GitLab CI/CD Pricing 2026: Compute Minutes, Free Tier, and True Per-Minute Cost
GitLab has two distinct models: SaaS and self-managed. The difference in cost is significant. Updated April 2026.
Two GitLab CI Models: SaaS vs Self-Managed
Managed by GitLab. Charges per compute minute. Free tier: 400 minutes/month. No OS multipliers - same rate regardless of Linux/Windows/macOS. Great for teams that don't want to run infrastructure.
You run GitLab on your own server. CI minutes are completely free - you just pay for the server and your runner machines. GitLab Community Edition is free and open-source. This is one of the best-value CI options at moderate-to-high build volumes.
GitLab SaaS Pricing
| Plan | Cost | CI minutes/month | Overage rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 400 min | Not available |
| Premium | $29/user/mo | 10,000 min | $0.010/min |
| Ultimate | $99/user/mo | 50,000 min | $0.010/min |
No OS multipliers on GitLab SaaS. Windows and macOS runners cost the same $0.010/min as Linux. On GitHub Actions, Windows costs 1.67x more and macOS costs 8x more. For mixed-OS teams, GitLab SaaS may be cheaper.
400 free minutes/month is modest. A workflow taking 8 minutes uses the free allowance in just 50 runs. Teams with daily CI on the SaaS free tier will exhaust this quickly.
Self-Managed GitLab: Unlimited Free CI Minutes
GitLab Community Edition is free, open-source, and includes full CI/CD capabilities. You pay for the servers that host GitLab and your runners - that is your only cost.
| Component | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GitLab CE server | $20-50/mo | t3.medium or equivalent. Handles git + pipelines. |
| Runner server (1 agent) | $15-30/mo | t3.small-medium. Runs your CI jobs. |
| Additional runner (each) | $15-30/mo | Add more for concurrency. |
| CI minutes | Free | Unlimited. You own the runners. |
At 20,000 minutes/month, a self-managed GitLab CE setup costs roughly $50-80/month total. The equivalent on GitHub Actions: (20,000 - 3,000) x $0.006 = $102/month in compute alone.
The No-Multiplier Advantage: Mixed OS Teams
Worked example: team doing 5,000 min Linux + 2,000 min Windows + 500 min macOS per month.
| Platform | Linux cost | Windows cost | macOS cost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Actions | 2,000 x $0.006 = $12 | 2,000 x $0.010 = $20 | 500 x $0.048 = $24 | ~$56 |
| GitLab SaaS (Premium) | 7,500 x $0.010 (flat) - 10,000 free = $0 | $0 extra (within plan) | ||
For this mixed-OS team at 7,500 minutes/month total, GitLab Premium's 10,000 included minutes covers everything. GitHub Actions would charge ~$56/month in compute overage (after 3,000 free minutes on Team plan). The no-multiplier model particularly benefits teams with regular Windows or macOS CI.