GitLab vs. Polarion ALM

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
GitLab
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
GitLab DevSecOps platform enables software innovation by aiming to empower development, security, and operations teams to build better software, faster. With GitLab, teams can create, deliver, and manage code quickly and continuously instead of managing disparate tools and scripts. GitLab helps teams across the complete DevSecOps lifecycle, from developing, securing, and deploying software. Differentiators, as described by Gitlab: Simplicity: With GitLab, DevSecOps can…
$0
per month per user
Polarion ALM
Score 9.8 out of 10
N/A
Polarion ALM is an application requirement management software platform now owned and supported by Siemens since the 2015 acquisition. It is available on the cloud (Polarion X) and on-premise. Polarion connect teams and projects to improve application development processes with a single, unified solution for requirements, coding, testing and release.
$42
per month per user
Pricing
GitLabPolarion ALM
Editions & Modules
GitLab Essential
$0
per month per user
GitLab Premium
$29
per month per user
GitLab Ultimate
$99
per month per user
Polarion X Base
$42
per month per user
Polarion ALM
Contact Sales
one or more years per user/concurrent
Polarion Requirements
Contact Sales
one or more years per user/concurrent
Polarion QA
Contact Sales
one or more years per user/concurrent
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
GitLabPolarion ALM
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalOptional
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
GitLabPolarion ALM
Considered Both Products
GitLab
Chose GitLab
As mentioned earlier, the features like chart visualization sets it apart from the others. Other than that, GitLab is open source while other are not and comparatively more secure that its other counterparts. Also, GitLab supports adding other types of attachments which is not …
Chose GitLab
When i was using the other platform, Some time i face down time, But GitLabs its not happening for single time. GitLab is having easy user interference as compared to other platforms. Pull Request, Code review, Issue tracking, Merging, Access control and User Roles is having a …
Chose GitLab
GitLab is miles ahead of the competition. In so many words, having a simple UI with robust security and the ability to conduct Git actions takes the cake. The competitions like to say they can do these things easily but their products are more confusing and hard to use.
Chose GitLab
GitLab allows a self-hosted version that is easy to setup and configure. It is also open-source as compared to GitHub. The integrated CI/CD tools is a plus, since we do not have to worry about those tools, unlike Github. The All-in-one solution of GitLab made sense for our …
Chose GitLab
Gitlab offers the best support for CI/CD pipelines and the highest degree of customisation for workflows, permissions, and integrations. The integration of BitBucket with JIRA is better than GitLab but CI/CD features are limited in comparison. GitLab's built-in Container …
Chose GitLab
Gitlab provides basic functionality like any other git tool. Some features of push and pull requests , clone and merge is handled equally well. It lacks in AI features which are there in GitHub and setup processes are difficult. Cost difference is the only concern while …
Chose GitLab
GitHub is an inferior product from most points of view. We had to use it and the teams finds no positives about it. Everything is a downgrade from our previous GitLab solution.

GitLab CI\CD is vastly superior to workflows, for example doing a manual node is just "when : manual" …
Chose GitLab
It's much simpler than the competitors. The one important feature Gitlab stand out is the CI/CD pipeline. GitHub required integration with external CI tools but Gitlab has this feature built-in. Compare to Jenkins and Teamcity, It's easy to use without any additional Plugins. …
Chose GitLab
Gitlab seems more cutting-edge than GitHub; however, its AI tools are not yet as mature as those of CoPilot. It feels like the next-generation product, so as we selected a tool for our startup, we decided to invest in the disruptor in the space. While there are fewer …
Chose GitLab
I tried Github in the past, and it was really similar as GitLab. But we prefer use GitLab for the cicd part, easier to handle
Chose GitLab
i have more exoerence in GitLab rather than bitbucket . As personally , it is good for me to understand how things is going on. i have used personally and also in organisation . It is great for developer to see there 3 months ago code and also can come up with new solution to …
Chose GitLab
Because with Visual Studio code, it was very easy for us to install GitLab in it and have easy access through the terminal and due to GitLab, it was easy to implement codes regarding API and AWS services to make our software better. Gitlens and all features help to check the …
Chose GitLab
GitLab provides a far superior platform due to it's great integration and CI/CD focus. And while in the beginning the UI might look a bit overwhelming with use you will find it way more useful than it's competitors. The variables and settings also make way more sense and it's …
Chose GitLab
My feedback may not be important here because when I joined the company they already had GitLab and we still use it due to the ability to do CI/CD Integration, deployments, debugging, code owners approval, and Jira integration. So far we have not had any major blocker that has …
Chose GitLab
Github is more open-source first and enterprise-first second in their approach. The reverse is true for GitLab. Both are exceptional products and it highly depends on the specific needs of an org
Chose GitLab
Used Jenkins to connect with GitLab for building and deployment of microservices. GitLab helps in easy integration.
Chose GitLab
GitLab has a open-source community and great documentation that provides support resources and community contributions. AWS CodeCommit is used for integration with other AWS services in the AWS ecosystem and also have a low community and support compared to GitLab hence …
Chose GitLab
It was a management decision to use GitLab over other tools. It integrates well with RBAC using Terraform. Runners are easy to setup. Almost all the features the organization used before are available in GitLab.
Chose GitLab
For small projects or companies that do work on a few only code repositories selecting one of the git code hosting services like GitLab, GitHub, Bitbicket etc does not make a big difference.

But, if you are on a code development company that handles too many repositories and …
Chose GitLab
Software delivery is the key objective and GitLab made it much easier to hit the group quickly. It worked well with automation, and integrations with other SDLC tools used in the Organization and it is really easy to use. It's widely adopted and has the power to deliver what we …
Chose GitLab
1. Easier to use and setup then any other product.
2. CI/CD is also easier in GitLab
Chose GitLab
GitLab's online IDE and code modification is much better compared to Stash. While pricier than Bitbucket, Gitlab also provides CI CD configuration better than BB.
Chose GitLab
GitLab is rich in features and access control if compared with GitHub also GitHub stands no where in CI/CD if compared with GitLab.
GitLab CI/CD is mature, robust and far better than GitHub actions in all means.
If I talk about quality of support and reponse time of GitLab it is …
Polarion ALM
Chose Polarion ALM
Some tool suites look cheaper at first, but the hidden costs make it expensive in the end. This also applies to the operation of the application or, in the case of some manufacturers, I would have to speak of stitched applications. Regardless, with all tools it becomes …
Chose Polarion ALM
Polarion ALM interface is much more user friendly, and the tool is completely web based. Thanks for the applications available in the marketplace it is easily possible to extend the application capabilities. Integration with most popular PLM, ALM or Service Management tools is …
Chose Polarion ALM
In Polarion ALM, the concepts of work items/tasks and documents are inherently integrated. Jira typically uses Confluence to support documents. By using these two tools, for example, you encounter baseline problems that do not exist in Polarion ALM.
Chose Polarion ALM
Polarion ALM have the traceability, both between the artifact but also the historical on who have done what when always available that is difficult for Jira, since Jira is more forward looking on what is left to do.
Chose Polarion ALM
Polarion ALM is designed as a comprehensive Application Lifecycle Management solution, covering requirements management, test management, collaboration, and more in a single integrated platform. If your organization values a unified approach to managing the entire development …
Chose Polarion ALM
Atlassian Jira Align and IBM Rational DOORS Next Generation
Chose Polarion ALM
  • Much more features
  • Easier to implement
  • Faster ROI
Chose Polarion ALM
We prefer Polarion because of its traceability. Working in documents is very important for many customers. We have the possibility to configure almost everything or extend it with our own solutions.
Chose Polarion ALM
Polarion ALM has the best usability, extensibility and reactiv product management. The support is also very good compared to other companies. Or in other words it is closer to the customer. Codebeamer is for sure also a good ALM tool with a great feature set, but existing …
Chose Polarion ALM
Polarion is a juggernaut of a tool when it comes to traceability and modelling. And it is far better for task management.
Best Alternatives
GitLabPolarion ALM
Small Businesses

No answers on this topic

GitLab
GitLab
Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Veracode
Veracode
Score 8.7 out of 10
Planview AgilePlace
Planview AgilePlace
Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Veracode
Veracode
Score 8.7 out of 10
Planview AgilePlace
Planview AgilePlace
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
GitLabPolarion ALM
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(0 ratings)
9.8
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.9
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(0 ratings)
7.6
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
GitLabPolarion ALM
Likelihood to Recommend
It is well-suited for any project that needs VCS. It's an excellent choice for teams that might be remote or have to collaborate across teams. Plenty of features allow for async working. With its dashboards and reporting features, it is also suitable for nontechnical PMs or stakeholders. It allows for very bespoke customization and can most often do much more than you need it to.
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Polarion ALM shines where it is intended to be used: Application Lifecycle Management. It fits well with agile development concepts, but the extensive customization abilities allow it to adapt to other concepts, too. It is suitable as an all-in-one solution, which is capable of giving transparency over all related areas, be it Requirement Management, Test Management, Release Management, Defect Management, etc., to the involved stakeholders.
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Pros
  • GitLab excels in managing code versions, allowing easy tracking of changes, branch management, and merging contributions.
  • It helps maintain code stability and reliability, saving time and effort in the development or research workflow.
  • Powerful code review features, enabling collaboration and feedback among team members.
  • Robust project management features, including issue tracking, kanban boards, and milestones.
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  • Requirement management in Polarion is extremely effective, with a simple but powerful authoring environment, simple approval process management, seamless traceability and advanced reuse capabilities
  • Test management capabilities allow to link together the requirements with the validation process, and let the user define, plan, execute and record tests across the whole development process
  • Day bay day management of development is easy to track, with out of the box support for agile methodologies, live planning reports and integration with Git, SVN and CI/CD tools.
Read full review
Cons
  • CI variables management is sometimes hard to use, for example, with File type variables. The scope of each variable is also hard to guess.
  • Access Token: there are too many types (Personal, Project, global..), and it is hard to identify the scope and where it comes from once created.
  • Runners: auto-scaled runners are for the moment hard to put in place, and monitoring is not easy.
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  • Depending on complexity of application, it can be difficult to learn
  • Object oriented way of organizing information might be difficult due to high abstraction level
  • Massive configuration possibilities give also great responsibility and need clear focus on business benefits to prevent going too much tool centric
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Likelihood to Renew
I really feel the platform has matured quite faster than others, and it is always at the top of its game compared to the different vendors like GitHub, Azure pipelines, CircleCI, Travis, Jenkins. Since it provides, agents, CI/CD, repository hosting, Secrets management, user management, and Single Sign on; among other features
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There is too much at stake to go into a new system. But with everything else being promised as far as newer more innovative products, the justification to not renew is a huge risk so that is not a concern
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Usability
I find it easy to use, I haven't had to do the integration work, so that's why it is a 9/10, cause I can't speak to how easy that part was or the initial set up, but day to day use is great!
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Polarion ALM can be used individually and what I do with Polarion ALM is decided by my configuration. Lesson-learned, operational risk management, product, system or software development or customer management .... doesn't matter at all. I decide with my configuration what I will do with Polarion ALM. Of course, you can also use Polarion ALM out-of-the-box for your development because it comes with a large set of project templates.For this reason, I would also recommend not to just get started. A suitable consultant will show you the right templates and customize them according to your needs. Having Polarion ALM is like having a car. You know exactly how to operate the car. You've done it a thousand times before. The details are in the configuration: did I have a navigation system installed or not? Do I have a lane departure warning system or not? Do I have cruise control or not? Unlike when buying a vehicle, almost all functions are already available and can be used, usually at no extra cost. However, if something is missing, it can be obtained via the manufacturer's extension portal. Individual extensions are subject to a charge. Polarion ALM - easy to deploy and easy to use.
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Reliability and Availability
I've never had experienced outages from GItlab itself, but regarding the code I have deployed to Gitlab, the history helps a lot to trace the cause of the issue or performing a rollback to go back to a working version
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update, reindex takes to long
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Performance
GItlab reponsiveness is amazing, has never left me IDLE. I've never had issues even with complex projects. I have not experienced any issues when integrating it with agents for example or SSO
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
At this point, I do not have much experience with Gitlab support as I have never had to engage them. They have documentation that is helpful, not quite as extensive as other documentation, but helpful nonetheless. They also seem to be relatively responsive on social media platforms (twitter) and really thrived when GitHub was acquired by Microsoft
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Support for customers using the full range of Polarion could be better.
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In-Person Training
No answers on this topic
competent trainer, good training project
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Online Training
No answers on this topic
easy to follow, efficent
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Implementation Rating
No answers on this topic
Automated install and backup procedure ist missing
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Alternatives Considered
GitHub is an inferior product from most points of view. We had to use it and the teams finds no positives about it. Everything is a downgrade from our previous GitLab solution. GitLab CI\CD is vastly superior to workflows, for example doing a manual node is just "when : manual" in GitLab while you have to do clickops in GitHub to achieve the same. No overview of code in branches is a minus when we tried to figure out what our colleagues are trying to merge as it looked off.
Read full review
Some tool suites look cheaper at first, but the hidden costs make it expensive in the end. This also applies to the operation of the application or, in the case of some manufacturers, I would have to speak of stitched applications. Regardless, with all tools it becomes critical at some point. We have found for ourselves that when safety and/or security come into play, things get tricky with most applications. Ultimately, it is and remains a matter of taste and the food should be based on the requirements and not on personal sensitivities. I hope everyone makes the right decision for themselves and the company.
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Scalability
I think is very well designed, and like any VCS it works as intended
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • GitLab cut down our spent on container, package and infrastructure registry
  • Best thing is we can now have everything in single platform which cost effective too
  • Quality of support is really good and they do have emergency support team as well which is great
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  • The traceability features in Polarion ALM help identify and address issues early in the development cycle
  • Polarion ALM provides real-time dashboards and reporting, offering stakeholders visibility into project status, progress, and quality metrics.
  • The initial implementation of Polarion ALM may require time and effort. Some organizations may face challenges in adapting to the tool, and there might be a learning curve for users, especially those new to ALM solutions.
Read full review
ScreenShots

GitLab Screenshots

Screenshot of GitLab, a comprehensive DevSecOps platform.Screenshot of Security DashboardScreenshot of Merge Request

Polarion ALM Screenshots

Screenshot of Requirements Management - This feature is used to gather, author, approve and manage requirements across the full project lifecycles.Screenshot of Test & Quality Management - From this interface, users can manage all testing activities from a central platform.Screenshot of Issue & Risk Management - This interface is used to track all possible and reported failures, or plan and assign tasks to mitigate them.Screenshot of Connectors & Extensibility - Out of the box integrations with popular tools. Free, open APIs can be used to build apps and extensionsScreenshot of Agile / Hybrid Project Management - Modern agile techniques can be adopted at once or incrementally with out of the box project templates that can be adjusted to meet any needs.Screenshot of Core Functionality - Collaboration, Traceability and Workflow - 3 core principles built into the software