The Core GitLab Duo Features Are Now Included with the Premium and Ultimate Tiers
GitLab 18.0 landed on May 15, 2025—and it’s largely about artificial intelligence. The latest release officially bundles GitLab Duo, the company’s suite of AI-native tools, into both the Premium and Ultimate tiers. This marks a significant expansion of GitLab’s integrated AI offerings, which are now built right in and ready to speed up the software development lifecycle and boost code quality.
With GitLab Duo, devs gain access to powerful tools like Code Suggestions and AI Chat directly within their IDEs. These features aim to help teams write secure code faster, explain complex logic on the fly, generate tests in seconds, and refactor with ease—all while keeping quality and performance front and center.
To activate GitLab Duo with your Premium or Ultimate plan, head to your organization settings. For local development environments, install the corresponding GitLab Editor extension.
Apart from that, Premium users can now purchase the Enterprise edition of GitLab Duo—something that was exclusive to Ultimate subscribers before.
What Else Is New?
One of the headline extra features in this release is Duo Code Review Automation. Previously requiring manual initiation for each merge request, Duo Code Review can now be set up to run automatically by adjusting project settings. Once turned on, it automatically reviews all merge requests—excluding drafts or those without changes—making code quality consistent across the codebase. This feature is available for SaaS and Self-Managed instances on Premium, Ultimate, and Duo Enterprise tiers.
GitLab has also made Duo Code Review much more context-aware. The tool now accounts for the merge request’s title and description to better grasp the intent behind changes. It evaluates all diffs at once to detect relationships across files and reduce false positives. By incorporating full contents, it gains deeper insight into code patterns, delivering more accurate and relevant review suggestions. Just like review automation, review context is live for SaaS and Self-Managed instances on Premium, Ultimate, and Duo Enterprise tiers.
Another standout in this release is Repository X-Ray teamed up with Code Suggestions. This powerful combo gives developers a sharper AI overview of their codebase. Currently in beta for GitLab Duo Self-Hosted and generally available on Self-Managed instances, Repository X-Ray helps surface smarter insights, making it easier to test and optimize code across the board.
To improve performance, GitLab has also introduced prompt caching for Code Suggestions. Available across both SaaS and Self-Managed deployments on Premium, Ultimate, Duo Pro, and Duo Enterprise, this feature reduces latency by reusing previously processed input. Importantly, cached data isn’t stored persistently, and users can opt out of caching via GitLab Duo settings.
Last on the changelog but not least, GitLab 18.0 removes the duoProAssignedUsersCount GraphQL field—another move toward making the platform leaner and phasing out outdated components.
Maximize GitLab Duo Potential with Cloudfresh
With GitLab Premium and Ultimate, your team can use advanced tools, including GitLab Duo’s AI capabilities, for faster, more secure software development. As a GitLab Select and Professional Services Partner, we’re here to help you get the most out of GitLab for your DevSecOps needs:
- Expert Setup: Quick and easy deployment of GitLab on SaaS and Self-Managed instances.
- Continuous Support: Reliable assistance for troubleshooting, optimization, and best practices.
- Early Access to Product Updates: Stay ahead with priority access to the latest GitLab releases.
- Tailored Training: Practical, hands-on sessions to ensure your team makes the most of GitLab Duo’s features.
- Flexible Licensing: Access GitLab Premium, Ultimate, and Duo with competitive pricing options.
Ready to enhance your DevSecOps with GitLab and harness the power of AI? Contact Cloudfresh today.
