The GitButler alternative that keeps plain Git branches

Why developers look for a GitButler alternative

GitButler is a Git client built with Tauri and Rust, with a desktop app and a command line called “but”. It reimagines branching around parallel branches. These are the most common reasons people look for something else.

• You want plain Git branches

  GitButler’s docs say it works on a special gitbutler/workspace branch, and that switching branches with git switch makes it pause until you return to its way of working.

• Conflicts are fixed commit by commit

  When an update conflicts, GitButler keeps rebasing and stores conflicted commits. You then open each one in an edit mode with the conflict markers and save it.

• Linux support is narrow

  Its LINUX.md names the deb package on Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 as the official way; the rpm and AppImage are experimental, and other packages are community-maintained.

• Still before version 1.0

  Its latest release on GitHub is 0.23.1, published on 28 October 2026, alongside daily nightly builds.

• Pull requests on three hosts

  Its README lists GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket for pull requests and CI statuses. Azure DevOps is not among them.

• AI goes through its servers by default

  Its default AI option sends diffs to OpenAI through GitButler’s servers and needs a GitButler login. You can switch to your own OpenAI or Anthropic key, Ollama or LM Studio.

Why developers choose GitTree

GitTree keeps Git’s own model and puts the whole repository in one window, with history, recovery and hosting tools around it.

• Normal branches, nothing hidden

  GitTree checks out, merges and rebases the same branches the command line sees, so git switch, your editor and CI scripts keep working exactly as before.

• The whole repository in one window

  An interactive commit graph with colour-coded branch lanes, labels, search and filters, beside staging, branches and commit details. It stays smooth past 100,000 commits.

• Stage and merge exactly what you mean

  Stage files, hunks or single lines, and resolve conflicts in a three-way editor with per-hunk and per-line choices, after a warning before a merge would conflict.

• Undo for the risky operations

  Undo and redo from the toolbar reverse commits, checkouts, resets, rebases, discards and branch or tag deletes, and risky steps are snapshotted first so they stay recoverable.

• Pull requests and CI/CD with Pro

  With GitTree Pro, list, create, review, comment on and merge pull requests on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure DevOps, and follow CI/CD runs and live logs, without leaving the app.

• Your own coding agent, no AI key stored

  With Pro, GitTree drafts commit messages and pull request text through the coding-agent CLI you already use, such as Claude Code or Codex. GitTree stores no AI key and sells no credits.

GitTree vs GitButler: feature comparison

Both run on your own Git and work with the same remotes. They differ most in how they handle branches, conflicts, licensing and hosting integration. Products change, so the official sources are linked at the bottom of the page.

• Included
• Partly, or with limits
• Needs a paid plan
• Not available

This table compares the current public products, not every setting. GitButler facts come from docs.gitbutler.com and its GitHub repository as checked on the date above; gitbutler.com itself did not load that day. GitTree is in active development; check its features page and release notes before moving a critical workflow.

GitButler price vs GitTree

GitTree’s Free plan covers every Git feature, and GitTree Pro adds the hosting integrations, AI drafting and Nour, the AI assistant. GitButler’s docs list no price; its licence is Fair Source.

GitButler’s licence terms are as stated in its repository in October 2026; check gitbutler.com for current prices. GitTree’s Free plan needs no credit card; the Pricing page compares Free and Pro.

A GitButler alternative for Mac, Windows and Linux

The same GitTree on macOS, Windows and Linux, running the Git 2.39 or newer that you already have installed.

• GitButler alternative for Mac

  One universal app that runs natively on Apple silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 13 Ventura or later, signed and notarized by Apple.

• GitButler alternative for Windows

  A 64-bit app for Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 that uses your Git for Windows. Get it from the Microsoft Store, signed by Microsoft, or as a direct EXE, which is unsigned, so SmartScreen may ask you to confirm.

• GitButler alternative for Linux

  A .deb package or a portable AppImage for 64-bit Ubuntu 22.04+ and Debian 12+. On Ubuntu 22.04 and Linux Mint 21, add the git-core PPA for a newer Git first.

  Read the Linux install guide

Which one should you choose?

Both are good tools with different ideas about branches. Pick the one that matches how you work, then try it on a noncritical repository before you move daily work.

How to switch from GitButler to GitTree

Your commits are ordinary Git objects. Push the branches you have applied in GitButler, return the repository to a normal branch, and GitTree opens it as it is.

1. 1

   Push your GitButler branches

   Commit and push each branch you have applied in GitButler, so every one exists as a normal branch on your remote before you change how the folder is used.

2. 2

   Return to a normal branch

   Check out your main branch, for example with git switch main. GitButler’s docs say that after you switch away from gitbutler/workspace, GitButler has to be set up again for that repository.

3. 3

   Download GitTree

   Get the installer for macOS, Windows or Linux from the download page and install it. GitTree needs Git 2.39 or newer: check it with git --version.

4. 4

   Sign in

   Sign in with a GitTree account, created on this website with your email or with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or Azure DevOps. The Free plan covers every Git feature; start a Pro trial when you want the hosting integrations or Nour.

5. 5

   Open the repository

   Choose Open and select the repository folder. Your branches, remotes, stashes and history live in the repository itself, so there is nothing to import.

6. 6

   Use worktrees for parallel work

   Where you used several applied branches, add a worktree per branch in GitTree, so each branch has its own folder and stays a normal Git branch.