Atlassian SourceTree vs GitHub comparison

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3,031 views|2,040 comparisons
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4,394 views|1,925 comparisons
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Atlassian SourceTree and GitHub based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Version Control solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Atlassian SourceTree vs. GitHub Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The most valuable feature is the ability to fix a broken repository merge.""The solution's initial setup process is straightforward.""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."

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"The most valuable feature is help offered by the community for open-source projects.""GitHub is the best tool for source repositories.""Any complex banking can be handled very easily in GitHub. It allows us to integrate with tools like Grid, where we can merge and resolve conflicts without any hassle.""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 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.""GitHub is pure or open-source; you can access it anywhere. You can have a lot of collateral information. You can make the changes and do the reviews from one place.""During our use of GitHub, we have not encountered any problems and GitHub adds new features frequently.""All the features are valuable, but the most important feature is that GitHub has advanced security. The second important feature is the capability to create custom GitHub actions and the capability to deploy in different types of architectural infrastructures, such as hybrid, private, or public."

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Cons
"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.""The product's UI needs improvement.""For everyday use, I am more comfortable using the command line interface, rather than using SourceTree."

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"This solution could be improved by offering crowd sourced support where we could ask questions to other users.""There is room for improvement in terms of interface.""We are not able to access GitHub from our VPN.""Could be more user friendly.""I cannot recall coming across any shortcomings of the product.""GitHub storage is one of the main requirements and it could improve.""I would like a more graphical, user-friendly UI, to avoid writing so much code on cmd.""The GitHub repository needs an upgraded user interface and overall UI improvements."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "There is a fee for using SourceTree."
  • "Atlassian SourceTree is a free solution."
  • More Atlassian SourceTree Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The private repositories are free, which is very good."
  • "It is open-source. There is no license for GitHub."
  • "The price of this solution is reasonable."
  • "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."
  • "We have an enterprise licensing agreement, and I am not part of the finance department so I can't say how much it costs."
  • "I haven't had to pay anything for GitHub, I use the free version."
  • "The licensing model for GitHub is user-based. Whenever the new developer joins we have to get a new license and register their ID. The overall price of the solution is reasonable."
  • "The licensing model from GitHub is very clear."
  • More GitHub Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:We use Atlassian SourceTree to manage source code from different environments. It helps us merge all the codes by developers.
    Top Answer: The control is the most valuable feature as developers can work on a single code.
    Top Answer:You don't have to pay for a license if you are using the free version. It gives you all the possible features it has.
    Top Answer:The initial setup requires heavy documentation which can be challenging for new developers.
    Ranking
    5th
    out of 16 in Version Control
    Views
    3,031
    Comparisons
    2,040
    Reviews
    2
    Average Words per Review
    146
    Rating
    7.0
    2nd
    out of 16 in Version Control
    Views
    4,394
    Comparisons
    1,925
    Reviews
    51
    Average Words per Review
    330
    Rating
    8.6
    Comparisons
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    AWS CodeCommit logo
    Compared 13% of the time.
    Bitbucket logo
    Compared 12% of the time.
    Fortify on Demand logo
    Compared 9% of the time.
    Checkmarx logo
    Compared 7% of the time.
    Learn More
    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."

    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
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm17%
    Computer Software Company14%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Government6%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company22%
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Government11%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company14%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Government7%
    Company Size
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business18%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise68%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business38%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise53%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise66%
    Buyer's Guide
    Atlassian SourceTree vs. GitHub
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Atlassian SourceTree vs. GitHub and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Atlassian SourceTree is ranked 5th in Version Control with 5 reviews while GitHub is ranked 2nd in Version Control with 64 reviews. Atlassian SourceTree is rated 7.2, while GitHub is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Atlassian SourceTree writes "An easy-to-setup solution, but its documentation could be better for technical support". On the other hand, the top reviewer of GitHub writes "Beneficial version control and continuous integration, but guides would be helpful". Atlassian SourceTree is most compared with Git, Bitbucket, Bitbucket Server, AWS CodeCommit and Tower, whereas GitHub is most compared with Snyk, AWS CodeCommit, Bitbucket, Fortify on Demand and Checkmarx. See our Atlassian SourceTree vs. GitHub report.

    See our list of best Version Control vendors.

    We monitor all Version Control reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.