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Cybersecurity · head to head

Endor Labs vs GitLab CI/CD

Endor Labs logo

Endor Labs

Cybersecurity

Security and AI agent governance for code and supply chain

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
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

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Endor Labs pricing requires contacting sales, no transparent rates; GitLab CI/CD compute minute quotas for Premium and Ultimate tiers not disclosed in documentation
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Endor Labs and GitLab CI/CD differ
AttributeEndor LabsGitLab CI/CD
Pricing modelSeat-based per contributing developer with volume discountsfreemium
PlatformsWeb, CLI, IDEWeb
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools
Founded2021Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Endor Labs

  • AI coding agent governance
  • SAST scanning
  • Secrets detection
  • Reachability analysis
  • Open source dependency scanning
  • Package firewall
  • MCP server integration

Only in GitLab CI/CD

Nothing recorded that Endor Labs does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Endor Labs

  • Securing AI coding agent outputs before deploymentnot GitLab CI/CD
  • Reducing SAST false positives with reachability analysisnot GitLab CI/CD
  • Managing open source supply chain risknot GitLab CI/CD
  • Enforcing security policies in CI/CD pipelinesnot GitLab CI/CD

GitLab CI/CD

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

Where each one falls short

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

Endor Labs

  • Pricing requires contacting sales, no transparent rates
  • Developer tier lacks UI and historical scan data
  • Free tier limited to local scanning only
  • Seat-based model may become expensive for large teams

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

Endor Labs

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • Local scanning
    • Read-only vulnerability data
    • No UI, policies, or scan history

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 Endor Labs if

  • You need ai coding agent governance.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI, IDE.
  • You also want sast scanning.

Choose GitLab CI/CD if

  • You want to start without paying.

Questions people ask

Is Endor Labs or GitLab CI/CD better?
Neither clearly leads. Endor Labs 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, Endor Labs or GitLab CI/CD?
Endor Labs starts at Free and GitLab CI/CD at Free.
Does Endor Labs or GitLab CI/CD run on more platforms?
Endor Labs runs on Web, CLI, IDE. GitLab CI/CD runs on Web.
Can I use Endor Labs for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Endor Labs best used for?
Endor Labs is most often used for securing ai coding agent outputs before deployment, reducing sast false positives with reachability analysis, managing open source supply chain risk, enforcing security policies in ci/cd pipelines. Of those, securing ai coding agent outputs before deployment and reducing sast false positives with reachability analysis are not what GitLab CI/CD is typically brought in for.
What can Endor Labs do that GitLab CI/CD cannot?
Endor Labs covers AI coding agent governance, SAST scanning, Secrets detection, Reachability analysis.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Endor Labs: What is the difference between Endor Labs Developer and paid tiers?

Developer tier is free and provides local scanning via MCP server with read-only vulnerability access and no UI. Paid tiers (Core and Pro) add team features like policy enforcement, enterprise integrations, reporting, and scan history.

Source
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
Endor Labs: How does Endor Labs define seats for pricing?

Seats are calculated per contributing developer (those with commits in monitored repositories within the last 90 days). Volume discounts apply as team size grows.

Source
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
Endor Labs: Does Endor Labs support on-premises deployment?

The platform is cloud-based SaaS by default. Enterprise customers should contact sales to discuss custom deployment options.

Source
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
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