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Which is the better git clients for Mac in 2026?
We compared Fork and Atlassian SourceTree across 5 key factors including price, open-source status, and community adoption. Both Fork and Atlassian SourceTree are excellent git clients. Read our full breakdown below.
GIT client
Graphical client for Git version control
Both Fork and Atlassian SourceTree are excellent git clients. Fork is better for users who prefer polished experiences, while Atlassian SourceTree excels for those who value established ecosystems.
| Feature | Fork | Atlassian SourceTree |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Open Source | No | No |
| Monthly Installs | N/A | N/A |
| GitHub Stars | N/A | N/A |
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
brew install --cask forkbrew install --cask sourcetreeFork is a fast and friendly Git client for macOS and Windows. It distinguishes itself with a clean, modern user interface and a focus on providing a streamlined and efficient Git experience. Fork supports advanced Git features like interactive rebase, cherry-picking, submodule management, and visual merge conflict resolution. It offers a range of customization options, allowing users to tailor the interface and workflow to their preferences. Fork is known for its performance and stability, making it a reliable choice for managing Git repositories of all sizes. Developed by Dan Pristupov, Fork is actively maintained and receives regular updates with new features and improvements. Its commitment to providing a powerful yet intuitive Git client has made it a popular choice among experienced developers.
Sourcetree is a free Git GUI client for macOS and Windows, developed by Atlassian. It aims to simplify Git operations and make them more accessible to users of all skill levels. Sourcetree offers a visual interface for managing Git repositories, including features like commit history, branch management, and merge conflict resolution. It integrates seamlessly with Atlassian's ecosystem, including Bitbucket and Jira, making it a popular choice for teams using these tools. Sourcetree supports Git-flow workflows, simplifying branch management and release processes. Its user-friendly interface and built-in tutorials make it an excellent learning tool for those new to Git. Sourcetree's widespread adoption and active community support ensure its continued development and availability.
Fork's interactive rebase feature provides a visual and intuitive way to modify commit history. Users can easily reorder, squash, edit, or drop commits with a drag-and-drop interface. The interactive rebase editor allows for fine-grained control over commit messages and content. Fork's implementation is highly responsive and handles complex rebase scenarios with ease.
Sourcetree offers interactive rebase functionality, allowing users to modify commit history. While functional, Sourcetree's implementation is less visually intuitive than Fork's. Reordering commits can be cumbersome, and the interactive rebase editor lacks some of the advanced features found in Fork. However, it remains a viable option for basic interactive rebase operations.
Verdict: Fork's interactive rebase feature provides a more visually intuitive and feature-rich experience compared to Sourcetree.
Fork provides excellent submodule management capabilities, allowing users to easily add, update, and remove submodules. The visual interface clearly displays submodule status and allows for quick navigation to submodule repositories. Fork simplifies working with complex projects that rely on submodules.
Sourcetree supports submodule management, but its implementation is less intuitive than Fork's. Adding and updating submodules can be cumbersome, and the visual interface doesn't provide as much clarity on submodule status. Sourcetree's submodule management is adequate for basic use cases but may not be suitable for complex projects with many submodules.
Verdict: Fork's submodule management is more intuitive and feature-rich than Sourcetree's.
Fork offers a powerful visual merge conflict resolution tool that allows users to easily compare and merge conflicting changes. The three-way merge view clearly displays the base, local, and remote versions of the conflicting file. Fork supports both manual and automatic merge conflict resolution, providing flexibility for different scenarios.
Sourcetree provides a functional merge conflict resolution tool, allowing users to compare and merge conflicting changes. The three-way merge view is less visually intuitive than Fork's, and the automatic merge conflict resolution capabilities are less advanced. However, Sourcetree's merge conflict resolution is adequate for most common scenarios.
Verdict: Fork's visual merge conflict resolution tool is more powerful and intuitive than Sourcetree's.
Fork provides built-in support for Git-flow workflows, simplifying branch management and release processes. Users can easily initialize Git-flow, create feature branches, release branches, and hotfix branches. Fork's Git-flow integration streamlines common Git workflows.
Sourcetree offers excellent Git-flow support, with a dedicated toolbar and visual interface for managing Git-flow workflows. Users can easily perform common Git-flow operations with a few clicks. Sourcetree's Git-flow integration is highly intuitive and makes Git-flow workflows accessible to users of all skill levels.
Verdict: Sourcetree provides a more user-friendly and intuitive Git-flow integration compared to Fork.
Fork's commit graph visualization provides a clear and concise view of the repository's history. Users can easily navigate through branches, commits, and tags. The commit graph is highly responsive and handles large repositories with ease. Fork's visualization enhances understanding of complex Git histories.
Sourcetree's commit graph visualization provides a functional view of the repository's history. While less visually appealing than Fork's, it provides adequate information for navigating through branches, commits, and tags. Sourcetree's commit graph can become cluttered in large repositories.
Verdict: Fork's commit graph visualization is more visually appealing and responsive than Sourcetree's.
Fork offers a clear and efficient staging area, allowing users to easily select and stage changes for commit. The commit dialog provides a clear view of staged changes and allows for writing commit messages. Fork's staging and commit process is highly intuitive and streamlined.
Sourcetree offers a functional staging area and commit dialog. Users can easily select and stage changes, write commit messages, and commit changes. Sourcetree's staging and commit process is adequate for most common scenarios.
Verdict: Both applications offer excellent staging and commit capabilities.
Fork offers limited integration with Atlassian products, primarily through support for Bitbucket repositories. Users can clone, push, and pull from Bitbucket repositories, but there's no deep integration with Jira or other Atlassian tools.
Sourcetree provides seamless integration with Atlassian's ecosystem, including Bitbucket and Jira. Users can easily create Bitbucket repositories, link commits to Jira issues, and view issue details within Sourcetree. This integration streamlines workflows for teams using Atlassian's products.
Verdict: Sourcetree offers significantly better integration with Atlassian's ecosystem compared to Fork.
Sourcetree's intuitive interface and built-in tutorials make it an excellent choice for users new to Git. Its visual tools and Git-flow integration simplify common Git operations, making it easy to learn and use.
Fork's advanced features, performance, and customizability make it a powerful tool for experienced developers who require fine-grained control over their Git workflows. Its interactive rebase and submodule management capabilities are particularly valuable for complex projects.
Sourcetree's seamless integration with Bitbucket and Jira makes it an ideal choice for teams using Atlassian's products. Its visual issue tracking and code review tools streamline collaboration and improve productivity.
Sourcetree is a great choice for small teams who need a free and easy-to-use Git client. The integration with Atlassian’s Suite is important for collaboration.
Fork is the better choice for established businesses who need better submodule support, more features, and better overall performance.
Because Sourcetree is free, students will save money on version control when they use it.
Sourcetree's native Atlassian integration means Bitbucket pull requests, Jira issue keys in commits, and Git-flow workflows all connect seamlessly. If your team is already invested in the Atlassian stack, Sourcetree provides the tightest integration of any Git GUI.
Migrating from Fork to Sourcetree involves cloning your existing repositories into Sourcetree. Sourcetree will automatically detect Git repositories and allow you to add them to its interface. However, custom configurations and settings from Fork will need to be manually reconfigured in Sourcetree.
Migrating from Sourcetree to Fork involves cloning your existing repositories into Fork. Fork will automatically detect Git repositories and allow you to add them to its interface. However, custom configurations and settings from Sourcetree will need to be manually reconfigured in Fork.
Back up your Git repositories before migrating between Git GUI clients. Review and reconfigure custom settings in the new client. Consider using a portable Git installation to ensure compatibility.
Winner
Runner-up
Fork and Sourcetree are both excellent Git GUIs for macOS, but they serve different audiences. Fork is the clear choice for experienced developers who want a fast, responsive, and feature-rich Git client with advanced capabilities like interactive rebase, merge conflict resolution, and image diff support. Its lean design and consistent performance with large repositories make it a joy to use daily. Sourcetree is better suited for developers who are newer to Git or who work heavily within the Atlassian ecosystem (Bitbucket, Jira). Its visual Git-flow support and built-in tutorials lower the barrier to entry. At $49.99 for a lifetime Fork license versus Sourcetree's free price tag, the decision often comes down to whether you value polish and performance enough to pay for them.
Bottom Line: Choose Fork for advanced Git workflows and performance, or Sourcetree for simplicity and Atlassian integration.
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Last verified: Feb 15, 2026
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
Research queries: Fork vs Sourcetree 2026; Git GUI clients macOS 2026; Sourcetree Atlassian integration; Fork performance review