Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

GitLab vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) comparison

GitLab and Sonar are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. GitLab is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.6, while Sonar is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3. GitLab holds a 2.8% mindshare in AS, compared to Sonar’s 23.5% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of GitLab users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 81% of Sonar users who would recommend it.
GitLab
Read 84 GitLab reviews
  • 3,342 Views
  • 2,379 Comparison Views
97% willing to recommend
SonarQube Server (formerly ...
Read 116 SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) reviews
  • 30,422 Views
  • 22,349 Comparison Views
81% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report
Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

SonarQube Server and GitLab compete in the software development tools category. GitLab seems to have the upper hand with its robust CI/CD pipeline management and comprehensive feature set for software development and deployment.

Features: SonarQube Server offers extensive language support, custom coding rules, and graphical reporting tools, making it strong in static code analysis and integration. GitLab provides robust CI/CD pipeline management, version control, and collaboration tools, positioning it as a comprehensive platform for development and deployment.

Room for Improvement: SonarQube Server could enhance programming language support, security features, and reduce false positives. Better integration and customization options would aid its dynamic analysis capabilities. GitLab requires improved integration with third-party applications, project management features, robust security scanning, and more stability to prevent frequent outages.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonarQube Server excels in flexible deployment options across hybrid, on-premises, and public cloud environments with strong community support, albeit with limited direct technical support. GitLab offers versatile deployment options with a significant public cloud presence and is appreciated for its intuitive platform, though customer support and documentation could be improved.

Pricing and ROI: SonarQube Server is cost-effective, especially with its free community edition, though higher-tier licenses may be pricey. Its high ROI stems from enhanced code quality and reduced defects. GitLab's free version is supplemented by high-cost paid tiers, especially for small teams, but its feature set often justifies the expense. Users report good ROI from improved workflows and collaboration.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPORT
To learn more, read our detailed GitLab vs. SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) Report (Updated: June 2025).
Buyer's Guide
GitLab vs. SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)
June 2025
Download the complete report
Helped 856,873 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.6
GitLab improves ROI by increasing efficiency, reducing deployment time, and enhancing DevOps through cost-saving, automation, and vulnerability management.
Sentiment score
7.2
SonarQube Server boosts productivity, stability, and security through effective code analysis and vulnerability assessment, enhancing development processes.
Migrating to GitLab is bringing time-saving benefits, and everything is easier to automate.
We have saved time significantly, reducing deployment time from four hours to five minutes per deployment.
For more quotes and insights, download the GitLab report
I have seen a return on the investment from SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) because the value it adds relates to static code analysis and vulnerability assessments needed for our FDA approval process.
We see productivity increasing based on the fact that the code review is mostly automated, allowing the developer to fix the code themselves before assigning it to someone else to review, thus receiving that ROI.
For more quotes and insights, download the SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) report
reviewer2603940 - PeerSpot reviewerAndrea PICCININI - PeerSpot reviewer
KH
Sthembiso Zondi - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
GitLab's support varies by license; paid users praise responsiveness, while free version users rely on community forums and documentation.
Sentiment score
6.2
SonarQube Server's support is valued for community resources and documentation, though free version technical support is limited.
We have rarely needed to escalate issues to technical support since GitLab usually runs seamlessly.
I have interacted with architects for some advice during the implementation, and they were prompt in their response.
I have had meetings where they taught me, explained things, and provided guidance for starting from scratch.
For more quotes and insights, download the GitLab report
The community support is quite effective.
I would rate the technical support for SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) as a 10 because we have not faced any specific issues that required us to contact tech support, which is a very rare case.
They showed us where we can actually get those granular level reporting extracted for Excel, which was a quick guide.
For more quotes and insights, download the SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) report
Gaurav Chandel - PeerSpot reviewerMikhael Ibrahim - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2603940 - PeerSpot reviewer
DB
KH
Sthembiso Zondi - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
GitLab's scalable container architecture supports diverse environments, flexible deployment, and smooth integration, despite some configuration and scaling challenges.
Sentiment score
7.1
SonarQube Server efficiently scales for various user volumes and project sizes, though infrastructure demands may rise in physical setups.
It has all the features required for our coding and deployment needs, which makes it scalable to our changing requirements.
We're transitioning to OpenShift for future scalability with increased user numbers.
For scaling, other deployment options from GitLab's side need to be adopted.
For more quotes and insights, download the GitLab report
I would rate the scalability of SonarQube Server as a 10 because we can configure the server to scan multiple projects based on the number of lines.
I find SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) very scalable because we're able to create a new repository and integrate all the tools on that project and it just works.
For more quotes and insights, download the SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) report
Sarfaraz Khan - PeerSpot reviewerMikhael Ibrahim - PeerSpot reviewerRohit Kesharwani - PeerSpot reviewer
KH
Sthembiso Zondi - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
GitLab is highly stable and reliable, with minor issues mainly under heavy load or during updates.
Sentiment score
7.7
SonarQube Server is highly reliable, stable with minor issues often related to plugins or environments, and rarely crashes.
I have not encountered any performance or stability issues with GitLab so far.
The updates are frequent and demanding, happening at least once a week due to security reasons.
For more quotes and insights, download the GitLab report
I think SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) is stable, and we did not face any problems unless there was a power outage or if the LAN cable was plugged out.
For more quotes and insights, download the SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) report
Gaurav Chandel - PeerSpot reviewer
AS
KH
 

Room For Improvement

GitLab users seek improved CI/CD automation, integrations, user interface, project management, security, pricing, and support for enhanced usability.
SonarQube Server needs better issue detection, usability, language support, integration, customizable features, and AI-driven dynamic testing enhancements.
It would be beneficial to have a user-friendly interface for setting up these configurations, instead of just writing YAML files.
It is essential to conduct proper testing, such as unit tests and code coverage, within the SDLC pipelines.
GitLab can improve its user interface to make conflict resolution more user-friendly.
For more quotes and insights, download the GitLab report
If I fix some vulnerabilities today, they reappear in the next scan, and there will be completely different issues that need to be fixed.
As soon as I see that they've got a new feature that integrates AI that is not as generative as other GenAI platforms that actually generate the code and help developers develop faster, I believe that capability is lacking.
For more quotes and insights, download the SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) report
reviewer2603940 - PeerSpot reviewerRohit Kesharwani - PeerSpot reviewerSarfaraz Khan - PeerSpot reviewer
KH
Sthembiso Zondi - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Setup Cost

GitLab provides flexible pricing with open-source access and paid tiers, catering to different enterprise needs and budgets.
SonarQube Server provides cost-effective solutions for code quality, with competitive pricing and enhanced features for various project sizes.
Even when working in other small organizations, we opted for GitLab as it was cost-efficient.
The pricing of GitLab is reasonable, aligning with what I consider to be average compared to competitors.
The price is high, and it limits user accessibility.
For more quotes and insights, download the GitLab report
I would rate the pricing for SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) as an 8, where 1 is very cheap and 10 is very expensive, because Coverity is very expensive, and while SonarQube is not cheap, it is still less expensive than Coverity.
They always offer around a two-year contract, but we always take a one-year contract because it's expensive.
The freemium version of SonarQube Server offers excellent value, especially compared to the high costs of Snyk.
For more quotes and insights, download the SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) report
Sarfaraz Khan - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2603940 - PeerSpot reviewerAndrea PICCININI - PeerSpot reviewer
KH
Sthembiso Zondi - PeerSpot reviewer
DB
 

Valuable Features

GitLab excels in UI, CI/CD, code management, and integration, offering user-friendly, efficient, and scalable development and deployment features.
SonarQube Server enhances code quality with language support, CI/CD integration, insightful dashboards, and an intuitive interface.
As we implement automated testing and DevSecOps, it speeds up the process by forty to sixty percent.
The Ultimate version offers enhanced features for security scanning through DAST and SAST analysis, which have greatly benefitted our project workflow.
By integrating GitLab as a DevOps platform, we have enhanced agility, improved our time to market, and different teams can work collaboratively on various projects.
For more quotes and insights, download the GitLab report
Some of the static code analysis capabilities are the most beneficial.
The most valuable features of SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) for us include having control of the rules, enabling and disabling them.
We use SonarQube Server's centralized management and visualization of code quality metrics on the dashboard because that's the executive dashboard that we send to the executives to show where we are in terms of quality, security, and where the company can improve.
For more quotes and insights, download the SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) report
Mikhael Ibrahim - PeerSpot reviewerAndrea PICCININI - PeerSpot reviewerRohit Kesharwani - PeerSpot reviewer
DB
KH
Sthembiso Zondi - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Categories and Ranking

GitLab
Ranking in Application Security Tools
9th
Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
6th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
84
Ranking in other categories
Build Automation (1st), Release Automation (2nd), Rapid Application Development Software (11th), Software Composition Analysis (SCA) (5th), Enterprise Agile Planning Tools (2nd), Fuzz Testing Tools (3rd), DevSecOps (1st)
SonarQube Server (formerly ...
Ranking in Application Security Tools
1st
Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
116
Ranking in other categories
Software Development Analytics (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Application Security Tools category, the mindshare of GitLab is 2.8%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) is 23.5%, down from 26.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Security Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Rohit Kesharwani - PeerSpot reviewer
Improved agility and time to market with CI/CD enhancements
The CI/CD pipelines in GitLab ( /products/gitlab-reviews ) are highly valuable. Another important feature is the single source of repository, allowing efficient repository management and source code management. GitLab provides manageability by allowing us to manage source code effectively through separate repositories. Additionally, GitLab enables the creation of individual CI/CD pipelines for each repository, making software more agile. By integrating GitLab as a DevOps platform, we have enhanced agility, improved our time to market, and different teams can work collaboratively on various projects.
Read full review
Sthembiso Zondi - PeerSpot reviewer
Consistent improvements in code quality and security with effective integration and reliable technical support
The features of SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) that I find most useful are the suggestions received from reviewing the code. When they review the code, they provide suggestions on how to fix it, and we find those very useful from a development perspective. We use SonarQube Server's (formerly SonarQube) centralized management and visualization of code quality metrics on the dashboard because that's the executive dashboard that we send to the executives to show where we are in terms of quality, security, and where the company can improve. We use that for organizational improvement purposes. The ability to tailor metrics tracking in SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) has been beneficial to my team. There are team-specific dashboards which are related to specific repositories they utilize, and we have that aggregative dashboard that shows the whole organization's performance. We can drill down per specific repository, which makes it easier for the team to improve specific things.
Read full review
report
See which vendors are best for you
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Security Tools solutions are best for your needs.
See recommendations
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
16%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
6%
 

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?
The pricing and cost are on par with other tools and are neither too expensive nor cheap.
See all answers
What needs improvement with GitLab?
One significant feature we lack is the configuration that enforces code reviews, which simplifies the development life cycle. Unfortunately, this is available only at a higher license level than we...
See all answers
Is SonarQube the best tool for static analysis?
I am not very familiar with SonarQube and their solutions, so I can not answer. But if you are asking me about which tools that are the best for for Static Code Analysis, I suggest you have a look...
See all answers
Which gives you more for your money - SonarQube or Veracode?
SonarQube is easy to deploy and configure, and also integrates well with other tools to do quality code analysis. SonarQube has a great community edition, which is open-source and free. Easy to use...
See all answers
How would you decide between Coverity and Sonarqube?
We researched Coverity, but in the end, we chose SonarQube. SonarQube is a tool for reviewing code quality and security. It helps to guide our development teams during code reviews by providing rem...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Microsoft Azure DevOps vs GitLab Logo
Microsoft Azure DevOps vs GitLab
Compared 24% of the time
GitHub CoPilot vs GitLab Logo
GitHub CoPilot vs GitLab
Compared 15% of the time
Tekton vs GitLab Logo
Tekton vs GitLab
Compared 5% of the time
AWS CodePipeline vs GitLab Logo
AWS CodePipeline vs GitLab
Compared 5% of the time
TeamCity vs GitLab Logo
TeamCity vs GitLab
Compared 5% of the time
More GitLab Competitors
Coverity vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) Logo
Coverity vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)
Compared 13% of the time
Checkmarx One vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) Logo
Checkmarx One vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)
Compared 12% of the time
GitHub Advanced Security vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) Logo
GitHub Advanced Security vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)
Compared 11% of the time
SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) Logo
SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)
Compared 7% of the time
Klocwork vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) Logo
Klocwork vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)
Compared 2% of the time
More SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
GitLab
June 2025
GitLab reportDownload GitLab product report
Buyer's Guide
SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)
May 2025
SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) reportDownload SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) product report
 

Also Known As

Fuzzit
Sonar
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
GitLab
Sonar
 

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.

GitLab

SonarQube Server enhances code quality and security via static code analysis. It detects vulnerabilities, improves standards, and reduces technical debt, integrating into CI/CD pipelines.

SonarQube Server is a comprehensive tool for enhancing code quality and security. It offers static code analysis to identify vulnerabilities, improve coding standards, and reduce technical debt. By integrating into CI/CD pipelines, it provides automated checks for adherence to best practices. Organizations use it for code inspection, security testing, and compliance, ensuring development environments with better maintainability and fewer issues.

What are the key features of SonarQube Server?
  • Support for 20+ languages: Extensive programming language support suitable for diverse coding environments.
  • Custom coding rules: Allows for tailored rule sets to match specific coding standards.
  • Flexible quality gates: Define criteria for code acceptance at various intervals.
  • CI/CD integration: Seamless integration with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment tools.
  • Rich interface: User-friendly dashboard with detailed visual insights.
What benefits should users expect from SonarQube Server?
  • Improved code quality: Enhanced analysis contributes to fewer bugs and improved coding practices.
  • Security enhancements: Identifies and mitigates security vulnerabilities pre-emptively.
  • Maintainability: Reduces technical debt, yielding long-term development efficiency.
  • Customizable: Flexibility in configuration aligns with specific project needs.

Many industries implement SonarQube Server to uphold coding standards, maintain security protocols, and streamline their software development lifecycle. In sectors like finance and healthcare, adhering to regulations and ensuring reliable software is critical, making SonarQube Server invaluable. It is often integrated into CI/CD pipelines, ensuring that code changes meet set standards before deployment. This approach enhances productivity and maintains compliance with industry-specific requirements.

Sonar
 

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
Information Not Available
Buyer's Guide
GitLab vs. SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)
June 2025
Free Report: GitLab vs. SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)
Find out what your peers are saying about GitLab vs. SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
DOWNLOAD NOW
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
See our GitLab vs. SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) report.
See our list of best Application Security Tools vendors and best Static Application Security Testing (SAST) vendors.

We monitor all Application Security Tools reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.