Jlcpcb has an option to panelize, is there any benefit panelizing yourself or using the jlc option, would it work out cheaper if you submit your own panel Gerber?
There are many factors: panel size, shipping, extra charges, work for you, and so on. Why not just submit for both alternatives and compare the quotes. You are not committed to anything until you click on Pay.
And also this is a fabricator specific question and not KiCad related.
Because I don’t know if I’m doing the panelizing correct in kicad. I’m just adding rectangular tabs between PCBs around 2mm wide.
If I order from jlc it could take weeks to arrive and if I don’t have it correct then very time consuming.
Use something like KiKit to generate the panels so that at least someone has worked out the required parameters for you.
We use JLC and always let JLC do the panel.
You still have control over the panel size as you can specify how many boards in the X and Y to have and even the border size. It will tell you the panel size as you change the settings.
Is there a price difference between letting jlc panel and paneling yourself?
Pretty sure there is no charge but have never done the panel myself. Just done a quick check and it doesn’t seem to add a charge for it.
There’s is a charge I now see, it’s $25 setup fee if jlc do it and $8 if you do it.
Also, if you order a solder stencil, if do the panel yourself, you have gerbers of the whole panel and can easily order more PCB’s later. If you let them do the panel, the panel may be different the next time if you want to order more PCB’s.
If it is so than it reflects badly on this company.
Local PCB manufacturer we use since 80s saves all documentations they made and if later you order using the same symbol (not sending gerbers) you will get exactly the same. They charge for preparing production documentation (like making panel of your PCB) only on first order.
Strange, I don’t get any change whether I select single board, Panel by customer or panel by JLC.
This is true if you re-upload the data. However if you go into your past orders and do a re-order then it will be the same as previously.
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Yes, but that also makes you dependent on that single manufacturer. If you don’t have the gerbers of the whole panel, you can’t go to another PCB manufacturer for the next batch of the same PCB.
You can download the gerbers of the panel from JLC and therefore take them anywhere. 
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That is good to know.
I always hate it when companies are attempting to keep your data hostage.
Getting the gerbers they actually used for production is also advisable, even without any panelziation. For example things like solder mask expansion is often applied, Silkscreen may be (extra) clipped from the pads, and who knows what else they do to your artwork. Downloading the gerbers lets you verify what they actually changed on your design. This should be standard from the preview most PCB manufacturers generate so you can verify before ordering.
That is surprising! They are doing the work of making a panel, and giving it to you. Before this amount of work gets trivialized, think of all the threads here regarding panelization.
Also, every PCB vendor I have ever worked with professionally sends working Gerber files for approval before they make something. But, they cost more than JLCPCB…
John
With JLC you can also select to approve production files before manufacture.
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