Bitbucket suits teams that already plan work in Jira, because it's Atlassian's code host with CI/CD, a direct Jira connection and Rovo AI, and it's free for up to 5 users. GitLab suits teams that want one DevSecOps platform covering code, CI/CD and security testing, with a choice of GitLab.com, Self-Managed or Dedicated hosting and a Free plan for 5 users per top-level group with 400 compute minutes a month. Pick on where your work is tracked.
GitHub gets most of the attention, but plenty of teams end up choosing between these two. I read GitLab's home and plans pages and Bitbucket's product and plans pages.
GitLab and Bitbucket compared
| GitLab | Bitbucket | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 5 users per top-level group | Free forever for up to 5 users |
| CI/CD on free | 400 compute minutes per month | Build minutes on Atlassian cloud runners |
| Storage on free | 10 GiB adjustable storage | 1 GB LFS storage plus 1 GB per repository |
| Security testing | Static application security testing on Free | DevSecOps features listed |
| Hosting choices | GitLab.com, Self-Managed, Dedicated | Bitbucket Cloud or Data Center |
| AI | GitLab Credits for Duo Agent Platform | Rovo AI |
| Planning | Team project management on Premium | Jira connection |
How the two free plans differ
Both free plans stop at five users, but they count differently. GitLab's limit is 5 users per top-level group, and you get 400 compute minutes a month, 10 GiB of storage and static application security testing. Bitbucket is free forever for up to 5 users, and its CI/CD time is counted in build minutes that scale with runner size: Atlassian's example is a 5-minute step on a 2x runner counting as 10 build minutes. Build minutes and storage are shared across your workspace, so if you run heavy pipelines on bigger runners, that multiplier is worth knowing first.
Where GitLab covers more ground
GitLab sells itself as an intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps, so planning, source control, CI/CD and security sit in one product. Premium adds unlimited licensed users, 10,000 compute minutes, advanced CI/CD and team project management, and Ultimate adds application security testing, software supply chain security and compliance controls. AI features come through GitLab Credits, which give access to the Duo Agent Platform. You can let GitLab host it, run it yourself, or take the single-tenant Dedicated option. Its home page also highlights GitLab on AWS and GitLab on Google Cloud, and Duo agents that work on tasks such as reviewing code inside the guardrails you set.
Where Bitbucket fits better
Bitbucket's strength is the Atlassian connection. Its code and CI/CD connect to Jira, and AI-powered search, code review, pipeline triage and Jira updates come from Rovo across the development lifecycle. Standard and Premium plans come with free trials, and Data Center is Atlassian's self-managed product for customers with strict regulatory or security requirements. If your company already runs other Atlassian products, keeping code in the same family can simplify admin, and it's one less vendor for your team to learn.
Team checks before you migrate
- Where do you plan and track work today?
- How many CI/CD minutes do you use in a typical month?
- Do any projects have to be self-hosted?
- How many developers will need seats within a year?
- Which security scans must run on every merge?
For the wider toolkit, see my picks of developer productivity tools and these AI prompts for code review.
My advice on GitLab or Bitbucket
If your team lives in Jira, Bitbucket is the low-friction choice and the free plan covers a small team. If you want code, pipelines and security testing in one platform, or you need a self-managed or single-tenant option, GitLab gives you more room. Either way, move one active repository and its pipeline first and compare build times before you migrate everything. You'll learn more from that week than from any feature table, including this one.
Do you make developer or DevOps tools? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
Frequently asked questions
Is GitLab free?
Yes. GitLab's Free plan is for individuals on personal projects and open source contributions, with 5 users per top-level group and 400 compute minutes a month.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Is Bitbucket free?
Yes. Bitbucket is free forever for up to 5 users.
Can I self-host GitLab or Bitbucket?
GitLab offers a Self-Managed edition you run yourself. Bitbucket's self-managed option is Data Center.
How are Bitbucket build minutes counted?
By runner size. Atlassian's example is a 5-minute step on a 2x runner counting as 10 build minutes.
What is Bitbucket Data Center?
It's Atlassian's self-managed Bitbucket for customers with strict regulatory or security requirements.
Which suits a team that uses Jira?
Usually Bitbucket, because its code and CI/CD connect directly to Jira and Rovo can even handle Jira updates.
Does GitLab include AI?
AI features are available through GitLab Credits, an add-on that gives access to Duo Agent Platform features.
