Brandwave

How popular isGitLab CI?

In September 2026, people searched for GitLab CI by name about 30 times in New Zealand, a 25% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 5.1% of all New Zealand CI/CD tool searches, placing GitLab CI sixth out of seven tools. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about CI/CD tools, GitLab CI appeared in all answers and was the second most recommended of the seven.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

GitLab CI is the sixth most searched of 7 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. GitHub ActionsShare of searches 45.8%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. BuildkiteShare of searches 20.3%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th
  3. CircleCIShare of searches 11.9%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  4. Azure PipelinesShare of searches 6.8%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  5. GitLab CIShare of searches 5.1%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd

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Top CI/CD tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

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

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. GitHub Actions1st
  2. GitLab CI2nd
  3. Jenkins3rd
  4. Azure Pipelines4th
  5. Bitbucket Pipelines5th
  6. CircleCI6th
  7. Buildkite7th

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
  • Jenkins5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • GitLab CI5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Bitbucket Pipelines4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Azure Pipelines3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • CircleCI2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Buildkite1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about CI/CD tools

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 20, 2026.

Which CI/CD tools compete with GitLab CI?

GitLab CI against CI/CD tools in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for GitHub Actions, Buildkite, CircleCI, Azure Pipelines, Jenkins, GitLab CI, Bitbucket Pipelines. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGitHub ActionsBuildkiteCircleCIAzure PipelinesJenkinsGitLab CIBitbucket Pipelines
Oct 202553.2%11.3%11.3%8.1%4.8%6.5%4.8%
Nov 202551.6%12.5%14.1%6.3%6.3%4.7%4.7%
Dec 202555.9%15.3%8.5%6.8%5.1%6.8%1.7%
Jan 202650.9%9.4%11.3%7.5%11.3%7.5%1.9%
Feb 202647.6%16.7%8.3%4.8%14.3%6%2.4%
Mar 202642.6%12.8%9.6%5.3%20.2%7.4%2.1%
Apr 202644.6%14.9%8.1%4.1%18.9%5.4%4.1%
May 202642.1%18.4%9.2%5.3%15.8%6.6%2.6%
Jun 202650%13.6%10.6%6.1%10.6%6.1%3%
Jul 202646.5%15.5%9.9%4.2%14.1%7%2.8%
Aug 202646%19.5%12.6%5.7%10.3%3.4%2.3%
Sep 202645.8%20.3%11.9%6.8%6.8%5.1%3.4%

  1. 1.GitHub Actions

    45.8%

    Held 1st. 270 estimated branded searches, -32.5% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  2. 2.Buildkite

    20.3%

    Held 2nd. 120 estimated branded searches, -29.4% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  3. 3.CircleCI

    11.9%

    Held 3rd. 70 estimated branded searches, -36.4% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.

  4. 4.Azure Pipelines

    6.8%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 40 estimated branded searches, -20% vs prior month. Share +1 points.

  5. 5.Jenkins

    6.8%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 40 estimated branded searches, -55.6% vs prior month. Share -3.6 points.

  6. 6.GitLab CI

    5.1%

    Held 6th. 30 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.6 points.

  7. 7.Bitbucket Pipelines

    3.4%

    Held 7th. 20 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.1 points.

Compare popularity between GitLab CI and its closest rivals

How has branded search demand for GitLab CI changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

4 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for GitLab CI in New Zealand fell from 40 to 30.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitLab CI’s share of searches among CI/CD tools in New Zealand decreased from 6.5% to 5.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitLab CI’s share of searches among CI/CD tools in New Zealand peaked at 7.5% in January 2026 and was lowest at 3.4% in August 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitLab CI fell from 5th to 6th among CI/CD tools in New Zealand.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand CI/CD tools in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Azure Pipelines overtook Jenkins to rank 4th among CI/CD tools in New Zealand, with 6.8% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, GitLab CI gained share of searches among CI/CD tools in New Zealand, from 3.4% to 5.1%.

  3. In September 2026, Bitbucket Pipelines gained share of searches among CI/CD tools in New Zealand, from 2.3% to 3.4%.

  4. In September 2026, Buildkite gained share of searches among CI/CD tools in New Zealand, from 19.5% to 20.3%.

  5. In September 2026, Jenkins lost share of searches among CI/CD tools in New Zealand, from 10.3% to 6.8%.

  6. In September 2026, CircleCI lost share of searches among CI/CD tools in New Zealand, from 12.6% to 11.9%.

How are GitLab CI’s branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using GitLab CI’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.

  • gitlab ci
  • gitlab ci cd
  • gitlabci

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns GitLab CI?

GitLab CI is owned by GitLab. Brandwave also tracks GitLab, owned by the same company, in New Zealand.

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

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