Sapling SCM

Meta's open-source source control client with stacked commits, smartlog and Git interop.

Open sourceVersion control systems

Updated Nov 7, 2026 · AppBreakup editorial · macOS, Linux, Windows

Visit Sapling SCM See 5 alternatives

Is Sapling SCM free?

Yes, free and open source

License:: GPL-2.0

Checked on Sapling SCM's site Nov 8, 2026

Switch from Sapling SCM to

All 5

Fo
Fossil
Open source
Jujutsu (jj)
Open source
Mercurial
Open source

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

About Sapling SCM

Sapling is the source control system Meta built for its huge internal monorepo and later released as open source. Its command-line client, called sl, can clone and push to ordinary Git repositories, so individual developers can use it with GitHub and other Git hosts. The focus is usability: a smartlog view shows your local commits at a glance, stacks of commits are restacked automatically when you amend one, and commands such as undo, unamend, hide and unhide make it easy to recover from mistakes. There is no detached HEAD state to worry about. Sapling also ships a local web interface, Interactive Smartlog, where you can drag and drop to rebase, plus editor extensions. It runs on macOS, Linux and Windows and is free under the GPL 2.0. The scalable server and virtual filesystem Meta uses internally are not publicly available, and the project says it is most polished for always-online, rebase-based monorepo workflows.

Best for: Git users who work with stacks of small commits and want easier amend, undo and review flows.

What works

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

Why people leave

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

Sapling SCM vs Fossil, Jujutsu (jj) and Mercurial

From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.

Attribute	Sapling SCM	Fossil	Jujutsu (jj)	Mercurial
Pricing	Open source	Open source	Open source	Open source
Verified price	—	—	—	—
Free plan	Free app	Free app	Free app	Free app
Open source	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Self-hostable	No	Yes	No	No
Platforms	macOS, Linux, Windows	Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux

Top Sapling SCM alternatives

See all 5

1Fo
Fossil
All-in-one VCS with built-in wiki, tickets and web UI for small teams that self-host.
74.4
2
Jujutsu (jj)
Git-compatible VCS with automatic rebasing and an operation log for undo, with a very active community.
68.8
3
Mercurial
Sapling grew out of Mercurial; Mercurial is the mature, widely packaged original with its own hosts.
64.8
4Pi
Pijul
Patch-based VCS where changes commute, for people who want to rethink merging entirely.
61.8
5
Perforce P4
Centralised version control built for huge monorepos and binary assets, common in game studios.
57.5

Why people left Sapling SCM

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

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Sapling SCM: common questions

What is Sapling SCM?

Sapling SCM: Meta's open-source source control client with stacked commits, smartlog and Git interop. Best for git users who work with stacks of small commits and want easier amend, undo and review flows. Available for macOS, Linux and Windows.

Is Sapling SCM free?

Yes. Sapling SCM is free, open-source software.

Is Sapling SCM open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at facebook/sapling.

What platforms does Sapling SCM run on?

Sapling SCM is available for macOS, Linux and Windows.

What are the best alternatives to Sapling SCM?

The highest-ranked Sapling SCM alternatives right now are Fossil, Jujutsu (jj) and Mercurial. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

Sapling SCM vs Fossil: what's the difference?

Both Sapling SCM and Fossil are free and open source. Both run on macOS, Linux and Windows.

See all 5 Sapling SCM alternatives

Sapling SCM facts

5 of 5 verified

License: GPL-2.0; Checked Nov 8, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “License: GPL-2.0 (GNU General Public License v2.0).”
Git support: Yes; Checked Nov 8, 2026sapling-scm.com(opens source in a new tab); “Integrate with Git Sapling client also supports cloning and interacting with Git repositories”
Developer: Meta; Checked Nov 8, 2026sapling-scm.com(opens source in a new tab); “source control system developed and used at Meta that places special emphasis on usability and scalability.”
Install on macOS: Homebrew; Checked Nov 8, 2026sapling-scm.com(opens source in a new tab); “brew install sapling”
Web UI: Interactive Smartlog (sl web); Checked Nov 8, 2026sapling-scm.com(opens source in a new tab); “web-based, graphical interface for working with your Sapling smartlog.”