AI code review comparison
Gitar vs Graphite
Gitar (PR review plus CI fix loop) against Graphite (Stacked-PR inbox with bundled AI reviews). Billing, hourly throughput, hosts, autofix, and merge-gate claims are dated August 17, 2026.
Gitar
Gitar
PR review plus CI fix loop
Graphite
Graphite
Stacked-PR inbox with bundled AI reviews
| Specification | Gitar | Graphite |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Gitar | Graphite |
| Git hosts | GitHub, GitLab | GitHub |
| Surface | PR review plus CI fix loop | Stacked-PR inbox with bundled AI reviews |
| Billing model | Per seat | Per seat |
| Hourly / throughput | Auto headroom by seats; manual unlimited | Limited on Hobby/Starter; unlimited on Team |
| Trial | 14-day Pro trial, no card. Seats are not enforced during the trial — every member gets full automatic processing. | 30-day trial, or until you upgrade, whichever comes first. After that, unpaid personal repos fall back to Hobby. |
| Config / rules | .gitar/review/*.md, .gitar/rules/*.md; also AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules | AI review customizations (automation, filters, rules) — Team and Enterprise |
| Inline comment cap | Not verified | Not verified |
| Self-hosted option | No | Not verified |
| CI hosts | GitHub Actions, GitLab Pipelines, CircleCI (Pro), Buildkite (Pro), Bitrise (Pro) | Not a separate CI product |
| Autofix | Yes | Yes |
| Merge gate | Yes | Not verified |
| Free for qualifying OSS | Yes | Not verified |
Catalog checked August 17, 2026. Dollar figures and merge-gate behaviour should be re-read on the vendor pricing page before a contract.
Gitar
A reviewer that treats a red build as the job: comments, then fixes, then re-runs CI. Distinct from comment-only bots.
Best for
- Teams that want CI failure analysis next to the review
- Orgs willing to let a bot apply fixes until the pipeline is green
- GitHub or GitLab shops evaluating a Sonar-owned reviewer
Watch out
Sonar acquired Gitar on 2026-05-21. Vendor says standalone Gitar keeps shipping with no change for current customers, and deeper SonarQube integration is the roadmap — confirm DPA, support entity, and whether you are buying Gitar, SonarQube, or both. Core/Pro stop at 50 users and pause automatic reviews when seat headroom is exhausted. Merge blocking is Pro, not Core. GitHub.com only — GitHub Enterprise Server is not supported; self-hosted GitLab is an Enterprise git-host option, not a self-hosted Gitar.
Graphite
Buy Graphite for stacked PRs and a merge queue; AI review is bundled into the higher plans rather than sold as a standalone GitHub App.
Best for
- Teams already stacking PRs in Graphite
- Orgs that want review, chat, and merge queue in one inbox
Watch out
GitHub-only (GHES is an Enterprise feature). Limited AI reviews on Hobby/Starter — unlimited is a Team feature. Starter/Team dollar amounts are the annual seat rates on graphite.dev/docs/billing-plans (retrieved 2026-08-17). Older ‘Diamond’ branding still appears in third-party roundups.
Common questions
Gitar vs Graphite questions
Answered from the verified figures on this page rather than general guidance.
Where do Gitar and Graphite run?
Gitar runs as pr review plus ci fix loop on GitHub, GitLab. Graphite runs as stacked-pr inbox with bundled ai reviews on GitHub.
How do Gitar and Graphite bill?
Gitar: Core $20/user/month; Pro $40/user/month; both capped at 50 users. Enterprise: custom pricing, unlimited seats, custom agreements. 14-day Pro trial, no card. Annual billing advertised at 20% off. OSS public repos on GitHub/GitLab with an OSI-approved licence get Pro features free. PR summaries are free. Merge blocking is Pro, not Core. Graphite: Hobby (personal repos, limited AI reviews). Starter $20/seat/month billed annually. Team $40/seat/month billed annually (unlimited AI reviews, customizations, merge queue). Enterprise custom. Figures from graphite.dev/docs/billing-plans (retrieved 2026-08-17), not the marketing HTML snapshot. Limited-tier AI review counts stay unpublished.
What is the hourly or throughput limit for Gitar vs Graphite?
Gitar: Manual “Gitar review” comments are unlimited. Core and Pro automatic-processing headroom (auto reviews and CI fixes) scales with assigned seats for the billing period; when it runs out, automatic reviews and fixes pause until the next period or you add seats. Vendor changelog: Pro gets double the per-seat review budget of Core — the numeric budget is not published. Enterprise: unlimited usage, no seat limits. REST API requests are rate-limited per organisation with an unpublished 429 threshold. After the 14-day trial, automatic processing stops; manual “Gitar review” still works. Graphite: No published hourly PR cap. Graphite’s pricing matrix lists AI reviews as Limited on Hobby and Starter, Unlimited on Team and Enterprise. Suggested fixes and CI summaries are on the paid matrix. Exact limited-tier counts were not shown on graphite.dev/docs/billing-plans as of 2026-08-17.
Can Gitar or Graphite apply fixes?
Gitar: Yes. Graphite: Yes. Autofix is still a suggestion until your CI and humans accept it.
Can Gitar or Graphite block a merge?
Gitar: Yes. Graphite: Not verified. A missing verification means we did not treat marketing copy as a merge-gate claim.
Should I choose Gitar or Graphite?
Choose Gitar if this matches: Teams that want CI failure analysis next to the review. Orgs willing to let a bot apply fixes until the pipeline is green. GitHub or GitLab shops evaluating a Sonar-owned reviewer. Choose Graphite if this matches: Teams already stacking PRs in Graphite. Orgs that want review, chat, and merge queue in one inbox. Gitar watch-out: Sonar acquired Gitar on 2026-05-21. Vendor says standalone Gitar keeps shipping with no change for current customers, and deeper SonarQube integration is the roadmap — confirm DPA, support entity, and whether you are buying Gitar, SonarQube, or both. Core/Pro stop at 50 users and pause automatic reviews when seat headroom is exhausted. Merge blocking is Pro, not Core. GitHub.com only — GitHub Enterprise Server is not supported; self-hosted GitLab is an Enterprise git-host option, not a self-hosted Gitar. Graphite watch-out: GitHub-only (GHES is an Enterprise feature). Limited AI reviews on Hobby/Starter — unlimited is a Team feature. Starter/Team dollar amounts are the annual seat rates on graphite.dev/docs/billing-plans (retrieved 2026-08-17). Older ‘Diamond’ branding still appears in third-party roundups.