# GitLab Container Registry vs IBM Cloud Container Registry

**Leader by Vioscale score:** IBM Cloud Container Registry

| Attribute | GitLab Container Registry | IBM Cloud Container Registry |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 44.5 (74% (medium)) | 55 (47% (low)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | Store, manage, and organize container images for each GitLab project using an integrated registry. Supports multiple deployment models and tiers with web-based management and CLI access. | Fully managed private registry service for storing and distributing container images with built-in security vulnerability scanning and compliance checks. |
| features.capabilities | `{"web_ui":true,"hosting":"both","oci_compliant":true,"private_repos":true,"artifact_types":"images","pull_through_cache":true}` | `{"rbac":true,"web_ui":true,"hosting":"cloud","image_signing":true,"oci_compliant":true,"private_repos":true,"artifact_types":"images","cloud_iam_native":true,"high_availability":true,"vulnerability_scanning":true}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | 5 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Docker Hub"},{"name":"CI/CD pipelines"}]` | `[{"name":"IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service"},{"name":"Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud"},{"name":"IBM Code Engine"},{"name":"Docker"},{"name":"Skopeo"}]` |
| 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","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Premium","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Ultimate","contactSales":false}],"summary":"Container Registry included across Free, Premium, and Ultimate GitLab tiers. Free 30-day trial available.","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/packages/container_registry/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-16T21:34:08.326Z","freeTrialDays":30}` | `{"type":"free","summary":"Free tier available. Promotional offer: 50% savings for 6 months on certain new workloads.","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.ibm.com/products/container-registry","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T18:18:29.823Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | free |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | no |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |

## Capabilities (Container Registries)

| Capability | GitLab Container Registry | IBM Cloud Container Registry |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Cloud + self-hosted | Cloud only |
| **Standards** |  |  |
| OCI Distribution Spec compliant | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Scope** |  |  |
| Artifact types | Container images only | Container images only |
| **Security** |  |  |
| Built-in vulnerability scanning | - | ✓ |
| Image signing (Cosign/Notation) | - | ✓ |
| SBOM generation / storage | - | - |
| **Access** |  |  |
| Fine-grained RBAC / robot accounts | - | ✓ |
| Private repositories | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Distribution** |  |  |
| Geo-replication / mirroring | - | - |
| Pull-through cache / proxy | ✓ | - |
| **Integration** |  |  |
| Native cloud IAM integration | - | ✓ |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pull-rate limits | - | - |
| **UX** |  |  |
| Web UI / console | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| High-availability deployment | - | ✓ |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:54:16.785Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*