cloudedjudgement.substack.com · 2021-09-17 · 1721d

Clouded Judgement: GitLab S-1 Benchmarking Analysis

This article analyzes GitLab's S-1 filing by benchmarking its financial metrics against peer SaaS companies, highlighting GitLab's exceptional 152% net revenue retention, 88% gross margins, and 74% revenue growth. The analysis contextualizes GitLab's DevOps platform business model within the broader SaaS landscape, examining pricing strategy, unit economics, and operational efficiency metrics as the company prepares for IPO.

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Metrics in this report

Addressable Market Opportunity

40billion USD

current

GitLab DevOps Platform TAM

Addressable Market Opportunity

55billion USD

projected

GitLab DevOps Platform TAM by end of 2024

Addressable Market Opportunity

40billions USD

GitLab DevOps Platform TAM at S-1 filing

CAC Payback Period

18months

gross margin-adjusted

GitLab most recent quarter pre-IPO

Gross Margin

88percent

LTM GAAP

GitLab SaaS platform business

Gross Margin

88percent GAAP

GitLab LTM at S-1 filing

Gross Margin Adjusted CAC Payback

18months

GitLab most recent quarter prior to IPO

LTM Revenue

196millions USD

GitLab at S-1 filing, September 2021

Net Revenue Retention

152percent

best-in-class

Dollar-based NRR for public SaaS benchmarks

Net Revenue Retention

152percent

best-in-class

GitLab dollar-based NRR at S-1 filing

Operating Margin

-50percent

quarterly GAAP

GitLab pre-IPO normalized quarterly operations

Operating Margin

-50percent GAAP

GitLab quarterly average at S-1 filing (LTM -106% distorted by SBC)

Pricing - Free Tier

0USD per user per month

GitLab open-core pricing model

Pricing - Premium Tier

19USD per user per month

GitLab target audience: managers and directors

Pricing - Ultimate Tier

99USD per user per month

GitLab target audience: executives

Revenue Growth (YoY)

74percent

LTM

GitLab pre-IPO SaaS DevOps platform

Revenue Growth Rate

74percent YoY

GitLab LTM at S-1 filing

S&M Expense as % of Revenue

88percent

GitLab LTM at S-1 filing

Sales & Marketing Expense

88percent of LTM revenue

LTM ratio

GitLab customer acquisition investment intensity