Developer Tools · head to head
Depot vs GitLab CI/CD
Depot
Developer Tools
Cloud-based builds and CI runs 55x faster with less cost
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
GitLab CI/CD
Developer Tools
Automatically build, test, deploy, and monitor your applications with GitLab CI/CD
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Depot developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development; GitLab CI/CD compute minute quotas for Premium and Ultimate tiers not disclosed in documentation
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Depot and GitLab CI/CD actually diverge.
| Attribute | Depot | GitLab CI/CD |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Unknown | freemium |
| Platforms | Cloud, GitHub, CLI | Web |
| Founded | 2022 | Unknown |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Developer Tools).
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 Depot
- Depot CI
- Container builds
- GitHub Actions runners
- Distributed caching
- Build API
- Depot Registry
- Cross-platform builds
- SSH debugging
Only in GitLab CI/CD
Nothing recorded that Depot does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Depot
- Accelerating Docker builds for container-based developmentnot GitLab CI/CD
- Replacing GitHub Actions runners with faster infrastructurenot GitLab CI/CD
- Distributing cache across Monorepo buildsnot GitLab CI/CD
- Debugging failed CI builds interactively with SSHnot GitLab CI/CD
GitLab CI/CD
- Reducing open source project infrastructure costs with public project discountsnot Depot
- Enforcing monthly CI/CD spending limits and quota notificationsnot Depot
- Allocating compute minutes to open source contributors affordablynot Depot
- Forecasting CI/CD spending patterns across multiple projectsnot Depot
- Providing private runners for cost control without owning infrastructurenot Depot
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Depot
- Developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development
- Startup plan at $200/mo is expensive for smaller teams
- Business plan requires custom pricing consultation
- macOS M2 runners not available on Developer plan
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
Depot
Free- Developer$20/month
- 1 user
- 500 Docker build minutes per month
- 2,000 Depot CI minutes per month
- Startup$200/month
- Unlimited users
- 5,000 Docker build minutes per month
- 20,000 Depot CI minutes per month
- Business$undefined/custom
- Custom pricing
- Unlimited users
- Custom monthly compute
GitLab CI/CD
Free- FreeFree
- 400 compute minutes per month for free tier namespaces
- Linux x86-64 runners at 1x cost factor
- Premium$null/tiered
- Higher monthly compute minute quotas than free tier
- Additional compute minutes available for purchase
- Ultimate$null/tiered
- Highest monthly compute minute allocations
- Additional compute minutes available for purchase
Which should you pick?
Choose Depot if
- You need depot ci.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud, GitHub, CLI.
- You also want container builds.
Questions people ask
- Is Depot or GitLab CI/CD better?
- Neither clearly leads. Depot 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, Depot or GitLab CI/CD?
- Depot starts at Free and GitLab CI/CD at Free.
- Does Depot or GitLab CI/CD run on more platforms?
- Depot runs on Cloud, GitHub, CLI. GitLab CI/CD runs on Web.
- Can I use Depot for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Depot best used for?
- Depot is most often used for accelerating docker builds for container-based development, replacing github actions runners with faster infrastructure, distributing cache across monorepo builds, debugging failed ci builds interactively with ssh. Of those, accelerating docker builds for container-based development and replacing github actions runners with faster infrastructure are not what GitLab CI/CD is typically brought in for.
- What can Depot do that GitLab CI/CD cannot?
- Depot covers Depot CI, Container builds, GitHub Actions runners, Distributed caching.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Depot: How much faster are Depot runners compared to GitHub Actions?
Depot runners offer 30% faster CPUs and 10x faster networking than standard GitHub-hosted runners, enabling builds to complete significantly faster.
SourceGitLab 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.
SourceDepot: What is included in the Developer plan?
Developer plan ($20/month) includes 500 Docker build minutes, 2,000 Depot CI minutes, 2,000 GitHub Actions minutes, 25 GB storage, unlimited concurrency, and community support.
SourceGitLab 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.
SourceDepot: Can I use Depot with my own AWS account?
Yes, Depot Managed allows deployment within customer AWS accounts. This is available to interested customers; contact sales for details.
SourceGitLab 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.
SourceRelated pages
More on GitLab CI/CD
Other head to heads
- Depot vs Visual Studio Code
- Depot vs ESLint
- Depot vs pnpm
- Depot vs Turborepo
- Depot vs GitHub Copilot
- Depot vs Penpot
- Depot vs Keycloak
- Depot vs Rust
- Depot vs CLion
- Depot vs GNAT Pro
- Depot vs IAR Embedded Workbench
- Depot vs GNU Emacs
- Depot vs Keil MDK
- Depot vs Vite
- Depot vs Bazel
- Depot vs CodeSandbox
- Depot vs Eclipse IDE
- Depot vs Moonrepo
- GitLab CI/CD vs Visual Studio Code
- GitLab CI/CD vs ESLint
- GitLab CI/CD vs pnpm
- GitLab CI/CD vs Turborepo
- GitLab CI/CD vs GitHub Copilot
- GitLab CI/CD vs Penpot
- GitLab CI/CD vs Keycloak
- GitLab CI/CD vs Rust
- GitLab CI/CD vs CLion
- GitLab CI/CD vs GNAT Pro
- GitLab CI/CD vs IAR Embedded Workbench
- GitLab CI/CD vs GNU Emacs
- GitLab CI/CD vs Keil MDK
- GitLab CI/CD vs Vite
- GitLab CI/CD vs Bazel
- GitLab CI/CD vs CodeSandbox
- GitLab CI/CD vs Eclipse IDE
- GitLab CI/CD vs Moonrepo