GitLab vs VMware Tanzu Platform comparison

GitLab and VMware are both solutions in the Build Automation category. GitLab is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.5, while VMware is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.5. GitLab holds a 12.6% mindshare in BA, compared to VMware’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of GitLab users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of VMware users who would recommend it.

GitLab

Read 86 GitLab reviews

19,204 Views
4,417 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

VMware Tanzu Platform

Read 22 VMware Tanzu Platform reviews

7,257 Views
363 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

GitLab

VMware Tanzu Platform

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

GitLab and VMware Tanzu Platform compete in the cloud and development tools space. GitLab appears to hold an advantage in repository and CI/CD pipeline management, whereas VMware Tanzu excels in Kubernetes and VMware integration.

Features: GitLab offers powerful repository tools, CI/CD pipeline, and integration capabilities, allowing for effective branch management and code reviews. VMware Tanzu Platform excels in Kubernetes cluster management and integrates seamlessly with VMware infrastructure, enhancing microservices and container orchestration with strong integration across virtualization, networking, and storage components.

Room for Improvement: GitLab struggles with integration beyond Kubernetes, lacking compatibility with platforms such as AWS, ETS, and Jira. Improvements are also needed in documentation and reporting features. VMware Tanzu needs better customization, visibility, and integration with non-VMware products, as well as reduced costs and enhanced disaster recovery options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: GitLab supports deployments across public, private, and hybrid clouds, benefiting from a large user community despite less responsive direct support without paid tiers. VMware Tanzu supports hybrid and multi-cloud deployments, with support experience influenced by knowledge of the VMware ecosystem and licensing terms. Both products emphasize the need for in-house expertise for effective management.

Pricing and ROI: GitLab offers a free version and paid licenses, proving cost-effective for small teams but expensive for some organizations. Its automation enhances ROI. VMware Tanzu's pricing is higher, fitting larger enterprises comfortably within VMware's ecosystem, and is known for enterprise-grade integration and scalability at a higher premium.

To learn more, read our detailed GitLab vs. VMware Tanzu Platform Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

GitLab vs. VMware Tanzu Platform

September 2025

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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

Ranking in Build Automation

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (11th), Release Automation (2nd), Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (7th), Rapid Application Development Software (11th), Software Composition Analysis (SCA) (5th), Enterprise Agile Planning Tools (2nd), Fuzz Testing Tools (2nd), DevSecOps (1st)

VMware Tanzu Platform

Ranking in Build Automation

13th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

PaaS Clouds (13th), Cloud Management (24th), Development Platforms (3rd), Container Management (3rd), Service Mesh (8th), Agile and DevOps Services (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Build Automation category, the mindshare of GitLab is 12.6%, down from 17.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Tanzu Platform is 1.4%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Build Automation Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
GitLab	12.6%
VMware Tanzu Platform	1.4%
Other	86.0%

Build Automation

Featured Reviews

Rohit Kesharwani

Manager, Engineering at 7-Eleven

Improved agility and time to market with CI/CD enhancements

The CI/CD pipelines in GitLab 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

DarshanChaudhari

Solutions Architect Hybrid Cloud Practice US/Europe at Tech Mahindra Limited

Empowers seamless connectivity and integration through APIs while offering robust auto-scaling

I am involved in IT services and we provide a solution to customers. We work with VMware, Nutanix, OpenShift, and Microsoft Hyper-V The Tanzu platform is highly available, scalable, and flexible. It offers native services for autoscaling and integrations through APIs, allowing seamless…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"GitLab's best features are continuous integration and fast deployment."

"The stability of GitLab is impressive."

"Git merging allows us to track the details of how and who has done what; this is the best feature which is useful for all companies."

"The solution's most valuable feature is that it is compatible with GitHub. The product's integration capabilities are sufficient for our small company of 35 people."

"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."

"GitLab is very useful for pipelines, continuous integration, and continuous deployment. It is also stable."

"It scales well."

"Everything is easy to configure and easy to work with."

More GitLab pros

"The multi-tenancy with the VCD is great."

"The observability platform and end-to-end service portal provided by Tanzu are the most valuable features."

"The most popular feature of VMware Tanzu Mission Control is its graphical user interface for describing network policies on the Service Mesh, which is highly integrable with other tools commonly used in supply chains such as security."

"Tanzu Mission Control has quite a set of rich features when compared to OpenShift."

"We feel very good about these features."

"The most important feature of Tanzu Mission Control is its integration with the other products, especially with ESX and vSAN. This is a strong part of Tanzu Mission Control. In other solutions, such as OpenShift or Kubernetes, you can find similar features, but they don't have similar integration. With Tanzu Mission Control, you get a total solution with only one provider. You have the integration with the infrastructure, virtualization of networking, and virtualization of storage. You have a natural integration, and you don't have the problem of integrating it with different products or providers. Sometimes, different companies have good integration, but it is not always guaranteed. For example, many years ago, Cisco and VMware were good partners in networking, but when VMware started to sell ESX, the relationship was broken. This is the problem that you can face when you are using solutions from two different companies."

"A feature we find valuable is that other products can also be integrated with Mission Control. This means that we can see the status of specific clusters, as well as view the monitoring application logs all from one point."

"The Tanzu platform is highly available, scalable, and flexible."

More VMware Tanzu Platform pros

Cons

"I rate the support from GitLab a four out of five."

"There are some challenges with repository file management as GitLab may struggle to manage larger files."

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

"We are having a few problems integrating with Jira at the moment, which is something that our IT department is investigating."

"I would like more Agile features in the Premium version. The Premium version should have all Agile features that exist in the Ultimate version. IBM AOM has a complete Agile implementation, but in GitLab, you only have these features if you buy the Ultimate version. It would be good if we can use these in the Premium version."

"The pricing has been substantially increased, which is a major concern."

"GitLab can improve its user interface to make conflict resolution more user-friendly."

"We'd like to see better integration with the Atlassian ecosystem."

More GitLab cons

"Having a unified dashboard to manage all infrastructure, whether it involves additional IT infrastructure or modern apps, would be highly advantageous"

"The implementation is not easy, it is very complex and can take a day or two to complete."

"One potential area for expansion would be leveraging AI capabilities, which my customer might be interested in exploring as they grow."

"LYNX is a managed cluster solution that takes care of specific details within a cluster, such as sequences or services. I haven't seen this feature in Tanzu Mission Control."

"Customers have noticed a considerable price increase after VMware's acquisition by Broadcom."

"It is not easy to build a solution with containers. It has a graphical user interface, but you need to have a lot of knowledge of Linux and how to work in the command mode. Its support can also be improved. Currently, its biggest disadvantage is that it is a new product, and the clients prefer to go for a solution that has been in the market for a long time. There are not that many people who know this product."

"Tanzu provides better manageability as compared to OCP, but when it comes to tagging it with other products, it's a bit rigid. If I have to bring in any new product or something out of the box from a different vendor, working with Tanzu becomes a little difficult. For example, if I want to use the F5 services, I have to add one more layer of Avi, but I don't want to do that. If I have a list of the products that I want to use, such as for firewall services, with Tanzu, I will have to go through another layer, which creates complexity."

"The product should support integration with Google Cloud Platform (GCP)"

More VMware Tanzu Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The open-source version is very good and the commercial version is reasonably priced."

"GitLab's pricing is good compared to others on the market."

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

"The solution is based on a subscription model and is reasonably priced."

"We are using the open-source version."

"The solution is based on a licensing model that includes technical support and is paid annually."

"I'm not aware of the licensing costs because those were covered by the customer."

More GitLab pricing and cost advice

"Its pricing is very competitive. We get around 70% or 75%, sometimes even 80%, discount on the product. I would rate it a four out of five in terms of pricing."

"The product is not expensive, but it is not cheap."

"The solution is bundled in with Cloud Foundry so the pricing is not independent."

"I would recommend that businesses look into the full price for their requirements. The price is high, but there are some open-source add-ons that can be used for customization while keeping costs down, although these might not be suitable for everyone."

"It is not the most expensive option, and I believe the capabilities align well with the value it provides."

"The licensing cost is expensive."

"The license for VMware Tanzu Application Service is expensive. The license should be cheaper."

"Since we were at a large data center, the price might not have been a concern for us."

More VMware Tanzu Platform pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	35
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	42

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	9

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?

Regarding improvements, making task management is something that GitLab can potentially make easier, similar to what DevOps or Jira does.

See all answers

Which is better - OpenShift Container Platform or VMware Tanzu Mission Control?

Red Hat Openshift is ideal for organizations using microservices and cloud environments. I like that the platform is auto-scalable, which saves overhead time for developers. I think Openshift can b...

See all answers

What do you like most about VMware Tanzu Mission Control?

It definitely gives the end customer a good overview and perspective of running applications in terms of overall workload footprint. TMC provides a very detailed description of your cloud-native ap...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Tanzu Mission Control?

The price of VMware Tanzu Mission Control is greater than that of Red Hat's competitor solution. I would rate the pricing of VMware Tanzu Mission Control as four out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 34% of the time

GitHub CoPilot vs GitLab

Compared 14% of the time

TeamCity vs GitLab

Compared 5% of the time

Tekton vs GitLab

Compared 5% of the time

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs GitLab

Compared 4% of the time

More GitLab Competitors

Rancher Labs vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 17% of the time

Kubernetes vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 13% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 10% of the time

Docker vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 6% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 5% of the time

More VMware Tanzu Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GitLab

September 2025

Download GitLab product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware Tanzu Platform

August 2025

Download VMware Tanzu Platform product report

Also Known As

Fuzzit

Tanzu Application Catalog, Application Platform, Application Service, Hub, Mission Control, Service Mesh, Build Service, Concourse for VMware Tanzu

Overview

GitLab offers a secure and user-friendly platform for CI/CD pipeline management, code repository control, and collaboration, enhancing development speed and efficiency. It facilitates automation with extensive customization and tool integration, ideal for DevOps processes.

GitLab supports source code management, version control, and collaborative development. It's frequently used in CI/CD processes to automate builds and deployments while integrating DevOps practices. GitLab allows companies to manage repositories, automate pipelines, conduct code reviews, and maintain development lifecycles. The platform supports infrastructure and configuration management, enabling efficient code collaboration, deployment automation, and comprehensive repository handling. Many organizations commit and deploy developed code using GitLab's capabilities.

What are GitLab's most valuable features?

CI/CD Pipeline Management: Streamlines development through automated testing and deployment.
User-Friendly Interface: Ensures ease of collaboration and task automation.
Code Merging and Branching: Facilitates smooth code integration and version control.
Security Platform: Provides strong security features for safe development.
Tool Integration: Enhances functionality with diverse tool integration.

What benefits should users evaluate?

Development Speed: Accelerates processes through automation.
Collaboration Ease: Simplifies team interactions and workflow.
Customization Options: Offers extensive personalization for specific needs.
Comprehensive Documentation: Provides detailed guidance for users.
Secure Platform: Maintains integrity with robust security features.

In specific industries, GitLab serves as a backbone for source code management and CI/CD implementation. Companies leverage its capabilities for infrastructure management and deployment automation, thus streamlining project delivery timelines. Its ability to handle configuration management and code repositories effectively aids in maintaining development lifecycles, making it a preferred choice for organizations committed to enhancing their DevOps practices.

GitLab

VMware Tanzu Platform is designed for cloud-native development and management of Kubernetes, CI/CD processes, microservices, and containerized workloads. It supports deployments both on cloud and on-premises, providing centralized management via Mission Control.

VMware Tanzu Platform offers seamless integration with vSphere, ESX, and vSAN, supporting centralized cluster management and lifecycle management. The platform provides a GUI for monitoring CI/CD pipelines and network policies, enhancing multi-tenancy and Day 2 operations. Users can easily manage Kubernetes clusters, monitor applications, and integrate with tools such as GitHub, GitLab, Cloud Foundry, and Azure. It ensures compliance and security for service providers, financial institutions, and businesses.

What are the key features of VMware Tanzu Platform?

Integration with vSphere, ESX, and vSAN: Enhances compatibility and flexibility.
Seamless Cluster Management: Centralized control over Kubernetes clusters.
CI/CD Pipelines and Network Policies: Simplifies monitoring and management.
Multi-tenancy Support: Facilitates resource sharing among multiple users.
Comprehensive Lifecycle Management: Streamlines deployment and scalability.
Observability Platform: Provides enhanced visibility and control.

What benefits and ROI should users look for in VMware Tanzu Platform reviews?

Centralized Management: Simplifies operations and reduces manual effort.
Enhanced Compliance and Security: Meets regulatory requirements.
Flexibility in Deployment: Supports both cloud and on-premises options.
Seamless Integration: Works with multiple vendors and tools.
Developer-Friendly Environment: Improves productivity and innovation.

Industries such as financial institutions, service providers, and businesses requiring rigorous compliance and security deploy VMware Tanzu Platform. These entities benefit from centralized management, streamlined DevOps processes, and integrated tools, enhancing their capabilities in cloud-native developments and containerized workloads.

VMware

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

Verizon, Cerner, Zipcar, Avarteq

Buyer's Guide

GitLab vs. VMware Tanzu Platform

September 2025

Free Report: GitLab vs. VMware Tanzu Platform

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