# Control for GitLab vs Grafana

The clearest difference is rating: Grafana at 4.7 against Control for GitLab's 3.9. Grafana also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). Control for GitLab's advantage is ratings volume (256 vs 61). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Control for GitLab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Grafana asks for nothing beyond the download.

Grafana holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 256 and 61 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Control for GitLab's written reviews are positive against 60% of Grafana's.

Control for GitLab ships an update every 6 weeks, Grafana fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Control for GitLab | Grafana |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (256 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/control-for-gitlab/id654747119/reviews) | **[4.7 (61 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grafana/id1669759048/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **256** | 61 |
| Positive reviews | 29.5% of reviews | **60.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 28 MB | 131 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.7.11 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Valerio Mazzeo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1620011571) | [Grafana Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/1662481067) |

## 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


### Grafana

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grafana/id1669759048)

Manage and respond to critical system events from anywhere. Designed for on-call engineers, it offers reliable alert notifications and reminders to simplify incident response duties.

**Highlights:** Incident management, On-call reminders, Alert notifications, System event response, On-the-go management

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Control for GitLab free?

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

### Is Grafana free?

Grafana is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Grafana is rated higher. Control for GitLab averages 3.9 out of 5 from 256 ratings, while Grafana averages 4.7 from 61 ratings.

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

Control for GitLab shows ads; Grafana does not.

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

Control for GitLab ships an update every 6 weeks, and Grafana fortnightly. Most recently, Control for GitLab was updated on September 29, 2026 and Grafana on September 24, 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.*