GitButler

A Git client that lets you work on several branches at once in one working directory, with full undo.

Verified facts: 5 of 5
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About GitButler

GitButler is a newer Git client from a company co-founded by GitHub co-founder Scott Chacon. Its central idea is parallel branches: instead of checking out one branch at a time, you keep several applied in the same working directory and drag each change into the lane for the branch it belongs to, then commit and push each one separately. It also supports stacked branches that depend on each other, records an operation timeline so nearly anything can be undone, and treats merge conflicts as something you can leave and fix later rather than a blocking state. AI features can draft commit messages and help supervise coding agents working in parallel. It ships as a desktop app built with Tauri and Rust plus a CLI, on macOS, Windows and Linux. The client is free to use. The source is public under the Functional Source License, a fair-source licence that converts to MIT after two years, so it is not open source in the strict sense.

Best for: Developers who juggle several small branches or stacked pull requests at the same time.

What works

Parallel and stacked branches without switching checkouts
Operation timeline makes undo easy
Free desktop app and CLI on all three platforms

Why people leave

Different mental model takes time to learn
Source-available licence, not OSI open source
Younger product, still changing quickly

Top GitButler alternatives

See all 5

1
Tower
Supports stacked branches inside a conventional, mature client with paid support.
66.5
2
lazygit
A fast terminal client with undo, if you prefer the normal one-branch-at-a-time model.
62.6
3
GitKraken Desktop
A familiar graph-first client with AI features and agent session views.
59.6
4
Retcon
Mac-only tool that matches GitButler's easy commit rewriting and undo.
57.2
5
GitHub Desktop
Simpler free client with the standard branch model, for less complex work.
55.3

Why people left GitButler

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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GitButler: common questions

Is GitButler free?

Yes, GitButler is free to use.

Is GitButler open source?

No, GitButler is not open source. Open-source alternatives include lazygit and GitHub Desktop.

What platforms does GitButler run on?

GitButler is available for macOS, Windows and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to GitButler?

The highest-ranked GitButler alternatives right now are Tower, lazygit and GitKraken Desktop. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 GitButler alternatives

GitButler facts

5 of 5 verified

License: FSL-1.1-MIT (fair source); Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “Functional Source License, Version 1.1, MIT Future License”
Parallel branches: Yes (virtual branches); Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.gitbutler.com(opens source in a new tab); “We refer to our independent branches as "virtual" branches and our dependent branches as "stacked" branches.”
Interfaces: Desktop app and CLI; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.gitbutler.com(opens source in a new tab); “We ship a desktop GUI client and a CLI that work together.”
Undo: Operation timeline; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.gitbutler.com(opens source in a new tab); “It also keeps a timeline so that you can easily undo any operation.”
Tech: Tauri, Svelte and Rust; Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “Tech The GitButler desktop app is a Tauri -based application.”