The free Sourcetree alternative that also runs on Linux

Why developers look for a Sourcetree alternative

Sourcetree is a mature, free Git client from Atlassian, with maintenance releases every one to three months. These are the reasons people most often give for trying something else.

• There is no Linux version

  Sourcetree is made for macOS and Windows only, with no Linux version. A request for a Linux desktop app with 437 votes on Atlassian’s tracker was closed unresolved, and a newer one is marked “Future Consideration”, so developers on Ubuntu or Debian need another client.

• Slow on large repositories, some users report

  Reports on Atlassian’s public issue tracker describe Sourcetree for Windows as very slow, most recently a December 2025 report of version 3.4.27 hanging on large repositories with many branches, which Atlassian marks “In Progress”. These are user reports, not official statements, but speed is a common reason to look around.

• Registration on Windows

  Sourcetree for Windows asks each user to register on first launch with an Atlassian account or a Bitbucket Server or Data Center instance. GitTree needs a free account too, but you create it with the GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or Azure DevOps account you already use.

• Conflicts need an external tool

  Sourcetree resolves a conflicted file with “Resolve Using Mine” or “Theirs”, or hands it to an external merge tool that you install and configure. Its official material describes no built-in three-way editor.

• Pull requests open in the browser

  Sourcetree’s “Create Pull Request” opens your hosting site in a browser. Listing, reviewing, commenting on and merging pull requests all happen outside the app.

• Missing everyday Git tools

  Sourcetree has no worktree management, no general undo, no reflog view, no built-in terminal and no AI commit messages. The requests for them on Atlassian’s tracker are closed or still “Gathering Interest”.

Why developers choose GitTree

GitTree keeps the visual, click-to-commit way of working that Sourcetree users know, and adds the tools they most often ask for.

• The same app on every desktop

  One GitTree, with the same version and features on macOS, Windows and Linux, so a mixed team learns one tool. Linux gets a .deb package and a portable AppImage.

• A built-in three-way conflict editor

  Current, incoming and output side by side, with choices per hunk or per line, rerere, and a warning before a merge that would conflict. Your external merge tool still works.

• Undo for the risky operations

  Undo and redo from the toolbar for a commit or amend, checkout, reset, rebase, discard and branch or tag deletion. All 19 kinds of destructive step, force-push included, are snapshotted first so they stay recoverable, and a reflog view restores lost commits.

• Pull requests without leaving the app

  List, create, review, comment on and merge pull requests, re-run CI checks and follow a dashboard across repositories: GitHub and Bitbucket, with newer support for GitLab and Azure DevOps.

• Worktrees, a terminal and a command palette

  Manage worktrees from the app, use the built-in terminal docked under the graph, and reach about 300 commands from the palette with Ctrl/⌘+Shift+P.

• Private by design, AI only when you ask

  No telemetry, analytics or crash upload, and tokens stay in your system keychain. Optional AI drafts of commit messages and pull request descriptions run through your own Claude Code, Codex or Antigravity CLI, only when you click Generate.

GitTree vs Sourcetree: feature comparison

Both are free, visual desktop Git clients. They differ most in platform support, conflict handling, history safety and pull request work, while Sourcetree is ahead on maturity, bundled Git, Mercurial and enterprise deployment. The official sources are linked at the end of the page.

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

This table compares the current public products, not every setting. Sourcetree’s Mac and Windows apps differ in places, and there is no Linux app; where they differ, the cell says so. GitTree is in active development; check its features page before moving a critical workflow.

Sourcetree pricing vs GitTree

Price is not what separates these two: as of October 2026 both are free. The differences are in what you get and where it runs.

Atlassian publishes no pricing page for Sourcetree; its official site says “Download Sourcetree for free”. If GitTree adds paid team plans, they will be announced in your account before anything changes.

A Sourcetree 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. Linux is where Sourcetree has no version at all.

• Sourcetree alternative for Mac

  One universal app, about 20.7 MB, that runs natively on Apple silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 13 Ventura or later. It is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple.

• Sourcetree alternative for Windows

  A 7.5 MB installer for 64-bit Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11. Install Git for Windows first; the installer is not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may ask you to confirm.

• Sourcetree alternative for Linux

  What Sourcetree does not offer: a .deb package or a portable AppImage for 64-bit Ubuntu 22.04+ and Debian 12+. Derivatives such as Linux Mint 21+ can run it too, though only Ubuntu and Debian are tested. 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 free, so choose by the systems you use and the work you do, then try the other one on a noncritical repository first.

How to switch from Sourcetree to GitTree

Switching takes about ten minutes. Your repositories are standard Git, so Sourcetree and GitTree can open the same folders side by side while you decide.

1. 1

   Check your Git version

   Sourcetree can use its own embedded Git, while GitTree uses the Git installed on your system. Run git --version and install or upgrade to Git 2.39 or newer: Git for Windows on Windows, the git-core PPA on Ubuntu 22.04.

2. 2

   Download GitTree

   Get the free installer for macOS, Windows or Linux from the download page and install it.

3. 3

   Sign in with a free account

   Create a free GitTree account on this website with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or Azure DevOps, then sign in from the app. No Atlassian account is involved.

4. 4

   Open your Sourcetree repositories

   Choose Open and select each repository folder, or scan a parent folder to add them all. History, branches, remotes and stashes live in the repository itself, so there is nothing to import.

5. 5

   Bring over your tools and accounts

   Connect your hosting accounts in Preferences, then set your signing key, external diff and merge tools, theme and shortcuts. Sourcetree Custom Actions can become GitTree custom commands.

6. 6

   Try it on a test branch

   Create a branch, stage a few lines, commit and push, then try an interactive rebase, resolve a conflict and press undo before you move daily work.