Git client software gives developers a visual or terminal front end for committing, branching, merging and rewriting history instead of typing every command.
This guide orders fourteen clients by vendor independence first, then by how openly each states price, platform support, licence and trial terms, since those details differ sharply between a one-person project and a plan ladder.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
In short
What git client software does
A Git client is a desktop, terminal or mobile program that shows repository history and performs staging, branching, merging, rebasing and conflict resolution through a graphical or keyboard interface.
Five tests decide the order: setup effort, real cost, how your data leaves, whether you can walk away, and who the git client tool was built for. One rule overrides the order: smaller vendors take the first three places when the category offers them, and the best-known brands start at four. The reasoning behind the five tests, and behind having no score out of ten, is set out on the how we work page.
Single-price Git client for Mac and Windows from a small developer family
Ranked #1 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Fork keeps its offer short: one price, two operating systems, and a feature list centred on history editing. Interactive rebase lets you edit, reorder and combine commits visually, while image diffs and blame views cover review work.
The cost of that simplicity is thin vendor detail. A copyright line naming Danil Pristupov and a support address are all the page gives a buyer who must document who stands behind the software.
What stands out
Single price
Visual rebase
Mac and Windows
Where it costs you
The evaluation length is not stated on the page, so a trial period has to be confirmed by downloading.
No imprint page was found and the footer names a person, which leaves procurement with little to file.
Right for
Individual developers and small teams who want one listed price and a visual rebase
Wrong for
Buyers who need a Linux desktop or a registered vendor
Not stated by the vendorOne published price with no tiers beside the download buttons; an evaluation is offered, length unstated
Cross-platform Git client from a German company that sells only this product
Ranked #2 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Open sourcePublished pricingEurope
SmartGit gives a mixed-platform team one client across three desktop systems and an identifiable vendor with a stated town. Feature coverage is broad on paper: Smart Branching with Git Flow and Feature Flow, conflict resolution, Git Notes and cherry-pick.
The catch is licensing: the price lives across Overview, Non-Commercial, Commercial and agreement pages, so a finance reader has to piece the answer together before comparing against rivals.
What stands out
Non-commercial tier
Git Flow support
Windows macOS Linux
Where it costs you
Exact prices are not on the home page, so a quote check means opening several licence pages.
Terms for the free educational and open-source use are labelled but never spelled out on the pages read.
Right for
Mixed Windows, macOS and Linux teams that want a company-backed desktop client
Wrong for
Buyers wanting the full price visible on one page
GermanyTiered by use: separate non-commercial and commercial pages, with free labels for open-source and educational use
Mac and Windows Git client with stacked branches and tiered per-user plans
Ranked #3 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Tower is the clearest commercial offer here when judged by purchase terms: three plans, a Pro discount of ten percent from ten seats, a trial with all Pro features and a refund window.
Undo with Cmd+Z for almost any action suits cautious users. The drawbacks are documentary. Each plan carries two numbers that the page does not label, and the contracting party has to be asked for separately.
What stands out
Three plans
Stacked branches
30-day money back
Where it costs you
The pricing page shows two unlabelled figures per plan, so the per-month and per-year readings need confirming.
No legal entity or country is given, and the imprint page returned an error when we tried it.
Right for
Teams on Mac and Windows who value a long trial and a refund window
Wrong for
Buyers who must name the contracting company before purchase
Not stated by the vendorThree per-user plans billed annually with prices shown in euros; 30-day Pro trial needs no card
Fast cross-platform Git client built in the style of Sublime Text
Ranked #4 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Sublime Merge suits people who want a client to stay honest about Git. It prints the commands it runs, offers side-by-side diffs with character-level changes, and finds commits by author, path or content.
A built-in merge tool covers conflicts. Procurement is the weak point: the Buy link goes to a store, the direct buy URL gave a 404 error, and nothing on the home page says what a licence includes or costs.
What stands out
Hunk staging
Command transparency
Windows Linux Mac
Where it costs you
No price or licence model appears on the home page, and the buy address returned a 404 when fetched.
Evaluation terms are not stated on the pages read, so trial rights are unknown.
Right for
Developers who like seeing the real Git commands behind each click
Wrong for
Buyers who need published pricing before sending a request
Not stated by the vendorSold through a separate store; the home page states no price, currency or licence terms
Terminal interface for Git commands, available through many package managers
Ranked #5 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Open sourcePricing on requestElsewhere
Lazygit packs a lot of Git work into one terminal screen. Squash, fixup, drop and move steps in an interactive rebase are covered, as are bisect and worktree management, and GitHub pull request status can appear beside branches when the gh tool is installed.
The MIT licence removes any licensing bill. In return, the maintainer is one named person, and the installation route depends on picking a package manager that suits your system.
What stands out
MIT licence
Terminal UI
Reflog undo
Where it costs you
Nothing on the page names a company or support contract, so help runs through the public repository.
Everything happens inside a terminal, which excludes buyers who expect a windowed application.
Right for
Terminal users who want rebase, bisect and worktrees without leaving the shell
Wrong for
Teams that expect a vendor contract and a graphical window
Not stated by the vendorNothing to buy; MIT licence, so a package manager or a Go build is the only cost
Branch-juggling Git client with parallel and stacked branches plus a CLI
Ranked #6 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
GitButler differs from classic clients by treating several branches as active at the same time. The page also names stacked branches, simple history editing with absorb and amend, and a CLI whose JSON output is meant for agents and scripts.
Installers exist for macOS on Apple Silicon, Linux packages and a Windows MSI. The unanswered questions are who operates it, which licence applies, and what any future paid offer would look like.
What stands out
Parallel branches
Unlimited undo
JSON output for agents
Where it costs you
The licence name and the legal entity are not stated, so reuse rights and ownership have to be checked elsewhere.
With no paid plan listed, nothing on the page says how support or future development is funded.
Right for
Developers who juggle several branches at once and want structured output for automation
Wrong for
Buyers who need a named licence or a support contract
Not stated by the vendorDescribed by the vendor as free of charge; no paid plans or prices are listed
Python and Qt graphical Git client with an interactive rebase editor
Ranked #7 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Open sourcePricing on requestElsewhere
Git Cola is one of the few clients here that lists FreeBSD, next to Linux, macOS and Windows. Its Python and Qt base means several install paths exist: distribution packages, Homebrew, winget, pip or source.
Shell completion for bash and zsh and an interactive rebase editor suit people who mix GUI and terminal. A buyer pays nothing but also gets no vendor, so rollout and troubleshooting stay in house.
What stands out
GPL-2.0
Python and Qt
Rebase editor
Where it costs you
No commercial support route or named author is given on the pages read.
Installation varies by platform and Qt binding, which makes a standard rollout harder to script.
Right for
Linux and FreeBSD users who want a scriptable graphical client under a copyleft licence
Wrong for
Offices that need a signed support agreement or vendor invoice
Not stated by the vendorGPL-2.0 open source with no price; distribution packages, Homebrew, winget or pip
Volunteer-built Git client with a diff view and blame timeline
Ranked #8 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Gittyup is aimed at understanding history: a blame view carries an integrated timeline, and the diff view stages single lines. Commit message templates and amending are listed too.
Because the changelog says it forked from GitAhead and the page credits volunteers, buyers should expect community pace rather than a vendor roadmap. Windows users get 32-bit and 64-bit binaries, Linux has Flatpak and AppImage, and macOS comes by download or Homebrew.
What stands out
Volunteer project
Blame timeline
Single-line staging
Where it costs you
Without a licence name on the page, a formal review of reuse terms cannot start.
A volunteer team with a donation link offers no stated support or release commitments.
Right for
Individuals who want a graphical blame timeline and staging by single line
Wrong for
Companies that need a licence review or a service commitment
Not stated by the vendorOffered at no charge by volunteers, with a Liberapay donation link for support
Keyboard-driven terminal Git interface written in Rust, still labelled beta
Ranked #9 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Open sourcePricing on requestElsewhere
gitui covers the daily loop of stage, stash, commit, fetch and push from the keyboard, with help shown for the current context. It runs on Linux, macOS and Windows through release binaries, and cargo install is available for anyone with a Rust toolchain.
What the page does not do is promise stability: it calls the project beta. Compared with Lazygit, the feature list on the page is shorter, with no rebase steps named.
What stands out
MIT licence
Written in Rust
Keyboard only
Where it costs you
The page itself calls the software beta, which counts against use as a team standard.
The repository sits under an organisation with no stated country or company behind it.
Right for
Keyboard-first developers who want a fast terminal view of staging and logs
Wrong for
Teams needing a stable release promise or a mouse-driven window
Not stated by the vendorNo price; MIT open source code, installed through cargo, Homebrew, winget or release binaries
Mac-only Git client with a live commit map and undo
Ranked #10 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
GitUp is built around one idea: the commit graph is always current. Live Map refreshes when a terminal command changes the repository, snapshots let you step back in history, and Quick View opens a commit with the spacebar.
Search covers branches, tags and commits. All of that is limited to Macs on a recent release, and nothing on the page gives support or a roadmap beyond the maker named in the copyright line.
What stands out
Live Map
Undo and redo
macOS 12.4 or later
Where it costs you
The client is limited to macOS 12.4 or later, so mixed-platform teams cannot standardise on it.
The licence is unnamed on the page, and the maker is one credited individual with no support terms.
Right for
Mac developers who want a live graph and cmd-z to reverse history edits
Wrong for
Teams on Windows or Linux, or buyers wanting support terms
Not stated by the vendorFree, according to the page, with no other price or currency stated
Native macOS Git client with AI commit messages and issue integrations
Ranked #11 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Gitfox leans on the Mac: Swift and AppKit, universal binaries for Apple Silicon and Intel, and a minimum of macOS 15. The trial lasts 30 days with every feature, and plans split into a per-user Pro licence and team plans.
Per-hunk conflict resolution and issue integrations are named. The trade-offs are the narrow platform, AI messages that depend on external models, and a footer that shows only a year and a product name.
What stands out
Native macOS
AI commit messages
Issue tracker links
Where it costs you
It requires macOS 15.0 or later, which rules out older Macs in a fleet.
No company or country is named, and the prices sit on a separate page not shown on the home page.
Right for
Mac-only teams that want signed commits and issue tracker links in a native app
Wrong for
Mixed-platform teams or buyers who need a named company
Not stated by the vendor30-day full-feature trial first, then a per-user Pro licence or team plans priced on a separate page
Cross-platform Git client with five plans from a free community tier
Ranked #12 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
GitKraken bundles a lot beyond the client: Launchpad for pull requests and issues, Cloud Patches for early review, an MCP server for AI assistants, Git Integration for Jira and GitLens.
That breadth drives a plan ladder with per-seat billing and weekly AI credit allowances per user. For a team that only wants to stage and commit, the ladder and the paid gate on private repositories are the main reasons to look at lighter tools first.
What stands out
Five plans
Launchpad
Cloud Patches
Where it costs you
Private repository access starts at the paid Pro tier, so the free plan stops at public remotes.
The dollar amounts for Pro, Advanced and Business are not visible in the page text.
Right for
Larger teams that want Launchpad, Cloud Patches and Jira links in one suite
Wrong for
Small teams wanting a listed price or private repos at no cost
Not stated by the vendorFree community plan, then per-seat plans billed annually; 14-day and 30-day trials depending on tier
Atlassian desktop Git and Mercurial client for Windows and Mac
Ranked #13 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Sourcetree is the only client in this list that also handles Mercurial, a plus for repositories that have not left it. Local commit search, git-flow and a remote repository manager are named.
It sits low because it belongs to a larger company, because Bitbucket receives its own section on the home page, and because the page shows no support terms and no Linux installer, only macOS and Windows builds.
What stands out
Git and Mercurial
Bitbucket integration
Git-flow built in
Where it costs you
Only Windows and Mac installers are listed, so Linux desktops are left out.
The home page states no support terms, and the Bitbucket promotion tilts it toward one hosting service.
Right for
Windows and Mac users already on Bitbucket who need Git or Mercurial support
Wrong for
Linux users or buyers who want an independent vendor
Not stated by the vendorFree to download, with no plans or trial listed on the home page
GitHub-made desktop client with drag-and-drop commit management and stashing
Ranked #14 of 14 in Best Git Client Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
GitHub Desktop is a lightweight way to commit, stash and amend for people whose code already lives on GitHub. Dragging commits to cherry-pick, squash or reorder is its distinctive trick, and beta access to upcoming features is offered.
It ranks last because the page states neither price nor licence, offers only a macOS Apple Silicon button, and ties the product to one hosting company rather than to any independent vendor.
What stands out
Made by GitHub
Drag-and-drop commits
macOS download
Where it costs you
The page never says whether the software costs anything, so pricing has to be checked elsewhere.
Only a macOS Apple Silicon download is shown on the page read.
Right for
Developers already hosting code on GitHub who want drag-and-drop history edits
Wrong for
Users on other hosts, Windows or Linux, or buyers needing prices
Not stated by the vendorNo price or plan appears on the page; the owner is GitHub, Inc.
A Git client is a desktop, terminal or mobile program that shows repository history and performs staging, branching, merging, rebasing and conflict resolution through a graphical or keyboard interface. Differences that change the outcome seldom sit in the features. Here is the sequence we would follow.
01
Decide whether you need a published price
The split is 6 published against 8 quoted. If you want to compare numbers first, start with Fork, SmartGit, GitButler, GitUp, GitKraken, Sourcetree.
02
Weigh the vendor's home jurisdiction
The 14 companies behind this list are established in 2 countries, by region Elsewhere 13, Europe 1. Disclosure obligations attach to the company, so they travel with the vendor even when the servers stay at home.
03
Decide if open source matters
Source code is available for SmartGit, Lazygit, Git Cola, gitui. Running it yourself swaps the licence fee for your own upkeep.
Matching a Git client to your operating systems before you compare price
Platform coverage splits this market faster than features do. Gitfox needs macOS 15 or later, GitUp needs macOS 12.4, and GitHub Desktop shows only an Apple Silicon download on its page. Fork and Tower list Mac and Windows, Sourcetree lists the same two, while SmartGit, Sublime Merge and GitKraken add Linux.
Git Cola also names FreeBSD, and Lazygit and gitui ship binaries for all three major systems. A team with one Linux workstation or one older Mac can lose a favourite client at that point. Write down every operating system and its minimum version in use today, then remove any client that cannot install on all of them before you read a feature list.
List each OS and version in use, including build servers and older laptops.
Check the minimum version the vendor states, such as macOS 15.0 for Gitfox.
Confirm whether Windows ARM or Apple Silicon builds exist before ordering licences.
Reading the price pages of Tower, GitKraken and SmartGit side by side
Commercial clients publish prices in very different shapes. Tower shows three per-user annual plans with two figures per plan and a 30-day money-back guarantee. GitKraken has five plans, with Pro, Advanced, Business and Enterprise billed per seat, and amounts that did not appear in the page text.
SmartGit spreads pricing over non-commercial and commercial pages, while Fork shows a single number beside its download buttons. Sublime Merge sends buyers to a store. Compare like with like by asking each vendor for the annual cost at your exact seat count, the currency, and whether the quote includes the AI or team features you will use. Keep the answers in writing next to the trial dates.
Ask for the annual total at your seat count in one named currency.
Note which plan unlocks private repositories, as GitKraken Pro does.
Record trial and refund windows, such as Tower's 30 days, with their start dates.
Judging free Git clients such as Lazygit, gitui and Git Cola on licence and support
No-cost clients differ in what stands behind them. Lazygit and gitui state the MIT licence, Git Cola states GPL-2.0, and GitUp, GitButler and Gittyup say they are free without naming a licence on the pages we read. Gittyup is run by volunteers and gitui calls itself beta.
None of these pages offers a support contract, so any failure becomes an issue on a public repository that you must file and follow yourself. Read the licence file before approving a client for company use, since copyleft and permissive terms lead to different internal rules. Decide who on your team will handle upgrades and bug reports, because nobody outside will be on call when an update breaks your workflow.
Open the repository licence file and note the exact licence name.
Find out who maintains the project and when the latest release was published.
Name an internal owner for upgrades and bug reports before approving the install.
Weighing terminal clients against graphical ones for daily Git work
Lazygit and gitui keep you in the shell, which suits people who work on remote machines, while Fork, Tower and Gitfox draw graphs and diffs in a window. The split matters for onboarding: a keyboard-driven tool such as gitui shows context help on screen but expects memorised keys, and a window-based tool such as GitKraken shows history to anyone who can click.
Sublime Merge sits between the two by printing the real Git commands it runs. Test each candidate on the awkward jobs rather than a clean commit, such as a conflicted merge, an interactive rebase of ten commits, and recovery after a mistaken reset. Then see who on the team can finish all three without help from a colleague.
Run a conflicted merge and a ten-commit rebase in each shortlisted client.
Check that the client can undo a mistaken action, as GitUp and Lazygit advertise.
Ask a newer team member to complete the same tasks without coaching.
What goes wrong most often when buying git client software
Choosing GitHub Desktop or Sourcetree because they cost nothing, then discovering the page shows only Mac downloads for one and no Linux build for the other.
Standardising on a beta terminal tool such as gitui for a whole department when its own page calls the software beta.
Reading the GitKraken Community plan as a full free client, when private repository access begins with Pro.
Buying Fork or Sublime Merge without asking the seller for company details, evaluation terms and a written invoice name, because neither home page supplies them.
07
Frequently asked questions
7 answers
What is the best git client software in 2026?
Our ranking of 14 puts Fork first. Fork sells one licence at one listed price, so there is no seat ladder to climb later, and its footer credits a single named developer instead of a company.
Rebase editing, an image diff viewer and a built-in conflict resolver are all named on the page. Gaps are on paper: no imprint, no country, no stated evaluation length, and only Mac and Windows builds are offered.
Which git client tools publish their pricing?
6 of the 14, with the pricing model each one publishes:
Fork: One published price with no tiers beside the download buttons; an evaluation is offered, length unstated.
SmartGit: Tiered by use: separate non-commercial and commercial pages, with free labels for open-source and educational use.
GitButler: Described by the vendor as free of charge; no paid plans or prices are listed.
GitUp: Free, according to the page, with no other price or currency stated.
GitKraken: Free community plan, then per-seat plans billed annually; 14-day and 30-day trials depending on tier.
Sourcetree: Free to download, with no plans or trial listed on the home page.
8 vendors do not print a price.
Is there a free git client tool?
GitUp, GitKraken, Sourcetree come with a no-cost entry point, a free plan or a self-hosted edition.
Where are these git client software vendors established?
In 2 countries across 2 regions: Elsewhere 13, Europe 1.
Fork: Not stated by the vendor.
SmartGit: Germany.
Tower: Not stated by the vendor.
Sublime Merge: Not stated by the vendor.
Lazygit: Not stated by the vendor.
GitButler: Not stated by the vendor.
Git Cola: Not stated by the vendor.
Gittyup: Not stated by the vendor.
gitui: Not stated by the vendor.
GitUp: Not stated by the vendor.
Gitfox: Not stated by the vendor.
GitKraken: Not stated by the vendor.
Sourcetree: Not stated by the vendor.
GitHub Desktop: Not stated by the vendor.
Which git client tools are open source?
SmartGit, Lazygit, Git Cola, gitui.
What should you use instead of Fork?
Look at SmartGit (made for Mixed Windows, macOS and Linux teams that want a company-backed desktop client) and Tower (made for teams on Mac and Windows who value a long trial and a refund window), which hold places two and three.
Who should not buy Fork?
Buyers who need a Linux desktop or a registered vendor. The evaluation length is not stated on the page, so a trial period has to be confirmed by downloading..
If a git client software product of yours deserves a place among these 14, say what it is and who it serves. Inclusion rests with us alone. See software advice for the rules.
