GitLab vs JetBrains: startup credits compared

Side-by-side amounts, eligibility and access paths, both verified against the official program pages.

GitLabFree Ultimate (20 seats) for 12 months then 50% off, or 50% / 25% off for Series A-BVerified Nov 3, 2026 JetBrains50% off up to 10 IDE, team-tool and AI subscriptions for 5 yearsVerified Nov 3, 2026

At a glance

Fact	GitLab	JetBrains
Value	Free Ultimate (20 seats) for 12 months then 50% off, or 50% / 25% off for Series A-B	50% off up to 10 IDE, team-tool and AI subscriptions for 5 years
Type	Credits + discount	Discount
Duration	1 year	5 years
Stages	Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B+	Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Bootstrapped
Regions	Global	Global
Max funding raised	$20,000,000	Not stated
Max company age	Not stated	5 years
Ways to get it	Apply directly — Free Ultimate, 20 seats, 50k compute minutes/month for 12 months, then 50% off Apply directly — 50% off year 1, 25% off year 2, up to 20 users (Early Stage tier)	Apply directly — 50% off for 5 years JetBrains partner incubators and accelerators — Incubator/accelerator benefits (use before applying directly)
Requirements	Externally funded (VC, accelerator) with verifiable proof Up to $5M raised for the free tier; up to $20M for the discount tier	Privately owned Founded within the last five years Website or other findable online presence
Not eligible	Bootstrapped companies (program is for externally funded companies only) Paying GitLab customers within the past calendar year	Subsidiaries of an organization that already received the discount Non-commercial licenses Cannot be combined with other JetBrains discounts
Verification	Verified· Nov 3, 2026	Verified· Nov 3, 2026

Which should you pick?

The two programs are not directly comparable on dollar value. Both accept the same range of funding stages. JetBrains credits last longer (60 months versus 12). If you qualify for both, there is usually no reason not to apply to both; the programs are independent.

At a glance

Which should you pick?

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