Yes, GitLab has a permanent free tier alongside its paid plans. The free plan includes up to 5 licensed users, 400 compute minutes per month, and 10 GiB storage per project. FreeTier.co estimates the free tier at about $12/mo, and no credit card is required to sign up.
About
GitLab is a DevSecOps platform that combines source code management, CI/CD, security testing, compliance controls, and project planning in one product. The hosted GitLab.com offering includes Free, Premium, and Ultimate plans, plus self-managed and dedicated deployment options.
The Free plan on GitLab.com includes 5 licensed users, 400 compute minutes per month, and 10 GiB of storage. GitLab also offers paid add-ons for extra compute minutes, storage, GitLab Duo Agent Platform credits, and Enterprise Agile Planning seats.
- Source code management and CI/CD
- 5 licensed users on Free
- 400 compute minutes per month
- 10 GiB repository and LFS storage
- Security scanning and compliance features
- GitLab.com, self-managed, and dedicated options
Free Tier Value
This free tier is genuinely usable, but it is capped: it includes source code management and CI/CD, up to 5 licensed users, 400 compute minutes, and 10 GiB of storage per project. The cheapest paid plan is Premium at $29 per user/month, and the free tier feels like roughly 40% of that practical value, so about $12/month; no credit card is required, which lowers friction, but the usage limits keep it well below the paid tiers.
What's included in the free tier
Verified
- Source Code Management and CI/CD access.
- Up to 5 licensed users.
- 400 compute minutes per month.
- 10 GiB storage per project.
- GitLab Duo Agent Platform credits are not included in Free tier.
See GitLab pricing for current limits.
Paid plans
Premium
- compute minutes/month
- 10,000
- GitLab Credits/user/month
- 12
- Unlimited licensed users
- 10,000 compute minutes per month
- Advanced CI/CD
- Team Project Management
- SLA Management
- Priority Support
- GitLab Duo Agent Platform included with $12 in GitLab Credits/user/month
Ultimate
- compute minutes/month
- 50,000
- GitLab Credits/user/month
- 24
- Everything in Premium
- Application Security Testing
- Software Supply Chain Security
- Vulnerability Management
- Strategic Portfolio Management
- Value Stream Management
- Compliance and Governance
- GitLab Duo Agent Platform included with $24 in GitLab Credits/user/month
Pricing extracted from GitLab's pricing page. Always verify current pricing before committing.
Common questions
Is GitLab free forever?
Yes. GitLab has a permanent free tier alongside its paid plans, though the allowance typically resets each month.
Does GitLab require a credit card?
No. You can start on GitLab's free tier without entering card details.
What happens when you exceed GitLab's free tier?
You move to a paid plan. GitLab's cheapest paid plan is Premium at $29 / seat / month.
What is GitLab's free tier worth?
GitLab's free tier is worth about $12 per month. That maps to an FTV score of 58/100. The FTV score is explained at freetier.co/ftv.
