--- title: "CircleCI vs GitLab CI: Which is searched more?" description: "Is CircleCI or GitLab CI more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the CI/CD tools set worldwide. 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." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/circleci-vs-gitlab-ci" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # CircleCI vs GitLab CI: Which is searched more? Is CircleCI or GitLab CI more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the CI/CD tools set worldwide. 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. ## Key facts - **Compared**: CircleCI and GitLab CI - **Competitive set**: CI/CD tools - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **CircleCI Share of Search**: 4.4% - **GitLab CI Share of Search**: 1.9% ## Is CircleCI or GitLab CI more popular in search? - In September 2026, CircleCI had more branded searches than GitLab CI among CI/CD tools worldwide. CircleCI had about 18,300 branded searches, while GitLab CI had 8,100. CircleCI made up 4.4% of all CI/CD tool searches we track, and GitLab CI accounted for 1.9%. - CircleCI was ahead of GitLab CI in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, CircleCI’s share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide moved from 3.8% to 4.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.5K to 18.3K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitLab CI’s share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide moved from 3.1% to 1.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 14.8K to 8.1K. ## Top CI/CD tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both CircleCI and GitLab CI showed up in all five answers. GitLab CI was listed before CircleCI in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | GitHub Actions | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Jenkins | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | GitLab CI | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | CircleCI | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Argo CD | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Buildkite | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Travis CI | 7th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | TeamCity | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Semaphore | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about CI/CD tools - Asked ChatGPT "Which CI/CD tool should I use?": 1. GitHub Actions, 2. GitLab CI, 3. Jenkins, 4. CircleCI, 5. Argo CD - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best CI/CD tools?": 1. GitHub Actions, 2. GitLab CI, 3. Jenkins, 4. CircleCI, 5. Buildkite, 6. Argo CD - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best CI/CD tool for software delivery?": 1. GitHub Actions, 2. GitLab CI, 3. Jenkins, 4. CircleCI - Searched Google, AI Overview "ci/cd tools": 1. Jenkins, 2. GitHub Actions, 3. GitLab CI, 4. CircleCI, 5. Argo CD - Searched Google, AI Overview "continuous integration tools": 1. Jenkins, 2. GitHub Actions, 3. GitLab CI, 4. CircleCI, 5. Travis CI Not named in any answer: TeamCity and Semaphore. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for CI/CD tools worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, CircleCI gained share of searches among CI/CD tools worldwide, from 3.4% to 4.4%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for GitLab CI worldwide fell 45.3% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 8.1K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | CircleCI estimated searches | CircleCI Share of Search | CircleCI rank | GitLab CI estimated searches | GitLab CI Share of Search | GitLab CI rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 18.5K | 3.8% | 4 | 14.8K | 3.1% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 18.4K | 3.8% | 4 | 12.1K | 2.5% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | 18.4K | 4% | 4 | 12.1K | 2.6% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 18.4K | 3.9% | 4 | 12.1K | 2.5% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 18.4K | 3.8% | 4 | 12.1K | 2.5% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 18.4K | 3.5% | 4 | 12.1K | 2.3% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 18.4K | 3.7% | 4 | 9.9K | 2% | 7 | | May 2026 | 18.3K | 3.7% | 4 | 9.9K | 2% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | 18.5K | 4.3% | 4 | 9.9K | 2.3% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | 15.1K | 3.6% | 4 | 8.1K | 2% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | 15K | 3.4% | 4 | 8.1K | 1.8% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 18.3K | 4.4% | 4 | 8.1K | 1.9% | 7 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using CircleCI’s and GitLab CI’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. - **CircleCI**: Measured on the search terms “ci cd circleci”, “circleci”, “circleci app”, “circleci ci cd”, “circleci continuous integration” and “circleci software”, summed into one figure. - **GitLab CI**: Measured on the search term “gitlab ci”. - [CircleCI profile](/demand/global-en/brands/circleci) - [GitLab CI profile](/demand/global-en/brands/gitlab-ci) - [All CI/CD tools worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/ci-cd-tools): The set both shares are measured inside, 9 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is CircleCI or GitLab CI more popular in search? In September 2026, CircleCI had more branded searches than GitLab CI among CI/CD tools worldwide. CircleCI had about 18,300 branded searches, while GitLab CI had 8,100. CircleCI made up 4.4% of all CI/CD tool searches we track, and GitLab CI accounted for 1.9%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "CircleCI vs GitLab CI: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/circleci-vs-gitlab-ci This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/circleci-vs-gitlab-ci. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.