3-year cost calculator
Pre-filled for GitLab (Premium/Ultimate) → CircleCI. Adjust every figure with your own numbers.
Every figure here is an illustrative estimate, not a vendor quote. Defaults are editable starting points compiled from public information; real, binding pricing comes from the vendor or an authorized distributor. See our methodology.
All figures are illustrative and fully editable — adjust the cost-per-user and migration inputs with your own numbers. Not guaranteed vendor pricing (defaults reviewed May 2026). For a binding quote, use the request form below to reach an authorized distributor or partner.
Quick comparison: GitLab (Premium/Ultimate) vs CircleCI
Common trade-offs teams weigh when staying on GitLab (Premium/Ultimate) versus moving to CircleCI. These are general, commonly-reported considerations — not statements of fact about any vendor — so check them against your own contract and the vendors' current terms.
- Already in production — no migration effort or risk
- Mature ecosystem with vendor support and SLAs
- Per-user Premium/Ultimate tiers are pricey at scale
- Top features gated behind Ultimate
- Annual seat commitments and uplifts
- CI minute overages add up
- Ongoing per-user / month cost to budget for
- Higher vendor lock-in to weigh
- Commercial option with vendor support and SLAs
- Cost model: Per-credit / user
- Requires a migration (~18 weeks, high effort)
- Per-credit / user cost
- Higher operational learning curve
Why teams evaluate alternatives to GitLab (Premium/Ultimate)
Reasons commonly cited by users and in public industry coverage for re-evaluating GitLab (Premium/Ultimate). These are general, reported considerations — not statements of fact about GitLab — and may not reflect your situation or the vendor's current terms. Verify against your own contract before deciding.
- Per-user Premium/Ultimate tiers are pricey at scale
- Top features gated behind Ultimate
- Annual seat commitments and uplifts
- CI minute overages add up
The migration plan
Roughly 18 weeks for a mid-size estate, in six phases.
Tooling & automation
Mirror repositories to the new Git host, translate pipeline definitions, migrate issues/artifacts via API, re-point runners and webhooks, and cut over team by team.
OffVendor's wizard pre-fills these scripts with your environment — inventory export, disk/schema conversion, bulk provisioning, and validation.
Frequently asked
Is migrating from GitLab (Premium/Ultimate) to CircleCI worth it?
For most teams facing rising GitLab (Premium/Ultimate) costs, yes — CircleCI (per-credit / user) typically lowers 3-year total cost of ownership, though the right answer depends on workload complexity and in-house skills. Use the calculator to model your own numbers.
How long does a GitLab (Premium/Ultimate) to CircleCI migration take?
A typical mid-size estimate is around 18 weeks across six phases — discovery, design, pilot, waved production migration, validation, and decommission. Larger or more complex estates take longer.
What tools are used to migrate from GitLab (Premium/Ultimate) to CircleCI?
Mirror repositories to the new Git host, translate pipeline definitions, migrate issues/artifacts via API, re-point runners and webhooks, and cut over team by team.