Fork vs Tower
Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial
Fork
A fast, native Git client for Mac and Windows from a two-person team, sold for a one-time price.
Tower
A polished paid Git client for Mac and Windows with undo, drag and drop and stacked-branch workflows.
The short answer
Pick Fork if you want a fast, capable Git client for Mac and Windows with a one-time licence and no subscription. Pick Tower if you use Git all day and want undo for most actions, advanced features such as worktrees and stacked branches, and a well-supported product, and accept an annual fee. Both are polished native clients; the biggest difference is a one-off purchase against a subscription.
Fork or Tower: our take
Fork and Tower are both commercial Git clients for macOS and Windows, with no Linux version. Fork, made by a husband-and-wife team, is popular because it feels quick even on big repositories and keeps a familiar layout: commit list and graph on top, changes and diff below. It covers line-by-line staging, visual interactive rebase, a merge-conflict helper, blame, file history, image diffs, reflog recovery, Git-flow, Git LFS and GitHub notifications. Tower, from a small German company, aims to expose almost everything Git can do: interactive rebase, worktrees, submodules, Git LFS, a conflict wizard and drag and drop for merging, rebasing and cherry-picking. Its signature feature is undo with Cmd+Z for most actions, including deleted branches and commits. Tower Pro adds stacked branches, custom workflows, Graphite support and connections to self-hosted GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure DevOps servers.
Pricing is the main difference. Fork costs $59.99 one-time after a free evaluation, and the licence covers one user on up to 3 machines across Mac and Windows. Tower is a per-user annual subscription, starting at $69 per user/year for Basic and $129 per user/year for Pro, with a 30-day trial and free licences for students and educators. Tower's licence also covers both Mac and Windows.
There are trade-offs beyond price. Fork has no team licence management or enterprise features, and as a small team its niche features arrive slowly. Tower has no free tier, and self-hosted server support requires Pro, but it offers Enterprise plans and its makers publish a free Git book, video course and cheat sheets.
Individuals and small teams who dislike subscriptions and want speed will be well served by Fork. Professionals and companies who want the safety net of undo, advanced workflows and managed licensing will find Tower worth the recurring cost.
Which should you pick?
Choose Fork if…
- Developers who want a fast, native Git GUI without a subscription
- Feels fast and responsive on large repositories
- One-time licence covers Mac and Windows
Choose Tower if…
- Professional developers on Mac or Windows who want a deep, well-supported Git GUI
- Undo for most actions, including deleted commits and branches
- Covers advanced Git features like worktrees and stacked branches
About each app
What is Fork?
Fork is a Git client built by a husband-and-wife team, with a native app on macOS and a separate native app on Windows. It is popular because it feels quick even on big repositories and keeps a familiar layout: commit list and graph on top, changes and side-by-side diff below. It covers the features most people need, including line-by-line staging, visual interactive rebase, a merge-conflict helper, blame, file history, image diffs, reflog recovery, Git-flow, Git LFS and GitHub notifications. Fork can be downloaded and evaluated for free, but a licence must be bought for long-term use. That licence is a single one-time payment that covers one user on up to three machines across Mac and Windows. There is no Linux version and no team admin console. Small teams and individuals who dislike subscriptions often settle on Fork after trying heavier clients.
What is Tower?
Tower is a long-running commercial Git client made by a small German company, available on macOS and Windows under one licence. It aims to expose almost everything Git can do through a tidy native interface: interactive rebase, worktrees, submodules, Git LFS, a conflict wizard and drag and drop for merging, rebasing and cherry-picking. Its signature feature is undo with Cmd+Z for most actions, including deleted branches and commits. Pro adds stacked branches, custom workflows, Graphite support for code review and connections to self-hosted GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure DevOps servers. Pricing is a per-user annual subscription in Basic, Pro and Enterprise tiers, with a 30-day trial of Pro and free licences for students and teachers. There is no free plan and no Linux version. The makers also publish a free Git book, video course and cheat sheets. It suits professionals who use Git all day and want a careful, well-supported tool, provided they accept a recurring fee.
Side by side
| Attribute | Fork | Tower |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows | macOS, Windows |
| Best for | Developers who want a fast, native Git GUI without a subscription | Professional developers on Mac or Windows who want a deep, well-supported Git GUI |
| Status | Active | Active |
Verified facts, compared
Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.
| Fact | Fork | Tower |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS and Windows | macOS and Windows |
Fork vs Tower pricing
Platforms
| Platform | Fork | Tower |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | ||
| macOS |
Fork facts
4 of 4 verified- Price
- $59.99 one-time, free evaluation
- Checked Oct 25, 2026git-fork.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Download Fork for Mac OS X 10.11+ $59.99 , free evaluation”
- Platforms
- macOS and Windows
- Checked Oct 25, 2026git-fork.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “fast and friendly git client for Mac and Windows”
- Licence terms
- One user on up to 3 machines
- Checked Oct 25, 2026git-fork.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “License key may be used by one user on up to 3 machines at a time on both Mac and Windows operating systems.”
- Interactive rebase
- Yes, visual
- Checked Oct 25, 2026git-fork.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Interactive Rebase Edit, reorder and squash your commits using visual interactive rebase.”
Tower facts
5 of 5 verified- Starting price
- $69 per user/year (Basic)
- Checked Oct 25, 2026git-tower.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “All plans include versions for Mac and Windows Basic For individuals $ 69”
- Pro price
- $129 per user/year
- Checked Oct 25, 2026git-tower.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Pro For professionals & small teams $ 129”
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Checked Oct 25, 2026git-tower.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Download our latest version and try Tower completely free for 30 days - no credit card required!”
- Education
- Free for students and educators
- Checked Oct 25, 2026git-tower.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Koen Bok — CEO at Framer Free for Students and Educators”
- Platforms
- macOS and Windows
- Checked Oct 25, 2026git-tower.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “All plans include versions for Mac and Windows”
Pros and cons of Fork
- Feels fast and responsive on large repositories
- One-time licence covers Mac and Windows
- Visual interactive rebase and a good merge-conflict helper
- No Linux version
- Small team, so niche features arrive slowly
- No team licence management or enterprise features
Pros and cons of Tower
- Undo for most actions, including deleted commits and branches
- Covers advanced Git features like worktrees and stacked branches
- One licence covers both Mac and Windows
- Subscription only, with no free tier
- No Linux version
- Self-hosted server support requires the Pro tier
Other apps to consider
SourcetreeInstead of Fork
Free, with a similar layout and features, if you can live with slower performance.
GitKraken DesktopInstead of Fork
Cross-platform including Linux, with hosting-service integrations built in.
RetconInstead of Tower
Mac-only, but goes further on fast history rewriting with drag and drop and undo.
Fork vs Tower: common questions
Is Fork better than Tower?
Pick Fork if you want a fast, capable Git client for Mac and Windows with a one-time licence and no subscription. Pick Tower if you use Git all day and want undo for most actions, advanced features such as worktrees and stacked branches, and a well-supported product, and accept an annual fee. Both are polished native clients; the biggest difference is a one-off purchase against a subscription.
Is Fork free?
No. Fork is paid, though it may offer a trial.
Is Tower free?
No. Tower is paid, though it may offer a trial.
Is Fork or Tower open source?
Neither is open source.
Which platforms do Fork and Tower support?
Fork: macOS and Windows. Tower: macOS and Windows.