Atlassian SourceTree vs Git comparison

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Atlassian SourceTree

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 14, 2024

Git and Atlassian SourceTree compete in version control systems. Git has the upper hand with its robust support and lower pricing, while Atlassian SourceTree is noted for its comprehensive features.

Features: Git's decentralized version control, performance in handling large projects, and flexible branching model are highly valued. Atlassian SourceTree excels in graphical representations, ease of managing both Git and Mercurial repositories, and visual tools integration.

Room for Improvement: Git could enhance its graphical management tool, simplify complex workflows, and improve integration features. Atlassian SourceTree needs performance optimization, better handling of large repositories, and improved customer service responsiveness.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Git offers smooth deployment and extensive community support, easing the learning and troubleshooting process despite some initial setup challenges. Atlassian SourceTree provides quick installation but faces occasional criticism for its customer service and documentation quality.

Pricing and ROI: Git's lower pricing and potential for zero-cost usage are appealing for budget-conscious users and scalable projects. Atlassian SourceTree provides good ROI with its intricate feature set and hybrid support for Git and Mercurial, particularly benefiting teams needing graphical interfaces.

To learn more, read our detailed Atlassian SourceTree vs. Git Report (Updated: January 2025).

Atlassian SourceTree vs. Git

January 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Atlassian SourceTree

Ranking in Version Control

6th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Git

Ranking in Version Control

4th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Version Control category, the mindshare of Atlassian SourceTree is 5.3%, down from 7.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Git is 7.2%, down from 8.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Version Control

Featured Reviews

Francisco Castrillo

Coach Agile Architecture & DevOps at Sistemas Humanos

Allows fast and effective management of branches and integration

For me, the branches graph was the most valuable feature of Atlassian SourceTree. I often used the terminal, but during a demo, my boss preferred I not switch to the terminal view. SourceTree's graphical interface for managing branches was handy for that. The demo involved making changes, committing them, pushing to the CI/CD tool, running the pipeline, and seeing the integration, all within about twenty minutes.

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Srujan Panuganti

Scientist - Instrument II at AbbVie

An excellent open source, software hosting solution that provides strong version control functionality and a user-friendly interface

We use this solution to host our software, and where we need to develop new features and new functionality, we create new branch from our existing software, work on our branch, develop it, test it, validate it, and then merge it with the master or main software The best thing about this solution…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The tool's UI is good."

"Atlassian SourceTree is a very stable product."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"The interface is very good and is easy to use. It tells you when you've committed, when you've uploaded, and gives you the differences."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to fix a broken repository merge."

"For me, the branches ' graph was the most valuable feature of Atlassian SourceTree. I often used the terminal, but during a demo, my boss preferred I not switch to the terminal view. SourceTree's graphical interface for managing branches was handy for that. The demo involved making changes, committing them, pushing to the CI/CD tool, running the pipeline, and seeing the integration, all within about twenty minutes."

"The solution's initial setup process is straightforward."

"The product is easy to use."

"All of the features in Git are useful."

"I like that it's easy to use and because it's accessible from a terminal or a graphical user interface if needed. I also like that we can pass comments from Linux if required."

"Git is a product everyone uses, so it's almost inescapable. I like the fact that there is a large ecosystem around it. You can bolt various graphical user interfaces onto it or sign up for various repositories like GitHub and AWS CodeCommit. Git has a large community, so there are lots of resources and knowledge bases you can use."

"The features I am most impressed by is the automation."

"The most valuable feature of Git is its reliability and user popularity."

"Git is a powerful and mature tool that all software engineers use, whether they use it from the command line with the original version or integrate it with various tools. It helps by promoting collaboration and eliminating problems with code in separate locations. This greatly boosts productivity since you're not lost in a massive local repository, and everything remains organized."

"Version control is beneficial as it allows me to keep track of all the modifications I have made to the applications."

More Git pros

Cons

"People think that Visual Studio Code is more intuitive and can serve dual purposes for development and as a client to push or pull code."

"The product's UI needs improvement."

"Its interface could be easy to understand for a programmer."

"I have had a food experience with Atlassian SourceTree but it might not be for everyone."

"For everyday use, I am more comfortable using the command line interface, rather than using SourceTree."

"The visuals, including the UI and UX, have simple fonts, making it an area where certain enhancements can be done."

"Synchronization could be better. Sometimes when you create a branch and merge it into another branch, I think it's a bit complex for no reason. The initial setup is also tricky when you do it for the first time."

"Some challenges arise when Git is not used correctly, particularly in managing branches. It's easy to get lost, but these challenges can be overcome with proper management. A common advice is maintaining the repository and ensuring developers are in sync with the production branch. Branches should be promptly merged into development to avoid getting lost in many branches."

"I would like to see an improvement in the way the product owner can review changes."

"Git is mostly command based and needs to have a helpful user interface."

"We would like to see tutorials added to the product, for new users to follow so that they can optimize their use of the solution."

"The product needs to improve its UI."

"The solution could be more user-friendly."

"The tool's user interface is terrible. It needs to be more user-friendly."

More Git cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a fee for using SourceTree."

"I do not recall the exact pricing details for SourceTree, but generally, Atlassian products are affordable, and SourceTree typically comes as part of a suite."

"Atlassian SourceTree is a free solution."

"The tool is free."

"I rate the tool's pricing a five out of ten."

"I am not required to pay due to the small number of users we have. We have a small user base, and we are not using the enterprise version."

"The tool is an open-source product."

"As a student, I didn't have to pay for the license."

"Git is an open-source software."

"Git is free and you don't have to pay for it."

"We are using the open-source version, which is available free of charge."

More Git pricing and cost advice

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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Version Control solutions are best for your needs.

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837,501 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

12%

University

Manufacturing Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

13%

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Atlassian SourceTree?

The initial setup is straightforward.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Atlassian SourceTree?

I do not recall the exact pricing details for SourceTree, but generally, Atlassian products are affordable, and SourceTree typically comes as part of a suite.

What needs improvement with Atlassian SourceTree?

There can be improvements in the way the messages are displayed in the tool. The visuals, including the UI and UX, have simple fonts, making it an area where certain enhancements can be done.

What do you like most about Git?

You can have a central code repository using Git and have local code branches.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Git?

Git is an open-source software.

What needs improvement with Git?

There is nothing that could be improved at this time.

Bitbucket vs Atlassian SourceTree

Comparisons

Compared 25% of the time

Bitbucket Server vs Atlassian SourceTree

Compared 16% of the time

GitHub vs Atlassian SourceTree

Compared 13% of the time

AWS CodeCommit vs Atlassian SourceTree

Compared 6% of the time

More Atlassian SourceTree Competitors

IBM Rational ClearCase vs Git

Compared 26% of the time

Surround SCM vs Git

Compared 14% of the time

Canonical Bazaar vs Git

Compared 12% of the time

Helix Core vs Git

Compared 8% of the time

Bitbucket vs Git

Compared 6% of the time

More Git Competitors

Product Reports

Download Atlassian SourceTree product report

Version Control

January 2025

Download Git product report

February 2025

Overview

Atlassian SourceTree is a graphical user interface (GUI) desktop client that facilitates user interaction with Git repositories. SourceTree provides a visual interface that is easy to use and intuitive. It allows developers to save a lot of command lines when working with Git.

The tool is free and works as a Git client for Windows and Mac OS. You can visualize and manage your repositories via the simple GUI. The client offers an efficient and consistent development process for Git and Mercurial.

Atlassian SourceTree Key Features

Branch management: Typically, managing branches is a time-consuming and tedious process for project managers and developers. With SourceTree, you can switch working copies with a single click. You can also see where you are compared with the version in the repository, alerting you to push or pull.
Working copy: Developers who work using the command line often lack visibility. Access the “working copy” section to see the difference between your local copy and the version in the Git repository. This feature allows you to see exactly what has changed.
Branch history: the History section displays the full history of the branch, displaying each commit and file change. This feature enables smooth version control.
GitFlow: GitFlow organizes the workflow, streamlining parallel code changes and reducing merge conflicts.

Atlassian SourceTree Benefits

Any level user can use SourceTree: beginners and experts benefit from the visibility and streamlined workflows of SourceTree. Beginners benefit from the simplified version control. Experts can review changesets and stash and pick between branches. Senior programmers can customize changeset and stashes, apply patches, rebase or shelve changesets. The tool offers detailed tutorials to help beginners and experts start quickly. Other benefits for beginners include easy access to commands with one click and simplified distributed version control.
Code visibility: the visualization of the Git process enables users to manage large projects with multiple branches and commits. SourceTree automatically tracks the activity of your code. It also features bookmarks where you can see a summarized view of all projects and repositories. Therefore, you can check a specific branch or commit with a single click. Finally, it features detailed branching diagrams that make it easy to follow the process.
Git and Hg support: the fully-featured GUI supports Git and Mercurial, offering a consistent development process from the start. You can also use SourceTree for a project on Github. Start by creating the project on Github, then connect it to the SourceTree software.
Free: the SourceTree tool is free to use, even for commercial uses, without buying a license.
Supports Git LFS: users can track large assets and submit code from a single dashboard.
Subordinated modules: you can use submodules for hand-picked dependencies and manage and group projects.

Atlassian SourceTree Use Cases

Check-in and check-out code using the client-side application.
You can also use SourceTree to repair broken Git repositories because you can easily detect mistakes at a glance.
The simple and intuitive user interface allows users to search for and clone remote repositories.

Reviews from Real Users

A Program Manager/Engineer at a government says, "The most valuable feature is the ability to fix a broken repository merge… This product has helped because we have been able to fix problems when our code repository breaks."

Atlassian

Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. Git is easy to learn and has a tiny footprint with lightning fast performance. It outclasses SCM tools like Subversion, CVS, Perforce, and ClearCase with features like cheap local branching, convenient staging areas, and multiple workflows.

Sample Customers

Facebook, NASA, Cisco, eBay, Redfin, Toyota, Kaiser Permanente, Gilt, CSIRO, Autodesk, The Daily Telegraph, CODE, Illumnia,

Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, LinkedIn, Netflix, PostgreSQL, Android, Rails, QT, Gnome, Eclipse