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  1. Stackups
  2. DevOps
  3. Code Collaboration
  4. Code Collaboration Version Control
  5. GitHub vs SourceTree

GitHub vs SourceTree

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

GitHub
GitHub
Stacks295.6K
Followers259.0K
Votes10.4K
SourceTree
SourceTree
Stacks10.6K
Followers8.1K
Votes727

GitHub vs SourceTree: What are the differences?

GitHub and SourceTree are two tools commonly used in software development. Here are the key differences between GitHub and SourceTree:

  1. Functionality and Focus: GitHub is a web-based platform for hosting Git repositories and enabling collaborative software development with features like code hosting, pull requests, and issue tracking. SourceTree is a desktop client that offers a graphical interface for simplifying Git workflows, making it easier for developers to manage repositories and perform common Git operations.

  2. User Interface and User Experience: GitHub offers a web-based interface that is accessible from any browser. It provides a visually appealing and user-friendly interface for browsing code, managing repositories, and collaborating with team members. SourceTree, being a desktop client, provides a graphical interface with a more traditional file explorer-like view. It offers a visual representation of the Git repository, making it easier to understand and work with Git commands and operations.

  3. Integration and Ecosystem: GitHub has a robust ecosystem and integrates seamlessly with various development tools and services. It offers integrations with popular CI/CD tools, code quality analyzers, project management tools, and collaboration platforms. GitHub also supports webhook and API integrations, enabling custom integrations and automation. SourceTree, while it provides some integration options, has a more limited ecosystem compared to GitHub. It primarily focuses on integrating with Git-related tools and services and may not offer the same breadth of integrations as GitHub.

  4. Platform Support: GitHub is a web-based platform and can be accessed from any operating system that supports a web browser. It provides a consistent experience across different platforms and operating systems. SourceTree, on the other hand, is a desktop client that is available for Windows and macOS. It offers a native experience for users of those specific operating systems but may not be available or have the same feature set on other platforms.

  5. Learning Curve and Complexity: GitHub is easy to get started with, especially for developers familiar with Git and web-based workflows. It provides a straightforward user interface and offers extensive documentation and resources. SourceTree, with its graphical interface, aims to simplify the Git workflow for users who prefer a visual representation. It can be helpful for developers who are new to Git or prefer a GUI-based approach to version control.

In summary, GitHub is a web-based platform focused on code hosting, collaboration, and project management, while SourceTree is a desktop client that provides a GUI for working with Git repositories.

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Advice on GitHub, SourceTree

Anonymous
Anonymous

May 25, 2020

Decided

Gitlab as A LOT of features that GitHub and Azure DevOps are missing. Even if both GH and Azure are backed by Microsoft, GitLab being open source has a faster upgrade rate and the hosted by gitlab.com solution seems more appealing than anything else! Quick win: the UI is way better and the Pipeline is way easier to setup on GitLab!

624k views624k
Comments
Weverton
Weverton

CTO at SourceLevel

Jul 28, 2020

Review

Using an inclusive language is crucial for fostering a diverse culture. Git has changed the naming conventions to be more language-inclusive, and so you should change. Our development tools, like GitHub and GitLab, already supports the change.

SourceLevel deals very nicely with repositories that changed the master branch to a more appropriate word. Besides, you can use the grep linter the look for exclusive terms contained in the source code.

As the inclusive language gap may happen in other aspects of our lives, have you already thought about them?

944k views944k
Comments
Weverton
Weverton

CTO at SourceLevel

Aug 3, 2020

Review

Do you review your Pull/Merge Request before assigning Reviewers?

If you work in a team opening a Pull Request (or Merge Request) looks appropriate. However, have you ever thought about opening a Pull/Merge Request when working by yourself? Here's a checklist of things you can review in your own:

  • Pick the correct target branch
  • Make Drafts explicit
  • Name things properly
  • Ask help for tools
  • Remove the noise
  • Fetch necessary data
  • Understand Mergeability
  • Pass the message
  • Add screenshots
  • Be found in the future
  • Comment inline in your changes

Read the blog post for more detailed explanation for each item :D

What else do you review before asking for code review?

1.19M views1.19M
Comments

Detailed Comparison

GitHub
GitHub
SourceTree
SourceTree

GitHub is the best place to share code with friends, co-workers, classmates, and complete strangers. Over three million people use GitHub to build amazing things together.

Use the full capability of Git and Mercurial in the SourceTree desktop app. Manage all your repositories, hosted or local, through SourceTree's simple interface.

Command instructions; Source browser; Git powered wikis; Integrated issue tracking; Code reviews with inline comments; Compare view; Newsfeed; Followers; Developer profiles; Autocompletion for @username mentions
Full-powered DVCS;Create, clone, commit, push, pull, merge, and more are all just a click away.;Review your outgoing and incoming changesets, cherry-pick between branches, patch handling, rebase, stash, shelve, and much more.;Use Git-flow and Hg-flow with ease. Keep your repositories cleaner and your development more efficient with SourceTree's intuitive interface to Git and Hg's 'branchy' development model.
Statistics
Stacks
295.6K
Stacks
10.6K
Followers
259.0K
Followers
8.1K
Votes
10.4K
Votes
727
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 1773
    Open source friendly
  • 1463
    Easy source control
  • 1254
    Nice UI
  • 1137
    Great for team collaboration
  • 868
    Easy setup
Cons
  • 56
    Owned by micrcosoft
  • 38
    Expensive for lone developers that want private repos
  • 15
    Relatively slow product/feature release cadence
  • 10
    API scoping could be better
  • 9
    Only 3 collaborators for private repos
Pros
  • 205
    Visual history and branch view
  • 164
    Beautiful UI
  • 134
    Easy repository browsing
  • 87
    Gitflow support
  • 75
    Interactive stage or discard by hunks or lines
Cons
  • 12
    Crashes often
  • 8
    So many bugs
  • 7
    Fetching is slow sometimes
  • 5
    Extremely slow
  • 5
    No dark theme (Windows)
Integrations
Grove
Grove
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Airbrake
Airbrake
Codeship
Codeship
Bugsnag
Bugsnag
BugHerd
BugHerd
Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code
HipChat
HipChat
CopperEgg
CopperEgg
Nitrous.IO
Nitrous.IO
Git
Git
Bitbucket
Bitbucket
Windows
Windows
macOS
macOS
Mercurial
Mercurial

What are some alternatives to GitHub, SourceTree?

Bitbucket

Bitbucket

Bitbucket gives teams one place to plan projects, collaborate on code, test and deploy, all with free private Git repositories. Teams choose Bitbucket because it has a superior Jira integration, built-in CI/CD, & is free for up to 5 users.

GitLab

GitLab

GitLab offers git repository management, code reviews, issue tracking, activity feeds and wikis. Enterprises install GitLab on-premise and connect it with LDAP and Active Directory servers for secure authentication and authorization. A single GitLab server can handle more than 25,000 users but it is also possible to create a high availability setup with multiple active servers.

GitKraken

GitKraken

The downright luxurious Git client for Windows, Mac and Linux. Cross-platform, 100% standalone, and free.

RhodeCode

RhodeCode

RhodeCode provides centralized control over distributed code repositories. Developers get code review tools and custom APIs that work in Mercurial, Git & SVN. Firms get unified security and user control so that their CTOs can sleep at night

AWS CodeCommit

AWS CodeCommit

CodeCommit eliminates the need to operate your own source control system or worry about scaling its infrastructure. You can use CodeCommit to securely store anything from source code to binaries, and it works seamlessly with your existing Git tools.

Gogs

Gogs

The goal of this project is to make the easiest, fastest and most painless way to set up a self-hosted Git service. With Go, this can be done in independent binary distribution across ALL platforms that Go supports, including Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.

Fork

Fork

Manage your repositories without leaving the application. Organize the repositores into categories. Fork's Diff Viewer provides a clear view to spot the changes in your source code quickly.

Gitea

Gitea

Git with a cup of tea! Painless self-hosted all-in-one software development service, including Git hosting, code review, team collaboration, package registry and CI/CD. It published under the MIT license.

Tower

Tower

Use all of Git's powerful feature set - in a GUI that makes you more productive.

Upsource

Upsource

Upsource summarizes recent changes in your repository, showing commit messages, authors, quick diffs, links to detailed diff views and associated code reviews. A commit graph helps visualize the history of commits, branches and merges in your repository.

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