github desktop alternatives compared and reviewed

If you're looking for alternatives to GitHub Desktop, you're in the right place. GitKraken is a popular option that offers a more intuitive interface and better support for large repositories.

One of the key benefits of GitKraken is its ability to handle complex Git operations with ease. It's also highly customizable, allowing you to tailor the interface to your specific needs.

GitKraken's interface is designed to be more user-friendly than GitHub Desktop, with features like drag-and-drop file management and a visual commit history.

GitKraken is available for both Windows and macOS, making it a great option for developers who work on multiple platforms.

Tower offers many advanced features that GitHub Desktop lacks, including Git LFS support, Git Hooks Support, and Merge Conflict Wizard.

Tower also has automatic stashing and fetching, Git-Flow and Stacked Branches support, easy GPG/SSH management and status, and quick actions through its command palette.

Some of these features, like Git-Flow and Stacked Branches support, are particularly useful for teams with complex workflows.

Here's a list of some of Tower's key features:

GitKraken offers a range of advanced features that set it apart from other Git GUI tools. One such feature is Git LFS support, which allows for efficient management of large files.

Tower, another Git GUI tool, takes it a step further with features like Git Hooks Support and Merge Conflict Wizard. This makes it an attractive option for teams looking for a more comprehensive solution.

GitKraken's Pro, Teams, and Enterprise editions come with a built-in Merge Conflict Editor, which provides an intuitive interface for resolving conflicts. This is a significant improvement over GitHub Desktop's method, which relies on the default CLI notation.

Having a built-in text editor can be a huge time-saver, especially when dealing with minor changes or merge conflicts. GitKraken's integration with the Monaco Editor, found in VS Code, makes it possible to make edits directly within the tool.

Here's a list of some of the advanced features found in Tower:

The Undo/Redo Button is a game-changer for developers. It allows you to quickly undo mistakes and go back in time.

GitHub Desktop lets you undo your last commit by right mouse clicking, which is a serious step up from the command line. This feature is a must-have for anyone who's ever made a mistake while working on a project.

GitKraken's Undo/Redo button is one of its standout features, and users love it. This button allows you to undo common actions like committing, discarding a branch, deleting a Git branch, removing a remote, and resetting a branch to a specific commit.

Here are some of the actions you can undo with GitKraken's Undo button:

If you undo any of these actions by mistake, you can simply use the Redo button to go back to where you were.

In the heat of a Git workflow, it's surprising that GitHub Desktop doesn't offer options for file manipulation. This can be a real productivity killer.

Most alternatives, like GitKraken Desktop, offer a quick way to add or delete files with a right mouse click. This feature, combined with a built-in editor, makes it easy to create or delete files without switching applications.

Some alternatives, like Tower, take it a step further by enabling drag-and-drop support for various Git actions, such as cherry-picking, applying stashes, and merging or rebasing branches. This user-friendly approach can make even the most complex Git actions more manageable.

Here are some examples of how drag-and-drop can be used in Tower:

Using Tower can make a big difference in your Git workflow. With its drag-and-drop support, you can easily reorder commits or squash them without having to deal with the interactive rebase editor.

Tower's drag-and-drop feature allows you to perform various Git actions in a user-friendly way. You can use it for tasks like cherry-picking, applying stashes, merging or rebasing branches, and even dragging files from a previously committed changeset.

By leveraging Tower's drag-and-drop feature, you can save time and effort. It's a powerful tool that can help you stay organized and focused on your work.

Here are some examples of how you can use Tower's drag-and-drop feature:

If you want to get the most out of Tower, be sure to watch the video series that shows you how to make the most of it.

Local file management is a crucial aspect of any development workflow. Most developers create or delete files through their IDE or file viewer, but there are times when you might want to do so on the fly.

GitHub Desktop surprisingly lacks options for file manipulation in the command line. This can be frustrating, especially when you need to quickly add or delete files in the middle of a Git workflow.

GitKraken Desktop, on the other hand, offers a convenient solution. With a quick right mouse click, you can add or delete files, making it a more productive choice for developers.

Deleting an unneeded file from a project can be done without switching applications, thanks to GitKraken Desktop's integrated editor. This helps save time and reduces the number of steps involved in file management.

Additional reading: How to Remove Files from Onedrive but Keep on Pc

GitHub Desktop allows you to easily unstage work, actively taking things out of the index.

GitKraken Desktop makes it very easy to stage only what you want to stage, with a Stage all changes button that simplifies this process.

It's frustrating to have to reverse the normal workflow, especially if you're used to a standard approach.

GitKraken separates changed and staged files into different sections, making it simpler to see what's been changed versus what's been staged.

The singular list view of GitHub Desktop can make it harder to keep track of staged files.

For your interest: How to Upload Files to Dropbox from Desktop

Issue tracking is a crucial part of managing your projects, and there are several tools that can make it easier to stay organized.

GitHub Desktop, for example, allows you to create issues, but these are tied to your GitHub account and can't be viewed locally. You'd have to open GitHub.com in the browser to manage your issues.

On the other hand, GitKraken was designed with flexibility in mind, offering robust integration options with various issue tracking systems. This means you can choose the tool that best fits your workflow.

Here are some of the issue tracking systems that GitKraken integrates with:

With GitKraken, you can not only create new issues but also view, filter, and edit them. This reduces context switching and makes it easier to manage your projects.

Pull Request Management is a crucial aspect of any development workflow. GitHub Desktop has a path for managing pull requests, but it's just a shortcut to GitHub.com where you can create the request.

You can see all open pull requests for a repository in an abbreviated state, but clicking on a pull request locally only changes your view to that branch, without populating comments and details.

GitKraken Desktop, on the other hand, offers a robust integration with GitHub, allowing users to generate new pull requests right from the interface. This means you never need to open a browser window.

The GitKraken Pull Request View shows the full list of PRs, with complete details and conversation. If you're connected to the GitHub integration, you get access to this view.

Here are some of the features you can access from the Pull Request View:

GitHub Desktop is open source and completely free to use, but it comes with community-only support.

If you're looking for an alternative to GitHub Desktop, you might want to consider GitKraken. It's designed for teams of developers, not just individual users.

GitKraken offers a robust feature set that GitHub Desktop can't match. It allows you to perform Git actions with more ease, more securely, and with more power.

GitHub Desktop, on the other hand, is great for beginners who need to leverage GitHub.com quickly and effectively.

Anchorpoint seamlessly integrates with popular Git hosting providers, including Azure DevOps and GitHub, making it a solid choice for developers who already use these tools.

Anchorpoint also integrates with file-sharing tools like Dropbox, Google Drive, or even S3 storage providers, giving users more flexibility in how they manage their projects.

One notable integration is with Unreal Engine, which is streamlining the development process and ensuring smoother collaboration for game developers.

Anchorpoint's integrations include:

Official Linux Support is not as straightforward as one might hope. GitHub Desktop does not officially support Linux, but there are unofficial forks that can be installed and run on various operating systems.

If you're a Linux user looking for a Git GUI, you're in luck - GitKraken offers official Linux support for popular distributions like Ubuntu 18.04 LTS+, Debian 10+, RHEL 8+, and Fedora 39+.

One thing to keep in mind is that these unofficial forks may not receive the same level of support as the official GitHub Desktop application.

Curious to learn more? Check out: Google Drive Not Working on Desktop

Anchorpoint's integrations are a game-changer for developers. It seamlessly integrates with popular Git hosting providers like Azure DevOps and GitHub.

This means you can work with your team on large projects without worrying about version control. Integrations like these make collaboration a breeze.

Anchorpoint also integrates with file-sharing tools like Dropbox, Google Drive, or even S3 storage providers. This allows you to access your files from anywhere and share them easily with your team.

Here are some specific integrations you can look forward to: