Sourcetree Alternatives 2026: 5 Free Options
Sourcetree alternatives: GitHub Desktop, Git Cola, lazygit, gitui and 1 more. Prices and licenses checked October 25, 2026.
•3 min read•Code Editors, IDEs & Playgrounds
Verdict:Leave Sourcetree if you want a free client that is open source or does not depend on Atlassian's tools. Sourcetree's site describes it as a free Git client for Windows and Mac and offers free downloads, though its licence terms are linked to Atlassian's terms and were not read for this page. If you want a free open-source desktop app, GitHub Desktop is MIT-licensed and suits teams that host on GitHub. Git Cola is GPL-2.0 for Linux users who want a graphical client. Lazygit and gitui are MIT-licensed terminal clients, faster to start and free, but they replace the visual history view with keyboard commands. GitKraken has a Community tier limited to local repos and public remotes, and its Pro tier is per seat, with the lowest price shown only on request. The trade-off is the graphical view against open source. Sourcetree's interface suits people who want to see branches and history at a glance, and the terminal clients ask for practice. If your team is on Bitbucket, check that the replacement handles your remote and pull request flow before you switch.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Desktop | Free (Open source under MIT; no paid plan) | Windows, macOS | Teams that host code on GitHub | Docs only |
| Git Cola | Free (Open source under GPL-2.0; no paid plan) | Linux, macOS, Windows | Linux users who want a free GUI | Docs only |
| lazygit | Free (Open source under MIT; no paid plan) | Linux, macOS, Windows | Terminal-first developers | Docs only |
| gitui | Free (Open source under MIT; no paid plan) | Linux, macOS, Windows | Developers who want a fast terminal client | Docs only |
| GitKraken | Free (Community (Free): local repos and public remotes only; many features limited to public repos) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Users who want a graphical client and accept limits | Docs only |
| Fork | Paid from $59.99 per price per platform; a trial is available; check the site for licence terms | macOS, Windows | Git GUI | Docs only |
| SmartGit | Free (Free for hobby (non-commercial) use, students and educational staff, and qualifying open source and charity work); paid from $5 per user/month (commercial, listed as From) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Git client | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You host code on GitHub and want a free desktop client (GitHub Desktop is the pick)
- You prefer a keyboard-driven terminal client (lazygit is the pick)
- You want a graphical client on Linux (Git Cola is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Sourcetree features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Sourcetree today: Free (Free download; no price or paid plan shown on the page) (Sourcetree pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Why people look for Sourcetree alternatives
Atlassian's install guide says you need an Atlassian account to use Sourcetree, and setup asks you to accept the Atlassian Customer Agreement. The download page offers builds for Windows and Mac only, with no Linux version, and shows version 4.2.19 for macOS against 3.4.32 for Windows. Teams on Linux, or people who do not want an Atlassian login, have to look elsewhere.
GitHub Desktop
Compared with Sourcetree: MIT-licensed Git client from GitHub that works with GitHub repos and other remotes. You gain a free, open-source desktop app. You lose Sourcetree's Bitbucket-focused integrations.
Price: Free (Open source under MIT; no paid plan) (GitHub Desktop pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS. MIT (open source).
Project activity: 22k GitHub stars · latest release release-3.6.7 (Oct 14, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Teams that host code on GitHub.
Worth knowing: Open-source Git client from GitHub; works with GitHub repos and other remotes.
Git Cola
Compared with Sourcetree: GPL-2.0 open-source Git GUI written in Python. You gain a free graphical client. You lose a polished macOS look and some integrations.
Price: Free (Open source under GPL-2.0; no paid plan) (Git Cola pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, Windows. GPL-2.0 (open source).
Project activity: 2.6k GitHub stars · latest release v4.19.0 (Jul 12, 2026) · last commit Oct 18, 2026
Best for: Linux users who want a free GUI.
Worth knowing: Open-source Git GUI written in Python.
lazygit
Compared with Sourcetree: MIT-licensed terminal UI for Git. You gain a fast keyboard-driven client with no install beyond the binary. You lose a graphical window and mouse-first editing.
Price: Free (Open source under MIT; no paid plan) (lazygit pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, Windows. MIT (open source).
Project activity: 83.5k GitHub stars · latest release v0.66.2 (Oct 16, 2026) · last commit Oct 21, 2026
Best for: Terminal-first developers.
Worth knowing: Terminal UI for Git; a keyboard-driven client rather than a desktop window.
gitui
Compared with Sourcetree: MIT-licensed terminal Git client written in Rust. You gain speed and a small footprint. You lose the visual history graph and mouse support that GUI clients offer.
Price: Free (Open source under MIT; no paid plan) (gitui pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, Windows. MIT (open source).
Project activity: 22.6k GitHub stars · latest release v0.28.1 (Mar 24, 2026) · last commit Oct 6, 2026
Best for: Developers who want a fast terminal client.
Worth knowing: Terminal Git client written in Rust.
GitKraken
Compared with Sourcetree: Free Community tier limited to local repos and public remotes, with paid Pro seats. You gain a rich graphical client. You lose a fully free option for private repos, since Community is limited.
Price: Free (Community (Free): local repos and public remotes only; many features limited to public repos) (GitKraken pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. Proprietary.
Best for: Users who want a graphical client and accept limits.
Other popular options (paid)
Fork
Compared with Sourcetree: Listed at $59.99 per platform with a trial available, where Sourcetree is a free download. Check the site for licence terms before buying, since the price is per platform.
Price: Paid from $59.99 per price per platform; a trial is available; check the site for licence terms (Fork pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
SmartGit
Compared with Sourcetree: Starts at $5 per user per month or perpetual licensing, with free full-featured use for hobby, student and qualifying open-source work. Sourcetree is a free download, but SmartGit's free tiers need registration or verification.
Price: Free (Free for hobby (non-commercial) use, students and educational staff, and qualifying open source and charity work); paid from $5 per user/month (commercial, listed as From) (SmartGit pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
Which one to pick
- You host code on GitHub and want a free desktop client: GitHub Desktop
- You prefer a keyboard-driven terminal client: lazygit
- You want a graphical client on Linux: Git Cola
Limits of this review
Docs-only for GitHub Desktop, Git Cola, lazygit, gitui, GitKraken: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Sourcetree. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-25: Sourcetree, GitHub Desktop, Git Cola, lazygit, gitui, GitKraken, Fork, SmartGit. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.