What is the difference between GitHub and Sourcetree?

GitHub is a popular Microsoft-owned platform that is web-based. It is used by developers for version control and collaboration.

This freemium platform allows developers to store, manage, and track changes to their code including other services. Such as bug tracking, task management, continuous integration, and wikis for every project.

Apart from all this, GitHub was created to help developers work together on a project and make it easier for them to share code with one another.

Hence, with Git’s version control service provider, you can create repositories where you can store your code, track changes, and collaborate with other developers. A GUI Desktop app of GitHub is also available.

What is GitHub?

GitHub is a popular Microsoft-owned platform that is web-based. It is used by developers for version control and collaboration.

This freemium platform allows developers to store, manage, and track changes to their code including other services. Such as bug tracking, task management, continuous integration, and wikis for every project.

Apart from all this, GitHub was created to help developers work together on a project and make it easier for them to share code with one another.

Hence, with Git’s version control service provider, you can create repositories where you can store your code, track changes, and collaborate with other developers. A GUI Desktop app of GitHub is also available. Get a hands-on – 2 Ways to install Git on Windows 11 or 10 – CLI & GUI

What is Sourcetree?

Sourcetree is a Desktop client application that provides a GUI for working with Git and is one of the best alternatives, to manage GIT repositories instead of the command line. It is developed by Atlassian.

Further, this GIt GUI client makes it easier for developers to work with Git by providing a visual representation of the code and making it easier to perform common Git operations.

With Sourcetree, you can perform Git operations with a few clicks such as committing, pushing, and pulling without having to use the command line. It is only available for Windows and MacOS but not for Linux. However, the users can try SourceTree on Linux using Wine but there is no assurance the tool will work properly. Also, learn- Why to Use Graphical User Interface For Version Control Git.

Key Differences between GitHub and Sourcetree

1. Purpose: GitHub is a tool with various different features, however, its primary job is to provide a web-based platform for version control and collaboration. This is exactly the opposite when it comes to the Sourcetree Desktop app, its key job is to provide only a graphical interface so that the users can easily work with Git repositories either hosted locally or not on some other platforms such as Gitlab or GitHub.

2. User interface: GitHub offers a web-based graphical interface that can be easily accessed anywhere in the world with the help of the Internet. Whereas the GUI of SoruceTree is only meant to access on the Desktop where it has been installed. Also, the Interface of SourceTree is more intuitive and provides a better representation of repositories and code as compared to GitHub which gives a minimal but clear view of codes.

3. Collaboration: GitHub provides a platform for collaboration and makes it easy for multiple developers to work together on a project. But this same is not true for Sourcetree as it focuses on individual Git operations, hence there is no scope for team collaboration.

4. Features: In terms of features, GitHub offers a wide range which includes issue tracking, collaboration, pull requests, and wikis. Sourcetree provides a more limited set of features to manage Repos, but it makes it easier to perform common Git operations.

5. Cost: GitHub is a repository hosting platform that is freemium, which means it has both free and paid plains as per the user’s requirements for features. Sourcetree is a free Desktop tool with all the features a Git GUI tool should offer.

Which one is right for you?

Choosing between GitHub and SourceTree depends on the user’s specific needs and the requirements of a project. For those who want a web-based collaboration and GIT version control platform to streamline their workflow, GitHub is the better option. Moreover, if you have all your repositories only on GitHub then the GitHub Desktop GUI app is also available to work more efficiently and have a better experience as compared to its Web UI.

If you are looking for a GUI tool to make your working with Git easier or have plans to work with exclusively Bitbucket or a mixture of repositories hosted on GitHub, GitLab, and Microsoft Visual Studio Team Services, the Sourcetree Desktop app is the better option to choose.

In conclusion,  both GitHub and Sourcetree are quite essential tools for developers and teams. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer who is working with Git and want to improve workflow these two tools can help greatly to streamline your projects.