GitLab vs Postman
GitLab and Postman are both developer tools tools. GitLab is aimed at developers and enterprise, while Postman is aimed at developers and small businesses. Postman costs less, from $9/mo versus $29/mo for GitLab. Both have a free plan.
DevSecOps platform with Git hosting, CI/CD, security scans and AI
API platform for testing, mocking, documenting and sharing APIs
| Pricing | Freemium · $29 | Freemium · $9 |
| Starting price | $29/mo | $9/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | — |
| Built for | Developers, Enterprise, Small businesses | Developers, Small businesses, Enterprise |
| Platforms | web, linux | web, macos, windows, linux |
| Country | US · 2014 | US · 2014 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose GitLab if
Engineering teams that want source control, CI/CD and security scanning in one platform, with a self-hosting option.
- One platform replaces separate Git, CI and security tools
- Self-hosting suits regulated and air-gapped environments
- Flexible built-in CI/CD with your own runners
Look elsewhere if: Small teams that only need simple Git hosting or a dedicated planning tool (GitHub, Linear, Jira).
Choose Postman if
Development teams that want a shared, full-featured workspace for testing, mocking and documenting APIs.
- Industry standard; many API vendors ship ready Postman collections
- Testing, mocking, docs and monitoring in a single tool
- Capable Free plan for solo developers
Look elsewhere if: Developers who want a lightweight Git-native client or just a docs portal (Bruno, Insomnia, ReadMe, Scalar).
GitLab vs Postman pricing
GitLab
- Free$05 users per private group, 400 compute minutes, 10 GiB
- Premium$29/user/moBilled annually; 10,000 compute minutes, approvals, code owners
- UltimateCustomContact sales; security scans, compliance, 50,000 minutes
- GitLab Credits$1/creditUsage-based AI agent credits; volume discounts on commit
Postman
- Free$01 user; collections, mock servers, up to 5 integrations
- Solo$9/moBilled annually; 1 user, 400 AI credits/mo
- Team$19/user/moBilled annually; unlimited users, 400 AI credits/user
- EnterpriseCustomGovernance, 800 pooled AI credits/user, 100 integrations
GitLab · Key features
- Git repositories with merge requests, code owners and approval rules
- Built-in CI/CD pipelines with shared or self-hosted runners
- SAST, dependency, secret and container scanning in merge requests
- Container, package and Terraform module registries
- Issue boards, epics and roadmaps for planning
- Duo Agent Platform with agents for planning, security and code review
Cons
- Premium at $29 per user is costly for small teams
- Best security and compliance features need Ultimate
- Dense interface with a real learning curve
Postman · Key features
- Collections with pre-request scripts, tests and environment variables
- Requests for REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket and MQTT APIs
- Mock servers that simulate endpoints before the backend exists
- Scheduled monitors for uptime and response checks
- Collection runner and Postman CLI for CI/CD pipelines
- Spec Hub and native Git sync for API definitions
Cons
- Free plan no longer allows team collaboration
- Heavy desktop app and a cloud account needed for most features
- Collections live in a proprietary format, not plain files in your repo
GitLab vs Postman: FAQ
Which is cheaper, GitLab or Postman?
Postman starts at $9/mo and GitLab at $29/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do GitLab and Postman have a free plan?
Yes, both GitLab and Postman have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.