# Drone vs GitLab CI/CD

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** GitLab CI/CD

| Attribute | Drone | GitLab CI/CD |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 49.9 (18% (low)) | 59.8 (66% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 24,549 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Drone is a continuous integration server that provides a unified interface for multiple source control management systems, supports Docker image building and publishing, includes customizable runner infrastructure with automatic scaling, and enables pipeline configuration through code. It is indexed under CI/CD Tools.","source":"https://www.drone.io","question":"What is Drone?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Drone offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.drone.io","question":"Is Drone free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Drone. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.drone.io","question":"What platforms does Drone support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Drone can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.drone.io","question":"Can Drone be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 5 integrations for Drone, including GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, Docker and MySQL. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.drone.io","question":"What does Drone integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Drone is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://www.drone.io","question":"Where is Drone available?","confidence":0.75}]` | `[{"answer":"GitLab's CI/CD system is a core component of its broader DevSecOps platform. It automates the entire pipeline from code commit to production deployment, with integrated security testing (SAST, DAST, dependency scanning) and compliance controls built directly into each build. It is indexed under CI/CD Tools.","source":"https://about.gitlab.com/es/pricing/","question":"What is GitLab CI/CD?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"GitLab CI/CD offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $29 per user per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://about.gitlab.com/es/pricing/","question":"Is GitLab CI/CD free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"GitLab CI/CD supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://about.gitlab.com/es/pricing/","question":"What platforms does GitLab CI/CD support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. GitLab CI/CD can be deployed cloud / SaaS, hybrid, on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://about.gitlab.com/es/pricing/","question":"Can GitLab CI/CD be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 3 integrations for GitLab CI/CD, including AWS Marketplace, Google Cloud Marketplace and Google Cloud Platform. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://about.gitlab.com/es/pricing/","question":"What does GitLab CI/CD integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR for GitLab CI/CD. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as GitLab CI/CD not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://about.gitlab.com/security/","question":"What security certifications does GitLab CI/CD have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"on_prem":true,"air_gapped":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A CI/CD server featuring a web interface, programmatic API, auto-scaling instance management, and extensibility through Docker builds and custom runners. | An integrated platform combining source control, continuous integration/deployment, and built-in security scanning to automate the entire software delivery lifecycle with support for both cloud and self-hosted deployments. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"both","marketplace":true,"yaml_pipelines":true,"container_native":true,"secrets_management":true,"deploy_environments":true,"self_hosted_runners":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","marketplace":true,"yaml_pipelines":true,"container_native":true,"secrets_management":true,"deploy_environments":true,"self_hosted_runners":true}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | 14 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"GitHub Enterprise"},{"name":"Bitbucket"},{"name":"GitLab"},{"name":"Docker"},{"name":"MySQL"},{"name":"Source code management systems","native":true}]` | `[{"name":"AWS Marketplace"},{"name":"Google Cloud Marketplace"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Google Cloud Platform"},{"name":"Kubernetes","native":true,"category":"deployment","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Docker","native":true,"category":"containers"},{"name":"LDAP","native":true,"category":"identity","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"OAuth","native":true,"category":"identity","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Jenkins","native":true,"category":"ci_cd","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Jira","native":true,"category":"project_management","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Slack","native":true,"category":"chat","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"SAML","native":true,"category":"authentication","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Anchore","native":true,"category":"security","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Prisma Cloud","native":true,"category":"security","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Checkmarx","native":true,"category":"security","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"CodeSecure","native":true,"category":"security","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Fortify","native":true,"category":"security","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Venafi","native":true,"category":"security","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Veracode","native":true,"category":"security","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Akismet","native":true,"category":"security","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"reCAPTCHA","native":true,"category":"security","direction":"inbound"}]` |
| language.primary | - | Ruby |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"free","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.drone.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T18:17:03.047Z"}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free","features":["Source Code Management","CI/CD"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"GitLab Duo Agent Platform Credits","components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"credit"},"kind":"metered","amount":1,"currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"Free tier available. Premium and Ultimate tiers available with expanded features.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-10-15T09:24:10.613Z","billingPeriods":["year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | free | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.certifications | - | `[{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","level":"Type II","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO/IEC 27001:2022","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO/IEC 27017:2015","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO/IEC 27018:2019","status":"active"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.fedramp | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | - | 2.2 |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | - | https://about.gitlab.com/security/ |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fgitlabhq%2Fgitlabhq&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (CI/CD Tools)

| Capability | Drone | GitLab CI/CD |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Cloud + self-hosted | Cloud + self-hosted |
| Self-hosted runners | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Core** |  |  |
| Config-as-code pipelines | ✓ | ✓ |
| Matrix / parallel builds | - | - |
| **Build** |  |  |
| Container-native builds | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Performance** |  |  |
| Build caching | - | - |
| **Security** |  |  |
| Secrets management | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Delivery** |  |  |
| Deployment environments & approvals | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| Reusable actions / marketplace | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:58:11.146Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*