Atlassian SourceTree vs GitHub comparison

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Atlassian SourceTree

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

GitHub and Atlassian SourceTree are both key players in version control. GitHub's strong feature suite, including collaboration tools and integrations, provides an advantage, while Atlassian SourceTree is favored for its user-friendly graphical interface, appealing to non-technical teams.

Features: GitHub offers integration with various services, rich documentation, and strong CI/CD workflow support. SourceTree shines with its intuitive visual interface, simplifying management for less technical users and enhancing ease of use.

Room for Improvement: GitHub could improve its deployment complexity and offer pricing options for smaller teams. SourceTree could enhance support for advanced collaboration tools and improve integration with third-party services to expand usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: GitHub has a complex deployment process due to its extensive features but provides excellent customer support and community resources. SourceTree has straightforward deployment with a simple setup process and has reliable support.

Pricing and ROI: GitHub's premium plans require a higher initial investment but deliver high ROI through productivity tools, benefiting organizations needing comprehensive capabilities. SourceTree offers a cost-effective solution, appealing to smaller budgets with its economic benefits for simpler usage.

To learn more, read our detailed Atlassian SourceTree vs. GitHub Report (Updated: April 2025).

Atlassian SourceTree vs. GitHub

April 2025

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Helped 849,686 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Atlassian SourceTree

Ranking in Version Control

6th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

GitHub

Ranking in Version Control

3rd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Version Control category, the mindshare of Atlassian SourceTree is 5.6%, down from 7.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of GitHub is 6.0%, down from 6.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Version Control

Featured Reviews

PrinceKumar1

Expert Software Engineer at FIS

Utilize Agile methodologies with efficient project management, yet seek improvements in resolving merge conflicts

SourceTree is one of the best tools from a UI perspective. However, I would prefer if SourceTree could address merge conflicts more easily. Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code, providing a comprehensive tool for both development and code management, is favored because it can serve as both a development tool and a client for pushing or pulling code, resolving conflicts efficiently. It would be beneficial if SourceTree could offer similar integrated functionalities.

Read full review

Pervez Roy

Solutions Architect at Small Systems LTD

Very good for collaboration on software projects

We use GitHub for code repository alongside Bitbucket GitHub is very good for collaboration on software projects. We prefer Bitbucket for commercial use, while GitHub is used for open source. You can get the differences, history of changes, and version control for various pull requests. You can…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The interface is very good and is easy to use. It tells you when you've committed, when you've uploaded, and gives you the differences."

"Atlassian SourceTree is a very stable product."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"For me, the branches ' graph was the most valuable feature of Atlassian SourceTree. I often used the terminal, but during a demo, my boss preferred I not switch to the terminal view. SourceTree's graphical interface for managing branches was handy for that. The demo involved making changes, committing them, pushing to the CI/CD tool, running the pipeline, and seeing the integration, all within about twenty minutes."

"The solution's initial setup process is straightforward."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to fix a broken repository merge."

"The tool's UI is good."

"The tool is valuable because it helps us work in a distributed environment with multiple people across different locations and time zones. We have a common repository that everyone works on, which would be tough to manage manually. GitHub helps us maintain this single source of truth. Everyone can check out their own branches, which is important for our branching strategies. We can fork, check out feature branches, work on our code, and merge back into parent branches for deployment. This is crucial when multiple people are working on the same codebase."

"I have found GitHub stable."

"The most valuable features of GitHub include its ability to integrate with Jira and multiple CI/CD platforms like Techton, allowing for seamless project management."

"The features of GitHub are very nice and helpful for developers."

"This product allows us to easily collaborate on development tasks with our subcontractors, and control the workflow as the project progresses."

"The solution provides good customization and support."

"I find the most valuable collaboration between our peers to be a seamless collaboration between our peers. We can connect and change our code, allowing us to be agile in our projects. Since we're talking about DevOps, we're using Jenkins in our pipeline. It helps speed up the process by automating the DevOps workflow."

"Any complex banking can be handled very easily in GitHub. It allows us to integrate with tools like Grid, where we can merge and resolve conflicts without any hassle."

More GitHub pros

Cons

"Its interface could be easy to understand for a programmer."

"The product's UI needs improvement."

"The visuals, including the UI and UX, have simple fonts, making it an area where certain enhancements can be done."

"People think that Visual Studio Code is more intuitive and can serve dual purposes for development and as a client to push or pull code."

"I have had a food experience with Atlassian SourceTree but it might not be for everyone."

"For everyday use, I am more comfortable using the command line interface, rather than using SourceTree."

"The solution can improve by adding video guides, official guides, or short courses that cater to beginners who are new to the system. These resources could offer step-by-step guidance on how to use GitHub, including common procedures such as pulling and committing. Currently, many of us have to resort to searching for information on how to do these tasks via Google. An official guide provided by GitHub itself would be a valuable asset to newcomers and would save them time and effort."

"I would like to see some AI functionality included in GitHub, similar to the features seen in GitLab, to enhance productivity."

"From the recruiting standpoint, I would like to see email IDs and phone numbers and a brief introduction about their profile."

"We would like this solution to have a more user-friendly interface."

"I faced one or two breakdowns. That said, they lasted only for a few seconds or a minute."

"Lacks sufficient support in terms of professional services that could be provided."

"I would like to see more security where a plugin was available for us to update in relation to security."

"The development team pushes the code into a repository, and the CI/CD pipeline will perform the build. We need open-source libraries to perform the builds. It would be helpful to have the ability to link to open-source libraries like npm libraries. I don't know if GitHub Actions provides this. I would like to see that in GitHub Actions if they don't."

More GitHub cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I do not recall the exact pricing details for SourceTree, but generally, Atlassian products are affordable, and SourceTree typically comes as part of a suite."

"Atlassian SourceTree is a free solution."

"There is a fee for using SourceTree."

"The basic licensing model is free, and if you need to have technical support and such things, then it does cost something. You only need to pay extra if you need technical support."

"We pay a subscription-based yearly licensing fee for the solution."

"You don't have to pay for a license if you are using the free version."

"It's cheaper than Bitbucket."

"If there are only 10 people using a particular repository, then GitHub is free. But if we increase the number of users, we need to pay the normal charge for GitHub."

"If I consider the market standards, the product's price is pocket-friendly."

"It is open-source. There is no license for GitHub."

"The licensing model from GitHub is very clear."

More GitHub pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Version Control solutions are best for your needs.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

14%

University

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

12%

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Atlassian SourceTree?

The initial setup is straightforward.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Atlassian SourceTree?

Both SourceTree and primary alternatives like Visual Studio Code are open-source, so there are no costs involved.

What needs improvement with Atlassian SourceTree?

What do you like most about GitHub?

The control is the most valuable feature as developers can work on a single code.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for GitHub?

The pricing of GitHub depends on the choice of solutions, such as building one's own GitHub Runners to save money or using GitHub's Runners with extra costs. The pricing is considered reasonable an...

What needs improvement with GitHub?

There are still areas for improvement with GitHub Actions and their deployment workflows, as they have made significant progress but are not yet polished. Occasionally, stability can be an issue, t...

Bitbucket vs Atlassian SourceTree

Comparisons

Compared 34% of the time

Git vs Atlassian SourceTree

Compared 23% of the time

Bitbucket Server vs Atlassian SourceTree

Compared 21% of the time

More Atlassian SourceTree Competitors

Bitbucket vs GitHub

Compared 17% of the time

Fortify on Demand vs GitHub

Compared 13% of the time

Snyk vs GitHub

Compared 13% of the time

AWS CodeCommit vs GitHub

Compared 10% of the time

Mend.io vs GitHub

Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Download Atlassian SourceTree product report

Version Control

March 2025

Download GitHub product report

April 2025

Overview

Atlassian SourceTree is a graphical user interface (GUI) desktop client that facilitates user interaction with Git repositories. SourceTree provides a visual interface that is easy to use and intuitive. It allows developers to save a lot of command lines when working with Git.

The tool is free and works as a Git client for Windows and Mac OS. You can visualize and manage your repositories via the simple GUI. The client offers an efficient and consistent development process for Git and Mercurial.

Atlassian SourceTree Key Features

Branch management: Typically, managing branches is a time-consuming and tedious process for project managers and developers. With SourceTree, you can switch working copies with a single click. You can also see where you are compared with the version in the repository, alerting you to push or pull.
Working copy: Developers who work using the command line often lack visibility. Access the “working copy” section to see the difference between your local copy and the version in the Git repository. This feature allows you to see exactly what has changed.
Branch history: the History section displays the full history of the branch, displaying each commit and file change. This feature enables smooth version control.
GitFlow: GitFlow organizes the workflow, streamlining parallel code changes and reducing merge conflicts.

Atlassian SourceTree Benefits

Any level user can use SourceTree: beginners and experts benefit from the visibility and streamlined workflows of SourceTree. Beginners benefit from the simplified version control. Experts can review changesets and stash and pick between branches. Senior programmers can customize changeset and stashes, apply patches, rebase or shelve changesets. The tool offers detailed tutorials to help beginners and experts start quickly. Other benefits for beginners include easy access to commands with one click and simplified distributed version control.
Code visibility: the visualization of the Git process enables users to manage large projects with multiple branches and commits. SourceTree automatically tracks the activity of your code. It also features bookmarks where you can see a summarized view of all projects and repositories. Therefore, you can check a specific branch or commit with a single click. Finally, it features detailed branching diagrams that make it easy to follow the process.
Git and Hg support: the fully-featured GUI supports Git and Mercurial, offering a consistent development process from the start. You can also use SourceTree for a project on Github. Start by creating the project on Github, then connect it to the SourceTree software.
Free: the SourceTree tool is free to use, even for commercial uses, without buying a license.
Supports Git LFS: users can track large assets and submit code from a single dashboard.
Subordinated modules: you can use submodules for hand-picked dependencies and manage and group projects.

Atlassian SourceTree Use Cases

Check-in and check-out code using the client-side application.
You can also use SourceTree to repair broken Git repositories because you can easily detect mistakes at a glance.
The simple and intuitive user interface allows users to search for and clone remote repositories.

Reviews from Real Users

A Program Manager/Engineer at a government says, "The most valuable feature is the ability to fix a broken repository merge… This product has helped because we have been able to fix problems when our code repository breaks."

Atlassian

GitHub is a web-based Git repository hosting service. It offers all of the distributed revision control and source code management (SCM) functionality of Git as well as adding its own features. Unlike Git, which is strictly a command-line tool, GitHub provides a Web-based graphical interface and desktop as well as mobile integration. It also provides access control and several collaboration features such as bug tracking, feature requests, task management, and wikis for every project.

Sample Customers

Facebook, NASA, Cisco, eBay, Redfin, Toyota, Kaiser Permanente, Gilt, CSIRO, Autodesk, The Daily Telegraph, CODE, Illumnia,

Dominion Enterprises, NASA, Braintree, SAP, CyberAgent