Brandwave

How popular isGitLab?

In September 2026, people searched for GitLab by name about 832,000 times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 2.9% of all global release automation tool searches, placing GitLab fourth out of 11 tools. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about release automation tools, GitLab appeared in all answers and was the second most recommended of the 11.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

GitLab is the fourth most searched of 11 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. GitHub ActionsShare of searches 39.8%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. Argo CDShare of searches 31.5%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  3. LaunchDarklyShare of searches 17.8%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. GitLabShare of searches 2.9%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  5. Octopus DeployShare of searches 2.9%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 8th

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Top release automation tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, GitLab appeared in all five answers. GitLab is the second most recommended of the 11.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. GitHub Actions1st
  2. GitLab2nd
  3. Release Please3rd
  4. semantic-release4th
  5. Argo CD5th
  6. Harness6th
  7. Changesets7th
  8. Octopus Deploy8th
  9. Spinnaker9th
  10. LaunchDarkly–
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • GitHub Actions5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • GitLab5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Argo CD3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Octopus Deploy3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Harness3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Release Please2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • semantic-release2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Changesets2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Spinnaker1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • LaunchDarkly0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about release automation tools

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Which release automation tools compete with GitLab?

GitLab against release automation tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for GitHub Actions, Argo CD, LaunchDarkly, GitLab, Octopus Deploy. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGitHub ActionsArgo CDLaunchDarklyGitLabOctopus DeployRelease Pleasesemantic-releaseChangesetsCodefreshHarnessSpinnaker
Oct 202534.4%31.4%18.8%4.6%4.6%1.4%3.1%0.91%0.72%0.03%0.02%
Nov 202537.3%34.1%13.6%5%4.1%1.5%2.7%0.99%0.66%0.04%0.02%
Dec 202540.9%30.5%15%4.5%3%1.3%3%1.1%0.72%0.03%0.02%
Jan 202636.5%33.3%16.3%4.9%3.3%1.5%2.7%0.97%0.64%0.04%0.02%
Feb 202636.3%33.2%16.3%4.9%3.3%1.8%2.7%0.96%0.64%0.04%0.02%
Mar 202645.1%27.7%13.5%4.9%3.3%1.8%2.2%0.8%0.54%0.03%0.02%
Apr 202641.3%31.1%15.2%3.7%3%1.7%2.5%0.9%0.6%0.03%0.02%
May 202642.8%32.2%12.9%3.9%3.2%1.7%2.1%0.74%0.51%0.04%0.02%
Jun 202637%33.8%16.5%4%3.3%1.8%2.2%0.78%0.53%0.04%0.02%
Jul 202639.4%31.2%17.6%3.5%2.9%1.9%1.9%0.83%0.57%0.05%0.02%
Aug 202645.6%29.7%13.7%2.7%3.4%1.8%1.8%0.79%0.41%0.05%0.02%
Sep 202639.8%31.5%17.8%2.9%2.9%1.9%1.9%0.7%0.44%0.04%0.03%

  1. 1.GitHub Actions

    39.8%

    Held 1st. 90.5K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -5.8 points.

  2. 2.Argo CD

    31.5%

    Held 2nd. 71.7K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.8 points.

  3. 3.LaunchDarkly

    17.8%

    Held 3rd. 40.5K estimated branded searches, +22.4% vs prior month. Share +4.1 points.

  4. 4.GitLab

    2.9%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  5. 5.Octopus Deploy

    2.9%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  6. 6.Release Please

    1.9%

    Held 6th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  7. 7.semantic-release

    1.9%

    Held 7th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  8. 8.Changesets

    0.7%

    Held 8th. 1.6K estimated branded searches, -15.8% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  9. 9.Codefresh

    0.44%

    Held 9th. 1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  10. 10.Harness

    0.04%

    Held 10th. 100 estimated branded searches, -23.1% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  11. 11.Spinnaker

    0.03%

    Held 11th. 60 estimated branded searches, +20% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between GitLab and its closest rivals

Every comparison with GitLab

33 comparisons

How has branded search demand for GitLab changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for GitLab worldwide held steady, from 838K to 832K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitLab’s share of searches among release automation tools worldwide decreased from 4.6% to 2.9%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitLab’s share of searches among release automation tools worldwide peaked at 5% in November 2025 and was lowest at 2.7% in August 2026.

How did search popularity change for release automation tools worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, LaunchDarkly gained share of searches among release automation tools worldwide, from 13.7% to 17.8%.

  2. In September 2026, Argo CD gained share of searches among release automation tools worldwide, from 29.7% to 31.5%.

  3. In September 2026, GitHub Actions lost share of searches among release automation tools worldwide, from 45.6% to 39.8%.

  4. In September 2026, GitLab rose from 5th to 4th among release automation tools worldwide.

  5. In September 2026, Octopus Deploy fell from 4th to 5th among release automation tools worldwide.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Release Please worldwide rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 3.6K to 4.4K in September 2026.

How are GitLab’s branded searches counted?

6 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using GitLab’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • ci cd gitlab
  • continuous integration gitlab
  • gitlab
  • gitlab app
  • gitlab ci cd
  • gitlab software

Do you work for GitLab? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does GitLab compete?

GitLab is ranked in six competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Bug tracking brands3rd of 64.2%Show ranking
Code review platforms2nd of 104.5%Show ranking
Code hosting platforms2nd of 74.6%Show ranking
Build automation platforms1st of 768.9%Show ranking
Continuous integration platforms1st of 672.1%Show ranking
Release automation tools4th of 112.9%Shown above
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Is GitLab your brand?

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