GitLab vs Bitbucket

by Gralio Feb 27, 2025

GitLab and Bitbucket are both Git-based version control and collaboration platforms catering to software development teams. GitLab offers a more comprehensive, all-in-one DevSecOps experience, while Bitbucket focuses on collaboration and integrates seamlessly with the Atlassian suite.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 4104 reviews and 60 websites, saving 23 hours, 18 minutes of reading.

GitLab

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Bitbucket

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About

GitLab is an all-in-one platform designed to help software development teams work together and build software faster. It streamlines the entire process, from planning and coding to testing, security checks, and deployment. This means your teams can focus on building great software without juggling multiple tools. GitLab is flexible and can be used in your own data center or in the cloud, making it adaptable to your company's needs.

Bitbucket is a tool that helps software development teams manage their code and work together better. It allows teams to track changes to code, review each other's work, and identify and fix bugs early on. Bitbucket also integrates with other tools, such as Jira, to streamline the development process from start to finish. While especially useful for software teams, its collaborative features can benefit any team working with code, regardless of company size.

Summary

Main difference

GitLab is a comprehensive DevSecOps platform offering a single application for the entire software development lifecycle, ideal for teams prioritizing integrated tools and AI-powered features. Bitbucket excels in its tight integration with the Atlassian suite, making it a strong choice for teams already invested in that ecosystem and prioritizing seamless collaboration.

Relative strengths of GitLab (compared to Bitbucket)

Comprehensive DevSecOps platform in a single application.
AI-powered features for coding, security, and DevSecOps.
Flexible deployment options (cloud and self-hosted).

Relative weaknesses of GitLab (compared to Bitbucket)

Can be complex for new users and has a steep learning curve.
Occasional performance issues reported, especially with larger projects.
Limited community support compared to Bitbucket.

What companies are using GitLab and Bitbucket?

No data

Who should use GitLab VS. Bitbucket

GitLab is a comprehensive DevSecOps platform streamlining software development. From planning and coding to security and deployment, GitLab helps teams build software faster. Users praise its integrated CI/CD pipelines and flexible deployment options, while some find the UI complex and performance sluggish with large projects.

Bitbucket is a collaborative code management solution ideal for software development teams of all sizes. Users praise its seamless integration with Atlassian tools and efficient workflow, while some find the UI confusing and repository size limits restrictive. Bitbucket excels at streamlining the development process with features like code review tools, Git integration, and private repositories.

Ideal for software teams of all sizes embracing DevOps.
Best fit for the Software, IT, and Telecommunications industry.

Ideal for small, medium, and large businesses seeking efficient code management and collaboration.
Best fit for software, IT, and telecommunications companies needing robust version control.

GitLab and Bitbucket features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Integrate with other tools

Supported

GitLab integrates with Jira, Jenkins, and other tools for a streamlined workflow, but not directly with Bitbucket.

Supported

Bitbucket integrates with Jira, Trello, and other Atlassian tools.
AI-powered DevSecOps Platform

Supported

GitLab offers an AI-powered DevSecOps platform streamlining the SDLC.

Not supported

Bitbucket integrates security into DevSecOps but is not explicitly AI-powered.
AI Pair Programmer

Supported

GitLab offers AI pair programming features through its GitLab Duo suite.

Partially supported

Bitbucket integrates with AI coding assistants like Codeium, but does not offer a built-in AI pair programmer.
Git Integration

Supported

GitLab uses Git for version control and collaboration features.

Supported

Bitbucket supports Git integration for version control and collaboration.
Version control integration

Supported

GitLab is built on Git and offers comprehensive Git repository management.

Supported

Bitbucket supports version control integration with Git.
Code review tools

Supported

GitLab offers built-in tools for code review and commenting, including inline comments and merge requests.

Supported

Bitbucket supports code review tools for reviewing and commenting on code changes within a repository.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

No data

-0.2

Neutral sentiment
Customer Service

No data

+0

Neutral sentiment
Ease of Use

No data

+0.6

Rather positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

No data

+0.13

Neutral sentiment
Ease of Implementation

No data

+0.71

Strongly positive sentiment
Scalability

No data

+0.38

Rather positive sentiment

GitLab and Bitbucket Pricing

GitLab offers a range of pricing plans for individual users to large enterprises, with options for both cloud-based and self-managed deployments. They provide additional add-ons for enhanced functionality, such as AI-powered features through GitLab Duo and increased compute resources. While specific pricing details for some plans and add-ons are available, others require contacting sales for custom quotes.

Plans

See full Pricing page

No data

User sentiment

Neutral

-0.2

See full Pricing page

GitLab and Bitbucket review insights

2266 reviews analysed from and

Users love

User-friendly interface for basic Git operations and repository management.
Integrated CI/CD pipelines streamline development and deployment.
Flexible deployment options (cloud and self-hosted) cater to various needs.
Robust access controls and security features.
Detailed documentation and version control capabilities.

Seamless integration with other Atlassian tools like Jira and Confluence.
Efficient branching model and pull request workflow.
Robust security features like Bitbucket keys for improved code protection.
User-friendly interface for managing code repositories and branches.

Users dislike

Occasional crashes and downtime disrupt workflows.
Complex UI can be overwhelming for new users, especially with limited community support.
Limited customization for specific jobs and workflows.
Steep learning curve for advanced features and pipeline configuration.
Sluggish performance, especially with large projects or concurrent users.

Limited repository size restrictions in the free version can be problematic.
Occasional slow performance, especially with large repositories.
The user interface can be confusing, especially for new users.
The "baseline" or "merge" terminology is unclear and can be confusing.

GitLab and Bitbucket Ratings

G2

4.5/5

(815)
Capterra

4.6/5

(1023)
Glassdoor

4.0/5

(556)

G2

4.4/5

(937)
Capterra

4.6/5

(1329)

Company health

Employee growth

18% increase in the last year

No data

Web traffic

6% decrease in the last quarter

No data

Financing

June 2019 - $414M

No data

How do GitLab's AI-powered DevSecOps features compare to Bitbucket's Jira integration for CI/CD?

GitLab's AI-powered DevSecOps features focus on automating and streamlining the entire software development lifecycle, including security testing and code suggestions, within a single application. Bitbucket's Jira integration, on the other hand, centers around project management and issue tracking, enabling better collaboration and workflow management between development and other teams. While both tools offer CI/CD capabilities, GitLab leans towards an all-in-one AI-driven approach, while Bitbucket emphasizes integration with existing project management workflows through Jira.

Which product offers a more intuitive user experience for managing Git repositories and branches?

Bitbucket offers a more intuitive user experience for managing Git repositories and branches, as highlighted in user reviews. While GitLab also provides a user-friendly interface for basic Git operations, user reviews mention its complex UI can be overwhelming for new users, especially for advanced features.

What are the advantages of GitLab?

GitLab's advantages include its all-in-one DevSecOps platform, streamlining the entire software development lifecycle within a single application. It offers AI-powered features like pair programming and DevSecOps automation. GitLab provides flexible deployment options, catering to both cloud and self-hosted environments. It also boasts robust access controls and security features.

What are the disadvantages of GitLab?

GitLab's disadvantages include occasional crashes and downtime, a complex UI that can be overwhelming for new users, limited customization options, a steep learning curve for advanced features, and sluggish performance with large projects or concurrent users. Additionally, community support is sometimes lacking, which can further complicate troubleshooting.

Alternatives to GitLab and Bitbucket

GitHub

GitHub is a website and cloud-based service that helps developers store and manage their code. It's like Google Docs for software development, where teams can work together on projects, track changes, and prevent errors. GitHub is known for its user-friendly interface and is used by companies of all sizes to build and maintain software.

Torus

Torus is a developer platform with a suite of tools designed to help software development teams improve their coding, security, and collaboration. It features AI-assisted coding to increase speed, vulnerability detection to improve security, and project management functions to enhance teamwork. Torus is utilized by individual developers and large organizations worldwide.

Travis CI

Travis CI is a cloud-based platform that helps software developers test and deploy their code automatically. It works with projects of all sizes and integrates with popular cloud platforms. Using simple instructions, developers can set up automatic testing in multiple environments. Travis CI is known for its ease of use, speed, and trusted reputation among developers. It's particularly helpful for catching errors early in the development process and speeding up software releases.

YouTrack

YouTrack is a flexible project management tool by JetBrains, used by teams of all sizes and industries. It helps you manage projects, track tasks, and maintain a knowledge base all in one place. YouTrack is known for its customizable features, allowing you to tailor it to your specific workflow. It also offers agile boards, Gantt charts, reporting, and dashboards for comprehensive project oversight.

AWS Developer Tools

AWS Developer Tools is a collection of services designed to help developers build, test, and deploy software applications on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform. It offers a wide array of tools including code editors, continuous integration and delivery services, infrastructure automation, and monitoring tools. AWS Developer Tools focuses on making the software development process faster and more efficient regardless of company size or industry. Its promise is to provide a comprehensive suite of services that support the entire software development lifecycle.

Rally UXR

Rally UXR is a user research platform designed to help product and research teams manage their research participants and processes. It offers tools for recruiting participants, conducting studies, sending incentives, and analyzing data, all within a single platform. Rally aims to streamline the user research process, making it easier for companies to gather customer feedback and make informed decisions about their products. Its focus is on improving the efficiency of user research operations, particularly for growing teams.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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