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Fork vs SourceTree: What are the differences?
Fork and SourceTree are both popular tools used in software development for managing repositories. However, there are some key differences between the two.
Collaboration: Fork enables developers to create a copy of a repository and work on it independently, while SourceTree allows developers to collaborate by providing features like push, pull, and branch management, making it easier to work as a team.
Platform Compatibility: Fork is available on both Windows and macOS, providing a flexible option for developers. On the other hand, SourceTree is primarily designed for macOS, and the Windows version may not have all the features available on the macOS version.
User Interface: Fork offers a visually pleasing and intuitive user interface, making it easy for developers to navigate and perform tasks. SourceTree, on the other hand, has a more complex user interface with a wide range of features, which might be overwhelming for beginners.
Integration with Hosting Services: Fork provides seamless integration with popular hosting services like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, allowing developers to easily clone, commit, and push changes to remote repositories. SourceTree also integrates with these hosting services but may require additional configuration for smooth synchronization.
Advanced Features: SourceTree offers advanced features such as interactive rebasing, cherry-picking, and stashing, which allow developers to have more control over their version control workflow. Fork, on the other hand, focuses on providing a simple and streamlined experience for developers, keeping the feature set minimalistic.
Command Line Interface: While both Fork and SourceTree have graphical user interfaces, SourceTree also allows developers to use the command line interface for executing Git commands directly. This feature can be helpful for more experienced developers who prefer the command line over the graphical interface.
In summary, Fork prioritizes beginner-friendly collaboration and seamless hosting integration, while SourceTree excels in advanced features and platform flexibility. Choose Fork for a simple, intuitive workflow and easy collaboration, or SourceTree for granular control and powerful command-line capabilities.
I explored many Git Desktop tools for the Mac and my final decision was to use Fork. What I love about for that it contains three features, I like about a Git Client tool.
It allows * to handle day to day git operations (least important for me as I am cli junkie) * it helps to investigate the history * most important of all, it has a repo manager which many other tools are missing.
Pros of Fork
- One of the easiest and fastest git GUIs19
- Nice UX14
- Does the job way better than others13
- Fast, Great support, Does-it-all, blazing fast13
- Dark theme11
- Intuitive interactive rebase and conflict resolution UI9
- Gitflow support9
- Excellent commit history tree view7
- This even looks the same as SourceTree5
- Repository Manager4
- Built-in developer feedback3
- Countless quality of life features3
- Github Notifications2
- Not buggy, works smoothly2
- Keyaboard-only2
- Visual branch history2
- Reflog support2
- Git ammend1
- Smart 'Open in' menu; e.g. explorer, bit, giithub .1
- Interactive rebase window1
- Native application1
- Intuitive merge conflict resolution1
- Unique Activity Manager shows current/past operations1
Pros of SourceTree
- Visual history and branch view205
- Beautiful UI164
- Easy repository browsing134
- Gitflow support87
- Interactive stage or discard by hunks or lines75
- Great branch visualization22
- Ui/ux and user-friendliness18
- Best Git Client UI/Features8
- Search commit messages7
- Available for Windows and macOS5
- Log only one file1
- Search file content1
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Cons of Fork
- Poorly written license2
- Stability is fragile when looking deeply into history1
- Merges that require interactive user decision1
Cons of SourceTree
- Crashes often12
- So many bugs8
- Fetching is slow sometimes7
- No dark theme (Windows)5
- Extremely slow5
- Very unstable5
- Can't select text in diff (windows)4
- Freezes quite frequently3
- Can't scale window from top corners3
- UI blinking2
- Windows version worse than mac version2
- Installs to AppData folder (windows)2
- Diff makes tab indentation look like spaces2
- Windows and Mac versions are very different2
- Diff appears as if space indented even if its tabs2
- Doesn't have an option for git init2
- Useless for merge conflict resolution2
- Doesn't differentiate submodules from parent repos2
- Requires bitbucket account2
- Generally hard to like1
- No reflog support1
- Bases binary check on filesize1
- Can't add remotes by right clicking remotes (windows)1
