CircleCI vs GitLab:Which is more popular by branded search?
In August 2026, GitLab had more branded searches than CircleCI among continuous integration platforms worldwide. GitLab was estimated to have 682K branded searches compared to CircleCI’s 15.1K, and held an 80.6% Share of Search versus CircleCI’s 1.8%. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Which is more popular in search, CircleCI or GitLab?
Compare services and tools used to automate software build and deployment pipelines. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of Search by month for GitLab, CircleCI. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | GitLab | GitHub Actions | CircleCI | Buildkite | Semaphore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 87.3% | 10% | 1.9% | 0.69% | 0.07% |
| Nov 2025 | 84.9% | 11.9% | 2.3% | 0.82% | 0.08% |
| Dec 2025 | 85% | 11.8% | 2.3% | 0.82% | 0.08% |
| Jan 2026 | 84.9% | 11.9% | 2.3% | 0.82% | 0.08% |
| Feb 2026 | 83.9% | 12% | 2.3% | 1.8% | 0.08% |
| Mar 2026 | 82.9% | 14.2% | 1.8% | 0.98% | 0.07% |
| Apr 2026 | 85% | 12% | 1.9% | 1% | 0.05% |
| May 2026 | 84.3% | 12.6% | 1.9% | 1.2% | 0.05% |
| Jun 2026 | 85.5% | 11.7% | 1.9% | 0.84% | 0.05% |
| Jul 2026 | 82.6% | 14.3% | 1.8% | 1.2% | 0.06% |
| Aug 2026 | 80.6% | 16.1% | 1.8% | 1.4% | 0.09% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the CircleCI and GitLab comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- GitLab was ahead of CircleCI in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, CircleCI’s estimated Share of Search among continuous integration platforms worldwide moved from 1.9% to 1.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.6K to 15.1K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, GitLab’s estimated Share of Search among continuous integration platforms worldwide moved from 87.3% to 80.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 839K to 682K.
How did search popularity change for continuous integration platforms worldwide in August 2026?
2 changes
In August 2026, GitLab lost estimated Share of Search among continuous integration platforms worldwide, from 82.6% to 80.6%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for CircleCI worldwide fell 18.9% over 11 measured months, from 18.6K to 15.1K in August 2026.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using CircleCI’s and GitLab’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
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