GitHub Desktop is a native Git client for Mac OS X and Windows with a graphical user interface.

GitHub Desktop vs TortoiseGit Comments

- GitHub Desktop is Free and Open Source
TortoiseGit is not available for Mac but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on macOS with similar functionality. The best free Mac alternative is GitHub Desktop, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to TortoiseGit and loads of them are free and available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Mac alternatives to TortoiseGit are Sourcetree, SmartGit, GitKraken and Gittyup.
GitHub Desktop is a native Git client for Mac OS X and Windows with a graphical user interface.


A powerful Mac and Windows client for Mercurial and Git distributed version control systems.




TortoiseGit is a lightweight shell integration, while SourceTree is a full blown GUI client. All of the same Git functionality is present, but the way it is provided is entirely different.


SmartGit is a front-end for the distributed version control system Git and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. SmartGit is intended for developers who prefer a graphical user interface over a command line client, to be even more productive with Git.




Millions of developers and teams around the world choose GitKraken Client to make Git more visual and accessible with an intuitive UI, the flexibility to switch between a GUI or a terminal, and a seamless experience across operating systems.


Haven't integration with Nautilus, but is a very nice tool for manage git repositories with excellent interface, integration with GitHub, Bitbucket and more, very good for admin flow of git (branches, commits, 2+ remote repositories, a so on).
Missing features, like cherry pick, discard lines, blocks from staged files, etc...





Modern graphical Git client featuring advanced tooling, support for GitHub, GitLab, Codeberg, detailed project popout views, dynamic workflow automation, and extensive theme customization for enhanced adaptability and user-driven workflow management.



Ultra-fast Git terminal UI built in Zig offering line and hunk staging, interactive rebases, diff previews, DAG history, multi-selection, customizable themes, background fetch, and non-blocking operations for a streamlined, keyboard-first Git workflow.




GitAhead lets you filter results and performs advanced searches. It shows you exactly what you need to see and makes navigating through thousands of commits a piece of cake.




Native Git client for macOS, Windows, and Linux featuring advanced merge conflict resolution with automated patterns, AI-powered pull request and commit message tools, visual diff and image diff viewing, hunk-level staging, integrated GitHub PR review, CLI, and VS Code extension.




GitButler is a new Source Code Management system designed to manage your branches, record and backup your work, be your Git client, help with your code and much more. Our focus is everything after writing code in your editor and before sharing it on GitHub.

This is an up-to-date fork of GitHub Desktop, with many quality of life improvements and advanced features for power users.


Can not mimic the more advanced functionality that Tortoise or other Git client GUIs