# GitLab CI/CD alternatives: what AI models name instead, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition. 81 of the 252 answers in the 1 category where GitLab CI/CD holds a standing named it neither first nor as an alternative; these are the first choices those answers made. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/vendors/gitlab-ci-cd/alternatives/

## Named instead, most often (every category and segment added)

- GitHub Actions: 13
- Buildkite: 4
- CircleCI: 3
- Podman: 2
- Azure DevOps: 1
- Azure Pipelines: 1

## CI/CD platforms

**Small business**: 22 of 84 answers did not name GitLab CI/CD (GitLab CI/CD is #2 of 9 at 15%).

- GitHub Actions: first choice in 8 of those 22
- CircleCI: first choice in 2 of those 22
- DeployHQ: first choice in 1 of those 22
- Podman: first choice in 1 of those 22

**Mid-market**: 24 of 84 answers did not name GitLab CI/CD (GitLab CI/CD is #2 of 10 at 23%).

- GitHub Actions: first choice in 3 of those 24
- CircleCI: first choice in 1 of those 24
- Podman: first choice in 1 of those 24
- Semaphore: first choice in 1 of those 24

**Enterprise**: 35 of 84 answers did not name GitLab CI/CD (GitLab CI/CD is #1 of 12 at 42%).

- Buildkite: first choice in 4 of those 35
- GitHub Actions: first choice in 2 of those 35
- Azure DevOps: first choice in 1 of those 35
- Azure Pipelines: first choice in 1 of those 35
- JetBrains TeamCity: first choice in 1 of those 35

Published under CC BY 4.0. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.