Free Sapling SCM alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

5 of the 5 Sapling SCM alternatives we track can be used for free (free, open source, or with a free plan). Fossil, Jujutsu (jj) and Mercurial 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	74.4
2	Jujutsu (jj)	Open source	—	Yes	Windows, macOS, Linux	5 of 5	68.8
3	Mercurial	Open source	—	Yes	Windows, macOS, Linux	4 of 4	64.8
4	PiPijul	Open source	—	Yes	Linux, macOS, Windows	5 of 5	61.8
5	Perforce P4	Free plan + paid	$39 per user/month (Cloud, billed monthly)	No	Windows, macOS, Linux +1	6 of 6	57.5

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
74.4
score / 100
Why switch from Sapling SCM
All-in-one VCS with built-in wiki, tickets and web UI for small teams that self-host.
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 ×0.369
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 Sapling SCM 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. Jujutsu (jj)
Best for: Developers who want a simpler, safer workflow while still pushing to Git hosts
Open sourceWindows, macOS, Linux
68.8
score / 100
Why switch from Sapling SCM
Git-compatible VCS with automatic rebasing and an operation log for undo, with a very active community.
Pros
Works on existing Git repos, so teammates don't have to switch
Operation log makes any command undoable
Conflicts can be recorded and resolved later instead of blocking a rebase
Free and Apache 2.0 licensed
Cons
Command-line only, with GUI support coming from third-party tools
No Git submodule or Git LFS support yet
New concepts take time to learn for long-time Git users
Visit Jujutsu (jj) 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 Jujutsu (jj) a good Sapling SCM alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
License
Apache-2.0
Checked Nov 2, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Git compatible
Yes, uses a Git repo backend
Checked Nov 8, 2026jj-vcs.github.io(opens source in a new tab)
Platforms
Windows, Mac, Linux
Checked Nov 8, 2026jj-vcs.github.io(opens source in a new tab)
Git LFS
Not supported
Checked Nov 8, 2026jj-vcs.github.io(opens source in a new tab)
Submodules
Not supported
Checked Nov 8, 2026jj-vcs.github.io(opens source in a new tab)
3. Mercurial
Best for: Teams that want distributed version control with a simpler, safer command line than Git
Open sourceWindows, macOS, Linux
64.8
score / 100
Why switch from Sapling SCM
Sapling grew out of Mercurial; Mercurial is the mature, widely packaged original with its own hosts.
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 ×0.387
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 Sapling SCM 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)
Pi
4. Pijul
Best for: Developers curious about patch-based version control with cleaner merges than three-way merge
Open sourceLinux, macOS, Windows
61.8
score / 100
Why switch from Sapling SCM
Patch-based VCS where changes commute, for people who want to rethink merging entirely.
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 ×0.377
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 Pijul a good Sapling SCM 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. Perforce P4
Best for: Game and media studios versioning large binary assets with locking and fine-grained access control
Free plan + paidWindows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted
57.5
score / 100
Why switch from Sapling SCM
Centralised version control built for huge monorepos and binary assets, common in game studios.
Pros
Handles very large repos and binary files well
Exclusive file locking prevents asset overwrites
Native integrations with Unreal Engine, Unity and Visual Studio
Cons
Paid licences beyond five users, priced through sales
Needs a central server to run or a paid hosted plan
Workflow and tooling differ from the Git ecosystem most developers know
Visit Perforce P4 Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.363
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 Perforce P4 a good Sapling SCM alternative?
Verified facts
6 of 6 verified
Free plan
Yes, up to 5 users
Checked Nov 8, 2026perforce.com(opens source in a new tab)
File locking
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026perforce.com(opens source in a new tab)
Unreal Engine integration
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026perforce.com(opens source in a new tab)
Deployment
On-premises or cloud
Checked Nov 8, 2026perforce.com(opens source in a new tab)
Starting price
$39 per user/month (Cloud, billed monthly)
Checked Nov 8, 2026perforce.com(opens source in a new tab)
Scale plan
Custom quote, billed annually
Checked Nov 8, 2026perforce.com(opens source in a new tab)

Quick comparison

1. FossilTop pick

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

2. Jujutsu (jj)

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

3. Mercurial

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

4. Pijul

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

5. Perforce P4

Pros

Cons

Verified facts