Free Jujutsu (jj) alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

5 of the 5 Jujutsu (jj) alternatives we track can be used for free (free, open source, or with a free plan). Fossil, Mercurial and Unity Version Control rank highest, with facts last verified Nov 8, 2026.

Quick comparison

#	App	Pricing	Verified price	Open source	Platforms	Verified facts	Score
1	FoFossil	Open source	—	Yes	Windows, macOS, Linux +1	5 of 5	79.8
2	Mercurial	Open source	—	Yes	Windows, macOS, Linux	4 of 4	68.8
3	Unity Version Control	Free plan + paid	—	No	Windows, macOS, Linux +1	6 of 6	61.8
4	PiPijul	Open source	—	Yes	Linux, macOS, Windows	5 of 5	42.3
5	Sapling SCM	Open source	—	Yes	macOS, Linux, Windows	5 of 5	42.3

Fo
1. FossilTop pick
Best for: Small teams and solo developers who want code, tickets and wiki in one self-hosted file
Open sourceSelf-hostableWindows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted
79.8
score / 100
Why switch from Jujutsu (jj)
Single-binary DVCS that bundles a wiki, tickets and web UI, if you don't need Git compatibility.
Pros
Bug tracker, wiki, forum and web UI built into the repository
Single executable and SQLite storage make install and backup easy
Light enough to self-host on a cheap VPS or Raspberry Pi
Permissive 2-clause BSD licence
Cons
Small community and few third-party tools or integrations
Mainstream code hosts only support it through a Git mirror
Deliberately limits history rewriting, which Git users may miss
Visit Fossil Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.387
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.15100
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Fossil a good Jujutsu (jj) alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
License
2-clause BSD
Checked Nov 8, 2026fossil-scm.org(opens source in a new tab)
Built-in tools
Bug tracking, wiki, forum, chat
Checked Nov 8, 2026fossil-scm.org(opens source in a new tab)
Install
Single executable
Checked Nov 8, 2026fossil-scm.org(opens source in a new tab)
Storage
SQLite database
Checked Nov 8, 2026fossil-scm.org(opens source in a new tab)
Platforms
Linux, Mac, Windows
Checked Nov 8, 2026fossil-scm.org(opens source in a new tab)
2. Mercurial
Best for: Teams that want distributed version control with a simpler, safer command line than Git
Open sourceWindows, macOS, Linux
68.8
score / 100
Why switch from Jujutsu (jj)
Mature distributed VCS with a similarly friendly command set and extensions like changeset evolution.
Pros
Consistent, smaller command set that is easier to learn
Powerful features stay opt-in through extensions
Full local history makes most operations fast and offline
Free software under the GPLv2 or later
Cons
GitHub and GitLab.com don't host Mercurial repositories
Far smaller ecosystem of GUIs, integrations and tutorials than Git
Fewer developers already know it, so onboarding takes more effort
Visit Mercurial Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.3100
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Mercurial a good Jujutsu (jj) alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
License
GPLv2 or later
Checked Nov 8, 2026mercurial-scm.org(opens source in a new tab)
Type
Distributed source control
Checked Nov 8, 2026mercurial-scm.org(opens source in a new tab)
Local history
Every clone has full history
Checked Nov 8, 2026mercurial-scm.org(opens source in a new tab)
Extensions
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026mercurial-scm.org(opens source in a new tab)
3. Unity Version Control
Best for: Small and mid-size game studios that want artist-friendly version control for big assets
Free plan + paidWindows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted
61.8
score / 100
Why switch from Jujutsu (jj)
Graphical VCS for game teams with big binary assets and file locking, which jj doesn't handle.
Pros
Free tier with three seats to start
Separate workflows for programmers and artists in one repo
Cloud-hosted or on-premises deployment
Cons
Per-seat and storage charges grow as the team grows
Smaller ecosystem and user base than Git outside games
Product direction depends on Unity's wider business
Visit Unity Version Control Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.377
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Unity Version Control a good Jujutsu (jj) alternative?
Verified facts
6 of 6 verified
Free plan
3 seats and 5 GB-hour storage
Checked Nov 8, 2026unity.com(opens source in a new tab)
File locking
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026unity.com(opens source in a new tab)
Large files
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026unity.com(opens source in a new tab)
Formerly
Plastic SCM
Checked Nov 8, 2026unity.com(opens source in a new tab)
On-prem seats
$38 per seat
Checked Nov 8, 2026unity.com(opens source in a new tab)
Included storage
25 GB a month, then $0.10/GB up to 100 GB
Checked Nov 8, 2026unity.com(opens source in a new tab)
Pi
4. Pijul
Best for: Developers curious about patch-based version control with cleaner merges than three-way merge
Open sourceLinux, macOS, Windows
42.3
score / 100
Why switch from Jujutsu (jj)
Patch-based model where conflicts are first-class and resolutions never need redoing.
Pros
Changes commute, so cherry-picks and merges stay consistent
Resolved conflicts stay resolved across branches
Partial clones of large repositories
Free software under GPL 2.0 or later
Cons
Still a 1.0 beta release
Small ecosystem: few GUIs, hosts or CI integrations compared with Git
No official Windows binaries; installation is mainly through Cargo
Visit Pijul Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.312
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Pijul a good Jujutsu (jj) alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
License
GPL 2.0 or later
Checked Nov 8, 2026pijul.org(opens source in a new tab)
Model
Patch-based
Checked Nov 8, 2026pijul.org(opens source in a new tab)
Partial clones
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026pijul.org(opens source in a new tab)
Install
cargo install (1.0 beta)
Checked Nov 8, 2026pijul.org(opens source in a new tab)
Hosting
The Nest
Checked Nov 8, 2026pijul.org(opens source in a new tab)
5. Sapling SCM
Best for: Git users who work with stacks of small commits and want easier amend, undo and review flows
Open sourcemacOS, Linux, Windows
42.3
score / 100
Why switch from Jujutsu (jj)
Another Git-compatible client focused on stacked commits and easy undo, from Meta.
Pros
Works with existing Git repositories and GitHub
Stacked commits restack automatically after amends
Undo, unamend and hide make mistakes easy to recover from
Local web UI with drag-and-drop rebasing
Cons
Server and virtual filesystem for huge repos are not public
Git support may still have rough edges, per its own docs
Design favours rebase-based, always-online workflows
Visit Sapling SCM Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.312
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Sapling SCM a good Jujutsu (jj) alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
License
GPL-2.0
Checked Nov 8, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Git support
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026sapling-scm.com(opens source in a new tab)
Developer
Meta
Checked Nov 8, 2026sapling-scm.com(opens source in a new tab)
Install on macOS
Homebrew
Checked Nov 8, 2026sapling-scm.com(opens source in a new tab)
Web UI
Interactive Smartlog (sl web)
Checked Nov 8, 2026sapling-scm.com(opens source in a new tab)

Quick comparison

1. FossilTop pick

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

2. Mercurial

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

3. Unity Version Control

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

4. Pijul

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

5. Sapling SCM

Pros

Cons

Verified facts