How much does it cost to replace GitLab?

A custom devops & engineering tool to replace GitLab costs $45,000–$75,000 as a one-time build fee. That compares to $26,100/year for GitLab at 75 seats. Over 3 years, you save approximately $-870 (-1%).

How long does it take to build a GitLab replacement?

A custom GitLab replacement typically takes 12-18 weeks to build and deploy. This is a Platform Build project. We handle architecture, development, testing, deployment, and data migration from GitLab.

Is a custom-built devops & engineering tool as good as GitLab?

Better for your needs — because it's built specifically for your workflow. Most teams use under 20% of GitLab's features but pay for 100%. We build the features you actually use, optimized for how your team works, without the bloat or per-seat pricing.

What happens to my data when I leave GitLab?

We handle the complete data migration from GitLab to your new custom tool. Your data moves to your own database on your infrastructure. You maintain full ownership and control — no vendor lock-in, no data hostage situations.

Who maintains the custom devops & engineering tool after it's built?

You have two options: our maintenance retainer ($500–$3,000/month depending on complexity) covers ongoing support, updates, and monitoring. Or your team maintains it — you own the full source code and documentation. Most clients start with our retainer.

DevOps & Engineering · Platform Build

Replace GitLab with software you own.

The DevOps platform with DevOps-sized pricing. We build a custom alternative in 12-18 weeks for $45,000–$75,000.

$29

GitLab per seat/mo

$45,000–$75,000

One-time build

-1%

Savings over 3 years

12-18 wks

Build time

The Problem

Why teams leave GitLab

Premium ($29/user) and Ultimate ($99/user) per-seat pricing

CI/CD minutes and storage have usage limits

Security and compliance features only on Ultimate

Self-managed instances require significant DevOps

Performance issues with large monorepos

What We Build Instead

Your custom devops & engineering tool

DevOps platform with all features at one price

Git hosting, CI/CD, and container registry

Security scanning and compliance dashboards

Custom deployment pipelines and environments

Issue tracking integrated with code

Self-hosted with full control

The Math

GitLab vs. custom build

Based on 75 seats at $29/seat/month, with ~10% annual SaaS price increases.

Keep paying GitLab

Year 1$26,100

Year 2 (~10% increase)$28,710

Year 3 (~10% increase)$31,581

3-year total$86,130

Build with 86 SaaS

Build cost (one-time)$45,000–$75,000

Annual maintenance$9,000/yr

Per-seat cost$0

3-year total$87,000

3-year savings with 75 seats

-$870

-1% less than GitLab

Pricing Breakdown

GitLab tier pricing vs. one-time custom build

Compare what you pay per seat across GitLab's tiers against a single investment in software you own forever.

Tier	Monthly/Seat	Annual/Seat	Key Features
Premium	$29/mo	$29/mo	All DevOps features, 10,000 CI/CD minutes, 10 GB storage, Code owners
Ultimate	$99/mo	$99/mo	Security scanning (SAST/DAST), Compliance frameworks, 50,000 CI/CD minutes, Value stream analytics
Custom Build by 86 SaaS	$45,000–$75,000 one-time	$0/seat	Unlimited users, full ownership, no recurring fees

Migration Timeline

From GitLab to ownership — week by week

A structured migration plan to move off GitLab in 12-18 weeks with zero downtime.

Discovery & Audit

2 weeks

Audit repos, CI/CD pipelines, container registries, and security workflows

Architecture & Design

2-3 weeks

Design DevOps platform with unified CI/CD, security, and compliance

Core Development

6-12 weeks

Build Git platform, CI/CD engine, container registry, and security scanning

Data Migration & Testing

2-3 weeks

Migrate repos, pipelines, and validate build/deploy workflows

Deployment & Training

1-2 weeks

Roll out platform to engineering teams with training

Total build time

12-18 weeks

Feature Comparison

What you keep, what you skip, and why

A transparent comparison of GitLab features vs. your custom-built alternative.

Feature	GitLab	Custom Build	Notes
Git Repository Management
CI/CD Pipelines
Container Registry
Security Scanning (SAST/DAST)
Code Review & Merge Requests
Issue Tracking & Boards
Wiki & Documentation
Value Stream Analytics
Compliance Frameworks
GitLab Duo AI			Integrate AI tools of your choice
Unlimited CI/CD Minutes			Run on your infrastructure — no minute-based pricing

Your custom build focuses on the features your team actually uses — typically 15-20% of what GitLab offers — built exactly for your workflow.

How It Works

From GitLab to ownership in 12-18 weeks

Free Audit

We analyze your GitLab usage and identify exactly which features your team actually uses.

Scope & Build

We build your custom devops & engineering tool with only the features you need. 12-18 weeks.

Deploy & Migrate

We deploy to your infrastructure, migrate your data from GitLab, and train your team.

You Own It

Full source code, documentation, and optional maintenance retainer. No vendor lock-in. Ever.

Ready to 86 GitLab?

Get a free audit showing exactly how much you'd save replacing GitLab with a custom build. Takes 5 minutes. No commitment.

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