GitKraken vs Sourcetree

Software developers, students, and a few sea creatures have spoken. GitKraken Desktop is the most popular Git GUI in the world — named the most used graphical user interface for Git in the 2020 State of the Software Development Report.  

You might, however, be on the fence; maybe you’re Git-curious, but not sure whether to ‘commit’ (sorry) to a GUI. After all, there are several out there. Which one should you choose? If you’re still deciding which Git client is best for you, we’ll save you some time. 

So, how do Sourcetree and GitKraken Desktop compare? GitKraken Desktop satisfies developers worldwide with Linux support, cross-platform consistency, intuitive input actions, interface design, undo button, and more.

Compare Sourcetree vs GitKraken

Linux Support

GitKraken ✅ | Sourcetree ❌

Stack Overflow’s 2019 Developer Survey reports that over 25% of developers choose Linux as their primary OS. While many of our competitors neglect the growing market of Linux lovers, GitKraken Desktop dutifully manages your Git projects without bias toward your operating system. Windows, Mac and Linux users rejoice!

Sourcetree, by comparison, does not support Linux.

Cross-Platform Consistency

GitKraken ✅ | Sourcetree ❌

We formerly covered that GitKraken is able to offer an identical experience of our application across Windows, Mac, and Linux. So, if you’re seeking a Sourcetree alternative that provides consistent usability across different operating systems, GitKraken Desktop is an excellent choice.

Not only is this feature appealing to developers, who in turn get to use the OS of their preference, it’s also beneficial for teams and organizations. Empowering your engineers with the tools they want to use will lead to happier employees and improved productivity. 

Sourcetree’s experience varies greatly depending on whether you’re using the tool on Windows or Mac. Users often complain of frustrating discrepancies between versions. Having varied features across OS can be challenging when you need to troubleshoot an issue.

Furthermore, Sourcetree is not a focus of Atlassian, as shown by a lack of communication and infrequent application updates. GitKraken Desktop, however, receives frequent updates and improvements, in addition to offering helpful Learn Git resources and support. 

Commit Graph UI

GitKraken 👍 | Sourcetree 👎

GitKraken’s interface is simple, intuitive and customizable with light and dark themes. If you’re going to use a GUI, it should look good! You’re worth it! Treat yourself!

Electron public repo displayed via GitKraken Desktop

The graph in GitKraken Desktop is not only a beautiful representation of your work, it is also a highly functional tool for managing your branches and commits. Interact directly with branches and commits when you merge with drag-and-drop, create branches, or revert commits. If you’re collaborating on a project, avatars act as visual markers that let you know who committed work. Icons on branch labels show which remotes and PRs they belong to.

The difference in UI is eloquently described by Satoripop developer, Ghassen Rjab, in his article, “Is it better to use GitKraken or Sourcetree for Git?” 

“In GitKraken’s main interface, we have everything we need. In the left panel, we have information about the project, such as local branches, the remote repositories added to the project and their branches, stashes, tags, and submodules. The project’s history and the work in progress are in the center, and we can see stashes too. In the right panel, we can see details of any commit we select from the history. At the top, we have the search button that we can use to look for commits.

All these features exist in the main interface, which makes it a great experience to work with GitKraken.” 

By comparison, Sourcetree’s UI is split into three views: File Status, Log/History, and Search.

Sourcetree UI

“The Sourcetree UI will make your UX a bit frustrating as you’ll always need to switch between these three tabs to get your work done.” 

Undo/Redo Button 

GitKraken ✅ | Sourcetree ❌

One-click undo! What Git client can do that? Certainly not Sourcetree. 

A crowd favorite, GitKraken Desktop’s Undo/Redo button has been a lifesaver for many developers, who may have accidentally discarded hours-worth of code changes. 😱

GitKraken Desktop allows users to undo the following actions with the click of a button: checkout; commit; discard; delete branch; remove remote; and reset branch to commit. You can also redo these actions if you ever undo them by mistake. 😅

Merge Conflict Resolution 

GitKraken 👍 | Sourcetree 👎

Resolve merge conflicts with more control over which bits of code to include by using GitKraken Desktop’s built-in merge tool. With Sourcetree it’s “mine,” “theirs,” or open another application.

GitKraken Desktop will display any conflicting files in the right commit panel. Clicking on a conflicted file will open the merge conflict editor where the current branch is displayed on the left, the target branch on the right, and an output field at the bottom. 

Users can select all changes in a file, individual sections, or individual lines of code, all of which are displayed with an accompanying checkbox. Simply check the box to add that piece of code to the output field where you can see your options in context and decide which changes are preferable. (GitKraken users with paid accounts can even edit in the output field directly 🤯). After you have resolved the conflict, save the output and commit your changes. 

With Sourcetree, you’re better off using an external merge tool.

Issue Tracking Integrations 

GitKraken ✅ | Sourcetree ❌

The GitKraken Git GUI is like no other tool of its kind on the market for many reasons, but this is a big one. No other Git clients offer robust integrations with the most popular issue trackers used by software developers and teams. None.

The GitKraken Git GUI integrates with the following issue trackers: 

• Jira Cloud/Server
• GitKraken Boards
• Trello
• GitLab/GitLab Self-Managed
• GitHub/GitHub Enterprise

Users who utilize one of the above tools to manage their issues can accomplish the following actions directly from the GitKraken Git GUI: view, filter, and edit issues/cards, create branches tied to issues/cards, and create new issues/cards.

No more context switching to stay on top of your issues – simply do so from your beautiful coding environment.

Sourcetree, by comparison, does not offer robust issue tracking features and does not integrate with Trello, GitKraken Boards, GitLab Issues, or GitHub Issues.

Drag-and-Drop  

GitKraken ✅ | Sourcetree ❌

With GitKraken Desktop, you can use the input methods you’re most comfortable with. Execute Git actions using drag-and-drop, or stick to the keyboard and switch repos, check out branches, etc. with GitKraken’s Fuzzy Finder. This is something you can also do in Sourcetr– oh no, you can’t.

Users on GitKraken Desktop can drag-and-drop to initiate interactive rebase or create a pull request (after setting up the integration to your hosting service); users can also drag-and-drop a branch onto a remote to perform a Push.

Don’t worry, GitKraken has something for you keyboard lovers out there too: our Fuzzy Finder, which allows users to access a variety of actions via keyboard shortcuts. 

Sourcetree lacks drag-and-drop functionality and does not offer discoverable keyboard shortcuts.

License Management for Teams 

GitKraken ✅ | Sourcetree ❌

GitKraken Desktop’s product offerings have evolved to support enterprise organizations required to work in disconnected or firewalled environments. Senior leadership can choose from one of our three license management options to best fit your needs. 

While Sourcetree advertises an Enterprise option that offers better account management, they do not offer a version of their application that can be self-hosted. 

If you do want the account management offered with Sourcetree Enterprise, you will need to download an MSI file installer to manage the process.

Sourcetree or GitKraken: Ready to Make the Switch? 

If you were already using Sourcetree, do yourself a favor. MAKE.👏 THE.👏 SWITCH.👏 Trust us and many of those who have made the same transition: you will not regret it. 

Visualizing your commit history is a dream in GitKraken, especially when you compare it to Sourcetree’s UI. 

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