Mac OSX Git Clients

A list of top notch Git client applications for OSX.

I'm a big fan of Github and Git in general. I'm not afraid to use a command prompt for Git, but I'm also a bit lazy and like the convenience a GUI provides.

That's why I used to run Github for Mac to view changes, read commits and sync my local repositories with Github.

Github for Mac looks great, but last night I lost my faith.

Somehow the application decided to create a branch without me explicitly doing so. Furthermore it actually managed to screw up my entire code base by "auto" commiting changes using a message: GitHub for Mac: Throw-away commit.

Next thing I did was revert everything using the command line and dropping the Github app inside my trash bin!

Now I'm on the lookout for a new Git app for the Mac so I decided to create this list.

Tower

I've beta tested Tower almost a year ago and was impressed. The app looks great, it's stable and has pretty much everything you'd expect from a professional Git client including a built in diff tool. I do think the price is a bit steep at $36,75 (and that's with a 25% discount). It's also not available in the Mac AppStore (I do believe this is a downside).

Sprout

Sprout is a Git client available on the AppStore. It's currently priced at $19.99 making it a lot cheaper then Tower. It's also a lot more limited in functionality though. Sprout looks(feature wise) a lot more like the Github for Mac app, except it isn't that tied with Github. A trial is available on the developers website.

SourceTree

SourceTree is a free Mac app available on the Mac AppStore. It's almost as feature rich as Tower and supports both Git and Mercurial. The app isn't by far as slick as it's paid alternatives, and be honest, it feels a bit bloated. Perhaps bloated is a bit overstated, but the UI isn't intuitive or self explanatory.

Gitbox

Gitbix is also priced at $19.99 and available on the Mac AppStore. It's also a great looking app and offers a feature set comparable to Sprout. It probably has the most minimal UI of all apps, and some really well thought-out shortcuts and features. For example, Gitbox keeps track of any submodules you add and makes it a breeze to update them. A trial is also available on the developers website.

Conclusion

Mac OSX has a ton of great Git client apps. There is no easy choice.

All the apps above are build around their own workflow and mindset. I didn't get a chance yet to check out all the Git clients out there. For example: Gitti also looks very promising.

For the mean time I've decided to go with SourceTree and will probably purchase Tower or Gitbox in the long run.

If you are in need of a Git client all I can recommend is to download trials/ demos of all apps and find out what app fits your own workflow best.

Update: I'm running the Gitbox trial as we speak and I must say this app impressed me with it's stability and ease of use. Besides it makes working with submodules a lot easier. Ditching SourceTree...