and developer/tester productivity.

See all answers

Comparisons

SonarQube vs GitLab

Compared 6% of the time

AWS CodePipeline vs GitLab

Compared 5% of the time

Bamboo vs GitLab

Compared 5% of the time

Tekton vs GitLab

Compared 4% of the time

GitHub CoPilot vs GitLab

Compared 3% of the time

More GitLab Competitors

Jira vs Microsoft Azure DevOps

Compared 18% of the time

TFS vs Microsoft Azure DevOps

Compared 6% of the time

Rally Software vs Microsoft Azure DevOps

Compared 5% of the time

ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management vs Microsoft Azure DevOps

Compared 3% of the time

OpenText ALM / Quality Center vs Microsoft Azure DevOps

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Azure DevOps Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GitLab

July 2024

Download GitLab product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure DevOps

July 2024

Download Microsoft Azure DevOps product report

Also Known As

Fuzzit

Azure DevOps, VSTS, Visual Studio Team Services, MS Azure DevOps

Learn More

GitLab

Microsoft

Overview

GitLab is a complete DevOps platform that enables teams to collaborate and deliver software faster.

It provides a single application for the entire DevOps lifecycle, from planning and development to testing, deployment, and monitoring.

With GitLab, teams can streamline their workflows, automate processes, and improve productivity.

Microsoft Azure DevOps is a cloud service that enables developers to collaborate on code development projects and create and deploy applications quicker than ever before. The service helps unite developers, project managers, and software development experts through a collaborative experience while using the application. For the users' convenience, Azure DevOps offers the user cloud services through Azure DevOps Services or an on-premises service using Azure DevOps Server. In addition, it supports integration with additional services and adding extensions, including the ability for the user to create their own custom extensions.

Azure DevOps provides a variety of unified features that can be accessed through their web browser or IDE client, such as:

Azure Pipelines - Develop and deploy services to support ongoing application integration and delivery. Azure pipelines, which work with almost every project type and most languages, will automatically test code projects in order to make them available to others.
Azure Artifacts - Share packages and integrate package sharing between teams. Packages include NuGet, npm, and Maven, in addition to other private and public sources. Developers can now share and consume packages with other developers from different public registries.
Azure Repos - Offers source control of your code through Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC) or Git repositories. Developers can now keep track of any changes that are made in their code over the course of their project.
Azure Test Plans - Offers continuous and manual/exploratory app testing through several tools. Test Suites, or a collection of Test Cases, are grouped together in a container called a Test Plan.
Azure Boards - Provides a suite of Agile tools to track work, support planning, code defects, and general issues while using Kanban and Scrum software. Teams are in need of tools that are flexible and will help them grow. Azure Boards is a service that helps developers manage their software projects.

Benefits of Microsoft Azure DevOps

Microsoft Azure DevOps offers many benefits, including:

A quick setup and easy deployment
An elastic scale
Exceptional security
No-maintenance operations
Effortless collaboration through domains
The ability to create and deploy products faster than traditional software

Reviews from Real Users

Microsoft Azure DevOps stands out among its competitors for a variety of reasons. Two major ones are its ability to forecast how long each task will take and the ability for users to follow the entire development process.

PeerSpot viewers note the effectiveness of this solution. An executive chief operating officer for a cloud provider notes, “We can forecast tasks and the number of hours a task will take and can compare it with how long a task actually takes.”

Carlos H., a product and system director at SPCM, writes, “I think the most usable thing is that you can follow the whole progress of the development process. This makes it very useful for us.”

Sample Customers

1. NASA 2. IBM 3. Sony 4. Alibaba 5. CERN 6. Siemens 7. Volkswagen 8. ING 9. Ticketmaster 10. SpaceX 11. Adobe 12. Intuit 13. Autodesk 14. Rakuten 15. Unity Technologies 16. Pandora 17. Electronic Arts 18. Nordstrom 19. Verizon 20. Comcast 21. Philips 22. Deutsche Telekom 23. Orange 24. Fujitsu 25. Ericsson 26. Nokia 27. General Electric 28. Cisco 29. Accenture 30. Deloitte 31. PwC 32. KPMG

Alaska Airlines, Iberia Airlines, Columbia, Skype

Buyer's Guide

GitLab vs. Microsoft Azure DevOps

July 2024

Free Report: GitLab vs. Microsoft Azure DevOps

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