Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GitHub Desktop Plus VS GitHub Desktop

Compare GitHub Desktop Plus VS GitHub Desktop and see what are their differences

GitHub Desktop Plus logo GitHub Desktop Plus

A GitHub Desktop fork with advanced functionality and Bitbucket, GitLab integration. - pol-rivero/github-desktop-plus

GitHub Desktop logo GitHub Desktop

GitHub Desktop is a seamless way to contribute to projects on GitHub and GitHub Enterprise.
  • GitHub Desktop Plus Landing page
    Landing page //
    2026-06-01
  • GitHub Desktop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-02

GitHub Desktop Plus features and specs

  • Branch protection and safety features
    GitHub Desktop Plus adds branch protection rules that prevent accidental force pushes and other destructive operations on important branches, which is not available in the standard GitHub Desktop application.
  • Built on top of official GitHub Desktop
    Since it is a fork of the official GitHub Desktop client, it inherits all the familiar UI, stability, and features that users already know, while adding extra functionality on top.
  • Additional power-user features
    GitHub Desktop Plus includes features aimed at more advanced Git users, such as improved diff viewing, cherry-picking enhancements, and other workflow improvements that the official client lacks.
  • Open source and community-driven
    The project is open source, allowing users to inspect the code, contribute improvements, and customize the application to their needs. Community contributions help drive feature development.
  • Free to use
    Like the original GitHub Desktop, GitHub Desktop Plus is completely free, making it an accessible option for developers who want enhanced Git GUI functionality without paying for commercial tools like GitKraken or Sublime Merge.

Possible disadvantages of GitHub Desktop Plus

  • Potential lag behind upstream updates
    As a fork of GitHub Desktop, it may not always be immediately up to date with the latest changes and bug fixes from the official repository, potentially leading to delays in receiving upstream improvements.
  • Smaller community and support base
    Compared to the official GitHub Desktop, this fork has a much smaller user base, meaning fewer people are available to help with issues, report bugs, or contribute to development.
  • Possible stability concerns
    Additional features and modifications introduced in the fork may not undergo the same level of testing as the official GitHub Desktop, potentially introducing bugs or stability issues.
  • Limited documentation
    Being a smaller community project, the documentation for the additional features and differences from the official client may be less comprehensive or harder to find compared to the well-documented official GitHub Desktop.
  • Risk of project abandonment
    As a community-maintained fork, there is always a risk that the maintainer could lose interest or become unavailable, potentially leaving the project without updates or security patches.

GitHub Desktop features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    GitHub Desktop offers a clean, intuitive GUI that simplifies the Git process, making it accessible for beginners and less technical users.
  • Seamless GitHub Integration
    The application is tightly integrated with GitHub, allowing users to easily clone repositories, create branches, and submit pull requests directly through the desktop interface.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    GitHub Desktop is available on both Windows and macOS, offering a consistent experience across these major operating systems.
  • Simplifies Workflow
    Features like drag-and-drop to add files, visual diff tools, and easy branching help streamline the workflow for users.
  • Collaborative Features
    The app provides useful collaborative tools such as reviewing changes, creating requests, and viewing history, enhancing team productivity.

Possible disadvantages of GitHub Desktop

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While GitHub Desktop is great for basic tasks, it lacks advanced features found in other Git clients like GitKraken or the command line.
  • Dependency on GitHub
    The app is deeply integrated with GitHub, which can be limiting for users who want to interact with repositories hosted on other platforms like GitLab or Bitbucket.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users report performance issues when dealing with large repositories or a significant number of files, which can hinder productivity.
  • Customization Limitations
    GitHub Desktop offers limited customization options compared to other Git clients or the command line, which may be a drawback for power users.
  • Offline Limitations
    Certain features of GitHub Desktop require an internet connection to interact with GitHub, limiting its usability in offline scenarios.

Analysis of GitHub Desktop Plus

Overall verdict

  • GitHub Desktop is a solid, free, and beginner-friendly Git client that simplifies version control with an intuitive graphical interface, making it a good choice for those who prefer visual workflows over command-line operations.

Why this product is good

  • Free and open-source, backed by GitHub and Microsoft
  • Intuitive graphical interface that lowers the barrier to entry for Git beginners
  • Seamless integration with GitHub repositories and pull request workflows
  • Visual diff viewer makes reviewing changes easy
  • Cross-platform support for Windows and macOS
  • Simplifies common tasks like branching, committing, and merging

Recommended for

  • Beginners learning Git and version control
  • Developers who prefer a visual interface over the command line
  • Teams already using GitHub for collaboration
  • Open-source contributors managing pull requests
  • Users who want a lightweight, no-cost Git client

GitHub Desktop Plus videos

No GitHub Desktop Plus videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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GitHub Desktop videos

GitHub Desktop 2.0 -- Easy Mode Version Control

More videos:

  • Review - GitHub Desktop Quick Intro For Windows
  • Tutorial - Git and GitHub for Beginners: GitHub basics, and how to use GitHub Desktop

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GitHub Desktop Plus and GitHub Desktop)
Git
2 2%
98% 98
Code Collaboration
3 3%
97% 97
Git Tools
3 3%
97% 97
Git Client
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GitHub Desktop Plus and GitHub Desktop

GitHub Desktop Plus Reviews

We have no reviews of GitHub Desktop Plus yet.
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GitHub Desktop Reviews

Best Git GUI Clients of 2022: All Platforms Included
Creating branches and switching to existing ones isnโ€™t a hassle, so is merging code with the master branch. Furthermore, you can track your changes with GitHub Desktop. Check out our detailed guide on how to use GitHub for more detailed information.
Boost Development Productivity With These 14 Git Clients for Windows and Mac
GitHub Desktop is the global standard for working with Git-related tasks in a graphical user interface (GUI). It is an open-source tool and hence completely free to use for all sorts of projects. It is available for both Windows and macOS desktops and laptops.
Source: geekflare.com
Best Git GUI Clients for Windows
GitHub Desktop is, perhaps, the most famous solution for working with Git in a visual interface. It is familiar to all developers keeping their repositories on GitHub (Git repository hosting service used for version-controlling IT projects). This free Git GUI is open-source, transparent, and functional. When you consider the Git graphical interface for Windows, GitHub...
Source: blog.devart.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GitHub Desktop seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 136 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GitHub Desktop Plus mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of GitHub Desktop Plus yet. Tracking of GitHub Desktop Plus recommendations started around Jun 2026.

GitHub Desktop mentions (136)

  • You too can Git it: A beginners guide to connecting Git and GitHub
    Optional: You can also download GitHub Desktop (https://desktop.github.com) if you prefer a GUI version, but this guide focuses on Git Bash to understand the basics. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • How to Fix the Issue of Not Being Able to View Your GitHub Account on Other Devices
    Download the latest version from the GitHub Desktop website. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • 12 Steps to Organize and Maintain Your Python Codebase for Beginners
    Iโ€™m not going to dive into Git commands here โ€” you can find plenty of tutorials online. If youโ€™re not a fan of using the plain terminal CLI, you can also manage repositories with tools like GitHub Desktop or SourceTree, which provide a more visual, intuitive interface. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • File Governance and Versioning in Corticon BRMS
    Using terminal commands isnโ€™t necessary for basic adoption of Git with Corticon Studio files, though. There are various tools that will allow us to bypass the command line when defining rules, including the built-in Eclipse plugin for Git version control. If youโ€™ll be storing your assets on GitHub, though, an even easier solution is GitHub Desktop, a free desktop software that GitHub offers. It can be used in... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • An Introduction to Nix for Ruby Developers
    Nix currently is akin to git's "porcelain": powerful but esoteric. However, much like git evolved into exoteric, user-friendly tools such as git-flow, GitHub Desktop, and Tower to become user-friendly, many developers are building abstractions, wrappers, and utilities to simplify Nix usage. Let's briefly look at a few of these tools now. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing GitHub Desktop Plus and GitHub Desktop, you can also consider the following products

SmartGit - SmartGit is a front-end for the distributed version control system Git and runs on Windows, Mac OS...

GitKraken - The intuitive, fast, and beautiful cross-platform Git client.

SourceTree - Mac and Windows client for Mercurial and Git.

Fork - Fast and Friendly Git Client for Mac

GitQlient - Multi-platform Git client written with Qt.

TortoiseGit - TortoiseGit is an easy to use client for the Git distributed revision control system.