# GitHub Actions vs GitLab CI/CD

**Leader by Vioscale score:** GitHub Actions

| Attribute | GitHub Actions | GitLab CI/CD |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 71.7 (74% (medium)) | 58.8 (66% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 24,539 |
| adoption.stackoverflow_questions | 42,000 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"GitHub Actions is a CI/CD and workflow automation platform integrated directly into GitHub repositories. It allows teams to automate their software development lifecycle by running tests, building code, and deploying applications in response to events like code pushes or pull requests, without needing to maintain separate external tools or infrastructure.","source":"https://github.com/features/actions","question":"What is GitHub Actions and what problem does it solve?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"GitHub Actions is free for public repositories. For private repositories, each GitHub plan includes free monthly minutes; additional usage incurs charges based on runner type (standard runners cost less than GPU or dedicated runners). Exact per-minute rates vary by runner and are subject to change.","source":"https://docs.github.com/en/actions","question":"What does GitHub Actions cost?","confidence":0.92},{"answer":"GitHub Actions supports Node.js, Python, Java, Ruby, PHP, Go, Rust, .NET, Swift, and PowerShell natively, along with any language that can run in a container or shell environment. This broad support means most projects can use GitHub Actions regardless of their technology stack.","source":"https://docs.github.com/en/actions","question":"What programming languages does GitHub Actions support?","confidence":0.94},{"answer":"Yes. GitHub Actions supports self-hosted runners, allowing you to run workflows on machines you own or manage in your own data center or cloud environment. This option is useful for organizations with specific security, compliance, or performance requirements that GitHub-hosted runners cannot meet.","source":"https://github.com/features/actions","question":"Can I run GitHub Actions workflows on my own servers instead of GitHub's infrastructure?","confidence":0.93},{"answer":"Workflows are defined using YAML configuration files stored in the `.github/workflows/` directory of your repository. Each workflow file specifies the events that trigger it (such as code pushes or pull requests), the jobs to run, the steps within each job, and the specific actions or commands to execute.","source":"https://docs.github.com/en/actions","question":"How do I define workflows in GitHub Actions?","confidence":0.96},{"answer":"Yes. GitHub Actions includes a marketplace with thousands of reusable, community-maintained actions for common tasks like running tests, publishing packages, deploying applications, and integrating with external services. You can also create and share custom actions tailored to your workflow.","source":"https://github.com/features/actions","question":"Does GitHub Actions offer pre-built actions or templates to avoid writing everything from scratch?","confidence":0.94},{"answer":"GitHub Actions offers GitHub-hosted runners for Linux, macOS, and Windows, plus support for ARM architecture and GPU runners. It also supports running workflows in containerized environments, allowing you to test and deploy across diverse platforms without managing the underlying infrastructure.","source":"https://github.com/features/actions","question":"What platforms and operating systems does GitHub Actions support for running workflows?","confidence":0.93}]` | - |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | GitHub Actions enables developers to automatically build, test, and deploy code from their repositories. It supports parallel matrix builds across multiple environments, integrates with thousands of community-contributed actions, and can be extended with custom workflows written in declarative YAML. | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"caching":true,"hosting":"both","marketplace":true,"matrix_builds":true,"yaml_pipelines":true,"container_native":true,"secrets_management":true,"deploy_environments":true,"self_hosted_runners":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","yaml_pipelines":true,"container_native":true,"secrets_management":true,"deploy_environments":true,"self_hosted_runners":true}` |
| hosting.model | cloud | - |
| integrations.count | 17 | 4 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Jira"},{"name":"npm"},{"name":"Docker"},{"name":"GitHub Packages"},{"name":"GitHub Pages"},{"name":"CodeQL"},{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Azure"},{"name":"Google Cloud"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"TruffleHog"},{"name":"Prowler"},{"name":"Gosec"},{"name":"Super-Linter"},{"name":"Claude"},{"name":"OpenCommit"}]` | `[{"name":"AWS Marketplace"},{"name":"Google Cloud Marketplace"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Google Cloud Platform"}]` |
| language.primary | - | Ruby |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free forever","features":["Unlimited public/private repositories","Dependabot security and version updates","2,000 CI/CD minutes/month","500MB Packages storage","Issues & Projects","Community support"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"ci_cd_minutes":"2000/month (public repos)","packages_storage":"500MB (public repos)"}},{"free":false,"name":"Team","summary":"$4/user/month","features":["Everything in Free","GitHub Codespaces access","Repository rules and branch protection","Multiple reviewers in pull requests","Draft pull requests","Code owners","Required reviewers","Pages and Wikis","Environment deployment branches and secrets","3,000 CI/CD minutes/month","2GB Packages storage","Web-based support"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":4,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"ci_cd_minutes":"3000/month","packages_storage":"2GB"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"From $21/user/month","features":["Everything in Team","Advanced security and compliance features","Flexible deployment options"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":21,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"GitHub Codespaces","components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.18,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB/month"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.07,"currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"Free tier available. Paid plans from $4/user/month.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://github.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:25:38.810Z","freeTrialDays":30,"startingPrice":{"amount":4,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free, no credit card required","features":["Source code management","CI/CD pipelines","Basic security scanning","GitLab Duo Agent Platform access","400 compute minutes/month","10 GiB storage"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For individuals and open source projects","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"credits":"12/user/mo","storage":"10 GiB","compute_minutes":"400/mo"}},{"free":false,"name":"Premium","summary":"$29/user/mo when billed annually","features":["Everything in Free","Advanced CI/CD","GitLab Duo Agent Platform","10,000 compute minutes/month","500 GiB storage","Enhanced security features","Unlimited licensed users"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":29,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For growing organizations","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"credits":"24/user/mo","storage":"500 GiB","compute_minutes":"10000/mo"}},{"free":false,"name":"Ultimate","summary":"Custom pricing, contact for quote","features":["Everything in Premium","50,000 compute minutes/month","Advanced compliance and audit controls","Enterprise Agile Planning","GitLab Duo Agent Platform","Security Review Flow"],"description":"For enterprises requiring advanced security and compliance","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"credits":"personalized","compute_minutes":"50000/mo"}},{"free":false,"name":"GitLab Dedicated","summary":"Custom pricing, fully managed","features":["Everything in Ultimate","Single-tenant deployment","Data residency in chosen region","Complete data isolation","Bring Your Own Encryption","Enterprise-grade security","Regular update cadence"],"description":"Fully managed single-tenant instance with guaranteed isolation","contactSales":true},{"free":false,"name":"GitLab Dedicated for Public Sector","summary":"Custom pricing, government/FedRAMP","features":["Everything in Dedicated","FedRAMP compliance (moderate impact)","GovRAMP authorization","AWS GovCloud deployment","50,000 compute minutes/month","Unlimited guest users"],"description":"FedRAMP-compliant deployment for government agencies","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"invited_users":"unlimited","compute_minutes":"50000/mo"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"GitLab Credits"}],"summary":"From $0 (free tier) to $29/user/mo (Premium, annual billing). Custom pricing for Ultimate and Dedicated. GitLab Flex allows one annual commitment with flexible reallocation across plans.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://about.gitlab.com/es/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T11:04:28.569Z","startingPrice":{"amount":29,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | mid |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.fedramp | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.iso27001 | yes | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | - | 2.2 |
| security.soc2 | yes | yes |
| 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 | GitHub Actions | 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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T15:00:53.947Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*