Atlassian SourceTree vs GitHub comparison

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Atlassian SourceTree

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 5, 2025

GitHub and Atlassian SourceTree are both prominent players in version control and management. GitHub appears to have the upper hand with its robust online collaboration tools and extensive community support, whereas SourceTree distinguishes itself with its superior desktop client experience for managing local Git repositories.

Features: GitHub's valuable features include advanced security, extensive code hosting capabilities, and seamless integration with numerous tools, which enhances collaboration. SourceTree offers a visually appealing interface for branch management, convenient undo options for specific changes, and powerful conflict resolution tools like KDiff3.

Room for Improvement: GitHub could enhance its user experience by offering more intuitive navigation and better integration with IDEs. SourceTree might benefit from improved performance speeds, expanded third-party integrations, and a more modernized interface to compete with other Git clients. Both could bolster user support channels for better real-time assistance.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: GitHub's cloud-based nature means it requires no installation, offering instant setup, making it ideal for remote teams seeking easy collaboration. Its extensive documentation and community resources are pivotal. SourceTree requires desktop installation, appealing more to those who prefer offline access, with detailed guides and troubleshooting support enhancing the user experience.

Pricing and ROI: GitHub operates on a tiered pricing model, starting with free public repositories and scaling to paid private repositories, maximizing ROI through collaboration tools and integrated features. SourceTree is free for individual developers, attracting those requiring a strong local Git client without incurring costs. GitHub’s ROI is augmented by its integration capabilities, while SourceTree offers value through its cost-free setup.

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

Atlassian SourceTree vs. GitHub

March 2025

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Helped 842,296 peers since 2012

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

GitHub

Ranking in Version Control

3rd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (7th)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Version Control category, the mindshare of Atlassian SourceTree is 5.7%, down from 7.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of GitHub is 5.6%, down from 7.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Version Control

Featured Reviews

PrinceKumar1

Expert Software Engineer at FIS

Utilize Agile methodologies with efficient project management, yet seek improvements in resolving merge conflicts

SourceTree is one of the best tools from a UI perspective. However, I would prefer if SourceTree could address merge conflicts more easily. Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code, providing a comprehensive tool for both development and code management, is favored because it can serve as both a development tool and a client for pushing or pulling code, resolving conflicts efficiently. It would be beneficial if SourceTree could offer similar integrated functionalities.

Read full review

Pervez Roy

Solutions Architect at Small Systems LTD

Very good for collaboration on software projects

We use GitHub for code repository alongside Bitbucket GitHub is very good for collaboration on software projects. We prefer Bitbucket for commercial use, while GitHub is used for open source. You can get the differences, history of changes, and version control for various pull requests. You can…

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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 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."

"Atlassian SourceTree is a very stable product."

"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 tool's UI is good."

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

"I like the CI/CD features."

"This product allows us to easily collaborate on development tasks with our subcontractors, and control the workflow as the project progresses."

"The best feature is the ability to track the history of all code changes, and it's easy to use. Additionally, as it's open source, anyone can use that feature resulting in distributed development. This opens the door to collaboration with different code and developer, feature, and master branches of development."

"The initial setup was straightforward."

"The most valuable features are the speed, low latency, and the clear, concise set of commands."

"The flexibility of this solution has been most valuable. It operates on a pay per use basis where you can ramp up or decrease usage."

"The product's initial setup phase is easy but it is always good to connect with GitHub's team that manages APIs."

"GitHub is the best tool for source repositories."

More GitHub 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."

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

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

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

"The product's UI needs improvement."

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

"There is a bit of a learning curve."

"Our firewall was blocking cloning and downloading with SSH."

"I think it would be valuable to have more security. Some of the data is very open to everyone."

"If something has to be moved into approvals, and if they don't approve it in a few hours, then they should move the approval request to some other user, or they should have a way to escalate it."

"They're improving the work items to track the progress of the team, but in my experience, Azure DevOps is better in this functionality. GitHub needs to improve the form to track the progress of the work done by a team."

"The UI is a little outdated, so that could be improved."

"The user interface on GitLab is better."

"I would like to see more security where a plugin was available for us to update in relation to security."

More GitHub cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Atlassian SourceTree is a free solution."

"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."

"It is open-source. There is no license for GitHub."

"It's cheaper than Bitbucket."

"If there are only 10 people using a particular repository, then GitHub is free. But if we increase the number of users, we need to pay the normal charge for GitHub."

"It’s an open-source solution."

"I am using the free version of the solution. However, there are some costs my organization pays."

"I haven't had to pay anything for GitHub, I use the free version."

"GitHub is a cost-effective solution."

"I use the free version of GitHub."

More GitHub pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

12%

University

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

University

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?

Both SourceTree and primary alternatives like Visual Studio Code are open-source, so there are no costs involved.

What needs improvement with Atlassian SourceTree?

What do you like most about GitHub?

The control is the most valuable feature as developers can work on a single code.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for GitHub?

The pricing of GitHub depends on the choice of solutions, such as building one's own GitHub Runners to save money or using GitHub's Runners with extra costs. The pricing is considered reasonable an...

What needs improvement with GitHub?

There are still areas for improvement with GitHub Actions and their deployment workflows, as they have made significant progress but are not yet polished. Occasionally, stability can be an issue, t...

Git vs Atlassian SourceTree

Comparisons

Compared 35% of the time

Bitbucket vs Atlassian SourceTree

Compared 30% of the time

Bitbucket Server vs Atlassian SourceTree

Compared 19% of the time

More Atlassian SourceTree Competitors

Bitbucket vs GitHub

Compared 16% of the time

Fortify on Demand vs GitHub

Compared 15% of the time

Snyk vs GitHub

Compared 12% of the time

AWS CodeCommit vs GitHub

Compared 12% of the time

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs GitHub

Compared 6% of the time

More GitHub Competitors

Product Reports

Download Atlassian SourceTree product report

Version Control

February 2025

Download GitHub product report

March 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

GitHub is a web-based Git repository hosting service. It offers all of the distributed revision control and source code management (SCM) functionality of Git as well as adding its own features. Unlike Git, which is strictly a command-line tool, GitHub provides a Web-based graphical interface and desktop as well as mobile integration. It also provides access control and several collaboration features such as bug tracking, feature requests, task management, and wikis for every project.

Sample Customers

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

Dominion Enterprises, NASA, Braintree, SAP, CyberAgent