# GitLab CI/CD vs Semaphore CI

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Semaphore CI

| Attribute | GitLab CI/CD | Semaphore CI |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 58.8 (66% (medium)) | 68.3 (62% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 24,539 | - |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | Semaphore is a metered-pricing CI/CD platform offering cloud, hybrid, and self-hosted deployment options. Separates compute costs from support services, with transparent per-minute pricing starting at $0.0025/min for self-hosted. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"both","yaml_pipelines":true,"container_native":true,"secrets_management":true,"deploy_environments":true,"self_hosted_runners":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","matrix_builds":true,"yaml_pipelines":true,"container_native":true,"secrets_management":true,"deploy_environments":true,"self_hosted_runners":true}` |
| integrations.count | 4 | 2 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"AWS Marketplace"},{"name":"Google Cloud Marketplace"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Google Cloud Platform"}]` | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Flowdock"}]` |
| language.primary | Ruby | - |
| market.availability | `{"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, 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"]}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Community Edition","description":"Free and open source under Apache 2.0 license for self-hosted deployment"},{"name":"Semaphore Cloud","description":"Hosted version with free and paid plans"},{"name":"Enterprise Edition","description":"Enhanced version with extra features for larger organizations, commercial license","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free Community Edition (self-hosted, open source). Paid Semaphore Cloud and Enterprise Edition available.","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://semaphore.io/blog/2013/03/07/semaphore-pricing-update-with-higher-plans.html","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T20:44:47.174Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | mid | low |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.fedramp | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | yes |
| security.pci | yes | 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 | GitLab CI/CD | Semaphore CI |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **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 2026-09-01T17:05:47.256Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*