Softwr

CRM · head to head

Apptivo vs GitLab

Apptivo logo

Apptivo

CRM

A bundle of around fifty business apps sold on one per-user subscription

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GitLab logo

GitLab

Technology

The One DevOps Platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only GitLab has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Apptivo the tiers gate the number of apps rather than only the depth, so a business that buys Lite at 15 US dollars because of the CRM and later needs an app in the 46-app Premium set faces a 67 per cent per-seat increase to unlock it.; GitLab baseline requires 8 vCPU and 16 GB RAM for single-node installations; resource-intensive
  • They diverge on capability: Apptivo covers CRM core, GitLab covers Git repository management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apptivo and GitLab actually diverge.

Attributes where Apptivo and GitLab differ
AttributeApptivoGitLab
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer user per monthopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidLinux, Kubernetes, Docker, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure)
CategoryCRMTechnology
FoundedUnknown2011

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Apptivo

  • CRM core
  • Invoicing and estimates
  • Project management
  • Field service
  • Help desk
  • Procurement and inventory
  • Custom apps and fields
  • Workflow automation

Only in GitLab

  • Git repository management
  • CI/CD pipelines
  • Issue tracking
  • Code review
  • Wiki
  • Container registry
  • Security scanning
  • Monitoring

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Apptivo

  • A ten-person consultancy that wants CRM, project timesheets and invoicing on one subscription instead of stitching three tools togethernot GitLab
  • A distributor needing quotes, purchase orders and stock levels against the same customer record without an integration projectnot GitLab
  • A service business replacing a spreadsheet-driven help desk that also wants the ticket history visible on the sales contactnot GitLab
  • A business already paying separately for CRM, invoicing and project tools that wants to cut vendor count and consolidate billingnot GitLab

GitLab

  • Git repository management and version controlnot Apptivo
  • CI/CD pipeline automationnot Apptivo
  • DevOps and release managementnot Apptivo
  • Security and compliance workflowsnot Apptivo

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Apptivo

  • The tiers gate the number of apps rather than only the depth, so a business that buys Lite at 15 US dollars because of the CRM and later needs an app in the 46-app Premium set faces a 67 per cent per-seat increase to unlock it.
  • Workflow automation is capped at 25 rules on both Lite and Premium, which is low for any business automating more than a basic sales process, and lifting it means jumping to Ultimate at 40 US dollars.
  • Each app is shallower than the dedicated product it replaces, so teams that outgrow one module end up buying a specialist tool anyway and lose the single-record advantage that justified the suite.
  • There is no free tier, only a 30-day trial, so evaluating the breadth properly against real data requires paying or rushing the trial window.
  • The interface is dense and inconsistent between apps because they were built over many years, which lengthens onboarding and produces persistent user complaints in teams that are not technically confident.

GitLab

  • Baseline requires 8 vCPU and 16 GB RAM for single-node installations; resource-intensive
  • PostgreSQL is mandatory; no support for alternative databases
  • Redis or Valkey cache required; adds infrastructure complexity
  • High-availability deployments require inter-node latency below 5 ms; difficult to achieve across geographically distributed sites
  • Requires self-hosting and maintenance; GitLab.com SaaS only available to GitLab team members for administration

Pricing, plan by plan

Apptivo

On request
  • Lite$15/month
    • 18 apps
    • 100 custom fields per app
    • 25 workflows
  • Premium$25/month
    • 46 apps
    • 250 custom fields per app
    • 25 workflows
  • Ultimate$40/month
    • All apps
    • 350 custom fields per app
    • 150 workflows
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • 500 custom fields per app
    • 300 workflows
    • 100 custom dashboards

GitLab

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the GitLab review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Apptivo if

  • You need crm core.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want invoicing and estimates.
Apptivo review

Choose GitLab if

  • You need git repository management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Kubernetes, Docker, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • You also want ci/cd pipelines.
GitLab review

Questions people ask

Is Apptivo or GitLab better?
Neither clearly leads. Apptivo starts at On request and GitLab at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apptivo or GitLab?
GitLab has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Apptivo and Free for GitLab.
Does Apptivo or GitLab run on more platforms?
Apptivo runs on Web, iOS, Android. GitLab runs on Linux, Kubernetes, Docker, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Can I use GitLab for free?
Yes. GitLab has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Apptivo starts at On request.
What is Apptivo best used for?
Apptivo is most often used for a ten-person consultancy that wants crm, project timesheets and invoicing on one subscription instead of stitching three tools together, a distributor needing quotes, purchase orders and stock levels against the same customer record without an integration project, a service business replacing a spreadsheet-driven help desk that also wants the ticket history visible on the sales contact, a business already paying separately for crm, invoicing and project tools that wants to cut vendor count and consolidate billing. Of those, a ten-person consultancy that wants crm, project timesheets and invoicing on one subscription instead of stitching three tools together and a distributor needing quotes, purchase orders and stock levels against the same customer record without an integration project are not what GitLab is typically brought in for.
What can Apptivo do that GitLab cannot?
Apptivo covers CRM core, Invoicing and estimates, Project management, Field service. GitLab covers Git repository management, CI/CD pipelines, Issue tracking, Code review.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Apptivo: Does Apptivo have a free plan?

No. There is a 30-day free trial; the cheapest ongoing plan is Lite at 15 US dollars per user per month billed annually.

Apptivo: What is the real difference between Lite and Premium?

Mostly app count and dashboards: Lite opens 18 apps, Premium opens 46 with custom dashboards. Check which specific app you need before choosing on price.

Apptivo: Is monthly billing more expensive?

Yes, by roughly a third. Lite is 15 annually versus 20 monthly, Premium 25 versus 30, Ultimate 40 versus 50.

Apptivo: Are all fifty apps really included?

Only on the top tiers. The lower tiers include a subset, and the app list per tier is the thing to verify before buying.

Share

Related pages

More on Apptivo

More on GitLab

Keep looking

Other head to heads