GitLab CI Alternative

Best GitLab CI Alternative:
Enterprise Governance for K8s

Keep GitLab for CI. Add Atmosly for enterprise governance: policy-as-code (OPA), multi-level approvals, hybrid GitOps, and advanced Kubernetes deployments.

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70%
Less Governance Overhead
50+
Pre-built Policies
40%
K8s Cost Reduction
Atmosly Enterprise Governance Platform - GitLab CI Alternative
Policy-as-Code
OPA/Rego Engine
Multi-Level Approvals
Complex RBAC
Hybrid GitOps
Push + Pull CD
Advanced Deploys
Canary + Blue-Green
GitLab CI
DevOps Platform YAML Pipelines Self-Hosted Option

What is GitLab CI?

GitLab CI/CD is GitLab's integrated continuous integration and delivery system. It provides a complete DevOps platform with source control, CI/CD pipelines, container registry, and basic deployment automation—all within a single interface.

While GitLab CI offers solid fundamentals, enterprise teams often need more advanced governance capabilities for production Kubernetes—including sophisticated policy enforcement, multi-level approvals, and advanced deployment strategies.

Common GitLab CI Limitations:

  • Basic policy enforcement
  • Limited approval workflows
  • Manual GitOps integration
  • Basic K8s deployments
  • No native canary/blue-green
  • Limited cost visibility

What is Atmosly?

Atmosly adds enterprise governance to your GitLab CI workflows. Keep GitLab for source control and CI, while Atmosly provides the policy-as-code, approval workflows, and advanced deployment capabilities needed for production Kubernetes.

With 50+ pre-built OPA policies, hybrid GitOps support, and multi-level approvals, Atmosly extends GitLab CI with enterprise-grade governance without replacing your existing toolchain.

Why Teams Choose Atmosly:

  • 50+ pre-built OPA policies
  • Multi-level approval workflows
  • Native GitOps (ArgoCD/Flux)
  • Canary & blue-green deploys
  • GitLab integration included
  • AI-powered cost optimization
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SaaS & Self-Hosted SOC 2 Compliant Enterprise Ready
The Atmosly Advantage
Enterprise Governance

What GitLab CI
Doesn't Provide

GitLab CI provides solid CI/CD basics. Atmosly adds the enterprise governance layer for production Kubernetes.

Policy-as-Code (OPA/Rego)

Built-in OPA engine with 50+ pre-built policies. Block non-compliant deployments, enforce resource limits, require security scanning. GitLab requires custom scripts.

Multi-Level Approval Workflows

Complex RBAC-based approvals. Require manager + security team for production, different approvers per environment. GitLab Premium offers only basic rules.

Hybrid GitOps (Push + Pull)

Combine traditional push CD with pull-based GitOps (ArgoCD/Flux). Drift detection, self-healing, and reconciliation. GitLab only supports push-based CD.

Advanced Deployment Strategies

Canary deployments, blue-green, progressive delivery with metric-based promotion. GitLab only supports basic rolling updates via kubectl.

Multi-Cluster Management

Unified control plane for all K8s clusters across AWS, GCP, Azure, on-prem. Deploy to multiple clusters with consistent policies. GitLab requires per-cluster config.

AI-Driven Cost Optimization

FinOps automation reduces K8s costs by 30-50%. Spot instances, rightsizing, idle resource detection. GitLab has no cost analytics.

Comparison

Atmosly vs GitLab CI

GitLab CI for CI, Atmosly for enterprise governance. See the differences.

Feature Atmosly GitLab CI
Policy-as-Code (OPA/Rego)
Automated governance enforcement
Multi-Level Approval Workflows
Complex RBAC-based approvals
Basic
Hybrid GitOps (Push + Pull)
ArgoCD/Flux + traditional CD
Canary/Blue-Green Deployments
Advanced K8s deployment strategies
Multi-Cluster Management
Unified control plane
Cost Optimization / FinOps
AI-driven K8s cost reduction
Visual Pipeline Builder
Drag-and-drop design
Deployment Evidence & Attestation
SLSA compliance
CI Capabilities
Build, test, scan
GitLab Integration
Repository webhooks, MR triggers
Self-Hosted Option
On-premises deployment
Pricing Model
Cost predictability
Per-cluster
Per-user
Decision Guide

Who Should Choose
GitLab CI vs Atmosly?

Different tools for different needs. The hybrid approach often works best.

GitLab CI Works Best For...

Tight GitLab integration, basic CI/CD

  • Teams fully invested in GitLab ecosystem
  • Basic approval rules are sufficient (Premium tier)
  • Push-based CD without GitOps requirements
  • Basic rolling updates for Kubernetes
  • Policy enforcement isn't a priority

Atmosly Is Better When...

Enterprise governance, advanced K8s

  • Policy-as-code enforcement is required (OPA/Rego)
  • Multi-level approvals with complex RBAC are needed
  • Hybrid GitOps (push + pull CD) is part of strategy
  • Advanced K8s: canary, blue-green, progressive delivery
  • Multi-cluster management across clouds
  • Compliance: SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI DSS
  • Cost optimization and FinOps are priorities
Use Case Guide

Recommendations by Use Case

Choose the right tool based on your specific governance and deployment requirements.

Policy-Driven Deployments

Automated governance with OPA policies blocking non-compliant deployments before they reach production.

Choose Atmosly

GitLab-Centric Workflows

Teams fully invested in GitLab ecosystem with simple CI/CD needs and basic approval requirements.

Choose GitLab CI

GitOps with ArgoCD/Flux

Pull-based GitOps with drift detection, self-healing, and reconciliation for production clusters.

Choose Atmosly

Regulated Industries

Healthcare, finance, government requiring SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI DSS with audit trails.

Choose Atmosly

Multi-Cluster Operations

Managing deployments across multiple K8s clusters in AWS, GCP, Azure, or on-prem.

Choose Atmosly

Hybrid CI + Governance

GitLab CI for builds/tests + Atmosly for production governance. Best of both worlds.

Use Both Together
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about GitLab CI vs Atmosly for enterprise teams.

What makes Atmosly different from GitLab CI?

GitLab CI provides solid CI/CD tightly coupled with GitLab repositories. Atmosly extends beyond with policy-as-code enforcement (OPA/Rego), multi-level approval workflows with complex RBAC, hybrid GitOps (both push and pull-based CD with ArgoCD/Flux), advanced Kubernetes deployment strategies (canary, blue-green), and AI-driven cost optimization. Most teams keep GitLab for CI and add Atmosly for production governance.

Can I use Atmosly with GitLab repositories?

Yes, Atmosly integrates seamlessly with GitLab repositories. Keep using GitLab for code hosting, merge requests, and code reviews. Atmosly connects to your repos, triggers on push/MR events, and manages deployments with enterprise governance. Many teams use GitLab CI for builds + Atmosly for production deployments.

What is hybrid GitOps and why does it matter?

GitLab CI uses push-based CD (pipeline pushes changes to clusters). GitOps tools like ArgoCD use pull-based CD (cluster pulls from Git). Atmosly supports both: use traditional push CD for quick iterations, pull-based GitOps for production with drift detection and self-healing. This hybrid approach gives you flexibility without lock-in.

How do approval workflows compare?

GitLab Premium offers basic approval rules (require N approvers from a list). Atmosly provides multi-level approval workflows: require manager + security team for production, different approvers per environment, integration with Slack/Teams for approval requests, policy-based automatic blocks, and complete audit trails for compliance.

What is policy-as-code and why do enterprises need it?

Policy-as-code (OPA/Rego) defines governance rules enforced automatically. Block deployments without security scanning, enforce resource limits, prevent production deploys during blackout windows, require specific labels. GitLab requires custom scripts; Atmosly includes 50+ pre-built policies with OPA engine built-in.

Can I migrate from GitLab CI to Atmosly?

Yes, Atmosly can import GitLab CI YAML (.gitlab-ci.yml) and convert pipelines to visual workflows. The recommended approach: keep GitLab CI for builds and tests (where it excels), add Atmosly for production deployments with governance, approvals, and advanced K8s strategies. This hybrid setup is common for enterprise teams.

How does pricing compare?

GitLab CI: Free tier limited, Premium $29/user/month, Ultimate $99/user/month. For 50 users, that's $1,450-4,950/month. Atmosly: Per-cluster pricing ($2,000-4,000/month) with unlimited users and builds. For large teams, Atmosly is often more cost-effective, plus cost optimization features reduce K8s spending by 30-50%.

Does Atmosly support advanced K8s deployments?

Yes. Atmosly supports canary deployments (gradual traffic shifting), blue-green deployments (zero-downtime switchover), progressive delivery (metric-based promotion), and automated rollbacks. GitLab CI only supports basic rolling updates. Atmosly uses Argo Rollouts under the hood for production-grade deployments.

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Ready for Enterprise-Grade
Kubernetes Governance?

Keep GitLab for CI. Add Atmosly for production deployments with policies, approvals, and hybrid GitOps.

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