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Business Intelligence · head to head

Cabin vs GitLab CI/CD

Cabin logo

Cabin

Business Intelligence

Cookieless web analytics that also reports the carbon footprint of your website

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit CabinFull review
GitLab CI/CD logo

GitLab CI/CD

Developer Tools

Automatically build, test, deploy, and monitor your applications with GitLab CI/CD

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit GitLab CI/CDFull review

The short version

  • Cabin is a privacy-first analytics tool.
  • GitLab CI/CD is free; Cabin starts at $14/mo.
  • Where GitLab CI/CD falls short: compute minute quotas for Premium and Ultimate tiers not disclosed in documentation.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cabin and GitLab CI/CD actually diverge.

Attributes where Cabin and GitLab CI/CD differ
AttributeCabinGitLab CI/CD
Pricing modelPer month by pageview volumeFreemium
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web).

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 Cabin

  • Cookieless tracking
  • Carbon reporting
  • 1.2kb script
  • Custom events
  • Ad-blocker bypass
  • MCP access
  • Branded dashboards
  • EU data storage

Only in GitLab CI/CD

Nothing recorded that Cabin does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Cabin

  • Replacing Google Analytics on a site where a cookie consent banner is hurting conversion and you do not need behavioural advertising datanot GitLab CI/CD
  • An organisation with a published sustainability commitment that needs a reportable figure for its website emissionsnot GitLab CI/CD
  • An agency managing many client sites that wants unlimited domains and branded client dashboards for a flat $45 a monthnot GitLab CI/CD
  • A developer who wants to query site analytics conversationally through an MCP-connected assistant rather than reading a dashboardnot GitLab CI/CD

GitLab CI/CD

  • Reducing open source project infrastructure costs with public project discountsnot Cabin
  • Enforcing monthly CI/CD spending limits and quota notificationsnot Cabin
  • Allocating compute minutes to open source contributors affordablynot Cabin
  • Forecasting CI/CD spending patterns across multiple projectsnot Cabin
  • Providing private runners for cost control without owning infrastructurenot Cabin

Where each one falls short

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

Cabin

  • The analytics are deliberately shallow: no funnels, no cohort retention, no session replay and no user-level journeys, so anything beyond traffic and event counts requires a second tool
  • Carbon figures are modelled from bytes transferred using CO2.js assumptions about grid intensity and device energy, not measured, so they are directionally useful and should never be presented as audited emissions data
  • Cabin is a product of Normally, a design studio, rather than a company whose sole business is analytics, which puts a reasonable question mark over long-term roadmap investment and support depth
  • The 30-day retention on the free tier and 12 months on Plus mean year-on-year comparison needs the $45 Scale plan, which is a large jump for a small site that only wanted longer history
  • Because it does not use cookies or cross-site identifiers, returning-visitor and multi-session attribution are approximations, which matters if anyone in the business is trying to reconcile it with an ad platform's numbers

GitLab CI/CD

  • Compute minute quotas for Premium and Ultimate tiers not disclosed in documentation
  • Additional compute minutes beyond quota incur charges; exact pricing not specified

Pricing, plan by plan

Cabin

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 domain
    • 10,000 pageviews per month
    • 30-day data retention
  • Plus$14/mo
    • Up to 10 domains
    • 100,000 pageviews per month
    • 12-month retention
  • Scale$45/mo
    • Unlimited domains
    • 5,000,000 pageviews per month
    • Unlimited retention

GitLab CI/CD

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 400 compute minutes per month for free tier namespaces
    • Linux x86-64 runners at 1x cost factor
  • PremiumOn request
    • Higher monthly compute minute quotas than free tier
    • Additional compute minutes available for purchase
  • UltimateOn request
    • Highest monthly compute minute allocations
    • Additional compute minutes available for purchase

Which should you pick?

Choose Cabin if

  • You need cookieless tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want carbon reporting.
Cabin review

Choose GitLab CI/CD if

  • You want to start without paying.
GitLab CI/CD review

Questions people ask

Is Cabin or GitLab CI/CD better?
Neither clearly leads. Cabin starts at Free and GitLab CI/CD at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cabin or GitLab CI/CD?
Cabin starts at Free and GitLab CI/CD at Free.
Does Cabin or GitLab CI/CD run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Cabin for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cabin best used for?
Cabin is most often used for replacing google analytics on a site where a cookie consent banner is hurting conversion and you do not need behavioural advertising data, an organisation with a published sustainability commitment that needs a reportable figure for its website emissions, an agency managing many client sites that wants unlimited domains and branded client dashboards for a flat $45 a month, a developer who wants to query site analytics conversationally through an mcp-connected assistant rather than reading a dashboard. Of those, replacing google analytics on a site where a cookie consent banner is hurting conversion and you do not need behavioural advertising data and an organisation with a published sustainability commitment that needs a reportable figure for its website emissions are not what GitLab CI/CD is typically brought in for.
What can Cabin do that GitLab CI/CD cannot?
Cabin covers Cookieless tracking, Carbon reporting, 1.2kb script, Custom events.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cabin: Do I need a cookie consent banner with Cabin?

No. It sets no cookies and collects no cross-site identifiers, and data is stored in the EU, which is the specific reason most buyers switch to it.

GitLab CI/CD: How many GitLab CI compute minutes does the free tier include?

The free tier of GitLab CI includes 400 compute minutes per month for free tier namespaces on GitLab.com.

Source
Cabin: How accurate is the carbon measurement?

It is an estimate derived from data transfer using the CO2.js model. It is reliable for tracking change over time on your own site and unsuitable as an audited emissions figure.

GitLab CI/CD: What is the cost factor for different GitLab CI runner types?

Linux x86-64 small runners cost 1x; medium runners cost 2x; large runners cost 3x. macOS and Windows runners have cost factors of 6-12x and are in beta status.

Source
Cabin: Who makes Cabin?

It was built at Normally, a research and design studio in London, out of work on data, privacy and the carbon footprint of digital products.

GitLab CI/CD: Do public open-source projects get discounts on GitLab CI compute minutes?

Public open-source projects receive a 0.5x discount on compute minutes. Public forks of GitLab open-source projects receive a 0.008x discount.

Source
Cabin: Can it replace Google Analytics entirely?

For traffic, referrer and event reporting, yes. For advertising attribution, audience building and funnel analysis, no.

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