# Control for GitLab vs Starship

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starship at 100% against Control for GitLab's 30%. Starship also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.9) and ads (none vs shown). Control for GitLab's advantage is ratings volume (260 vs 1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Control for GitLab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Starship sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Starship holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Control for GitLab has 260 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Control for GitLab's written reviews are positive against 100% of Starship's.

Control for GitLab ships an update every 6 weeks, Starship every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Control for GitLab | Starship |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (260 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/control-for-gitlab/id654747119/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starship-your-stars-on-github/id1530665887/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **260** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 29.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 28 MB | 87 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.7.11 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Valerio Mazzeo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1620011571) | [星辰 方](https://appshunter.io/developer/894540813) |

## What reviewers say

### Control for GitLab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/control-for-gitlab/id654747119)

Manage your GitLab projects on your iPhone or iPad from anywhere. Track projects, issues, merge requests, and code, all from your mobile device. Stay connected to your team and code even when you're on the go.

**Highlights:** Manage Projects, Issues, and Merge Requests, Browse Source Code and Commits, Full Team Management, View and Edit Branches and Tags, Markdown and Emoji Support, Secure with Passcode

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GitLab Control Pro | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to access from mobile
- 👍 Nice and easy to use
- 👍 Great UI
- 👍 Helpful tool for quick code check

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't connect to server
- 🐛 Missing critical features
- 🔍 Lacks functionality compared to website
- 💸 Paywalled features
- 🔍 Poor performance on large codebases

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues with two-factor authentication
- Inconsistent project and issue listing
- Crashes and connection errors
- Incorrect charging and purchase issues

**Requested features**

- Support for multiple GitLab instances
- Ability to approve merge requests
- Dark mode option
- Better code viewing and editing capabilities
- Support for GitLab CI/CD features


### Starship

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starship-your-stars-on-github/id1530665887)

Organize your GitHub starred repositories with nested tags for efficient management. Syncs across devices and offers offline access to your curated collection of code.

**Highlights:** Nested tags for repository classification, Cross-device synchronization, Offline access to stars, Unlimited tags with Pro subscription

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starship Pro Yearly | $1.99 | per year |
| Starship Pro Life Time | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Control for GitLab free?

Control for GitLab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Starship free?

Starship is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Control for GitLab or Starship?

Starship is rated higher. Control for GitLab averages 3.9 out of 5 from 260 ratings, while Starship averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Control for GitLab or Starship have ads?

Control for GitLab shows ads; Starship does not.

### Which is updated more often, Control for GitLab or Starship?

Control for GitLab ships an update every 6 weeks, and Starship every 2 months. Most recently, Control for GitLab was updated on November 6, 2026 and Starship on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*