Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GitHub Desktop VS Appliku

Compare GitHub Desktop VS Appliku and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

GitHub Desktop logo GitHub Desktop

GitHub Desktop is a seamless way to contribute to projects on GitHub and GitHub Enterprise.

Appliku logo Appliku

Deploy Django and Python apps on servers you own. We manage the servers, you just push code.
  • GitHub Desktop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-02
  • Appliku Application Overview
    Application Overview //
    2026-07-12
  • Appliku Database stats
    Database stats //
    2026-07-12
  • Appliku Team Overview
    Team Overview //
    2026-07-12

Appliku is the managed Heroku alternative for teams that want to own their infrastructure.

Deploy Django, Python, Rails, and Node apps to a server you own, on any cloud, with the same push-to-deploy workflow you'd get from a hosted platform.

Connect a GitHub or GitLab repo and Appliku handles the rest: Docker builds, Nginx, automatic SSL via Let's Encrypt, managed PostgreSQL and Redis, and background workers (Celery). Every git push ships with zero-downtime restarts.

GitHub Desktop

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

Appliku

$ Details
freemium $10.0 / Monthly (Hobby, 1 Server, Unlimited deployments)
Platforms
Linux
Release Date
2019 April
Startup details
Country
Serbia
State
Vojvodina
City
Novi Sad
Employees
1 - 9

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.

Appliku features and specs

  • Git Push to Deploy
    Push to GitHub or GitLab and Appliku builds and ships your app with zero-downtime restarts. No manual server steps.
  • Servers You Own, Fully Managed
    Your app runs on your own Linux server on any cloud. Appliku handles setup, updates, and keeping it healthy, so you never manage the server.
  • Managed Databases
    One-click PostgreSQL, Redis, RabbitMQ with automated backups, running on your own server.
  • Background and Scheduled Tasks
    Run Celery workers and beat, plus scheduled jobs, right alongside your web app.
  • Bring Your Own Cloud
    Deploy to DigitalOcean, AWS, Hetzner, Vultr, Linode, or any Ubuntu VPS. Fixed IP and root SSH whenever you want it.
  • Automatic HTTPS and Nginx
    SSL via Let's Encrypt and Nginx are configured and auto-renewed for you.
  • Live Heroku Migration
    Keep the same push-to-deploy workflow after leaving Heroku. On paid plans we migrate your first app live.

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

Appliku videos

How to Deploy Django to Production with Appliku

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GitHub Desktop and Appliku)
Git
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Hosting
0 0%
100% 100
Code Collaboration
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Computing
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing GitHub Desktop and Appliku.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Appliku's answer:

Against hosted platforms like Heroku, Render, Fly.io, and Railway, you keep control of cost and avoid lock-in because you own the server and pay your cloud provider directly, and your apps stay always on with no cold starts. Against self-hosted open-source tools like Coolify, Dokku, and Kamal, Appliku manages the platform and the server for you, so patching, backups, and deploys never become your job, and there is no control panel of ours running on your server. Support is direct and fast, often from the founder, and on any paid plan we migrate your first app live.

What makes your product unique?

Appliku's answer:

Appliku gives you the Heroku experience, git push to deploy, managed databases, automatic SSL, on a server you own instead of a platform you rent. You bring your own cloud account (DigitalOcean, AWS, Hetzner, or any VPS) and Appliku fully manages that server for you: setup, updates, and keeping it healthy. You get hosted-platform convenience without the hosted-platform cost, the lock-in, or the job of managing servers yourself.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Appliku's answer:

Django and Python teams, agencies, and technical founders who want to deploy and run web apps on servers they own without managing those servers themselves. It ranges from solo developers and early-stage startups to small and mid-size engineering teams, and it is an especially strong fit for teams leaving Heroku who want the same push-to-deploy workflow at a lower cost. FastAPI, Rails, and Next.js are supported too.

What's the story behind your product?

Appliku's answer:

Appliku started in 2019 to solve a problem its founder kept running into: developers love how easy Heroku makes deployment but dislike the cost and the lock-in, while going the do-it-yourself route on a raw VPS means taking on server management they never wanted. Appliku bridges the two: the push-to-deploy simplicity of a hosted platform, on infrastructure you own and control, with the servers fully managed for you.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Appliku's answer:

Appliku is built with Python and Django, using Django REST Framework for its API and Celery for background and scheduled tasks, backed by PostgreSQL and Redis. It runs in Docker on Linux. Appliku deploys and hosts itself using Appliku, on a server we own, so the platform runs on exactly the same stack and workflow we give our customers.

User comments

Share your experience with using GitHub Desktop and Appliku. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

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

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

Appliku Reviews

  1. Great for a beginner

    Makes it easy to deploy without binding you to some start-up-company servers. All hosted on Amazon in my case.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GitHub Desktop should be more popular than Appliku. 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 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
View more

Appliku mentions (54)

  • Django is for everyone.
    Unfortunately, this is the main downside of choosing Django over other options targeted at personal websites. With Blaze.horse, Iโ€™ve tried to set you up for an easy time, but itโ€™s still fiddlier than it ought to be. There are some up-and-coming projects that give me hope, such as Button and Appliku, but Iโ€™m personally happy with Fly for now. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Logs of Celery Tasks
    Also you can watch logs for current processes without logging into SSH. Check it out: https://appliku.com. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Django api deployment (python 3.11 supported)
    I'm using https://appliku.com/ for my deployments. They have a free tier and it set's up everything for you but you need to be using docker. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Any exciting projects/tools
    For 4 years I am grinding on making the best deployment tool for python/Django apps. Still excited about it :) https://appliku.com. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Using NextJS for templates a sensible choice?
    We at https://appliku.com went with NextJS + DRF (drf-spectacular, open api codegen) and it is amazing. Source: about 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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

DigitalOcean - Simplifying cloud hosting. Deploy an SSD cloud server in 55 seconds.

SourceTree - Mac and Windows client for Mercurial and Git.

Coolify - An open-source, hassle-free, self-hostable Heroku & Netlify alternative.

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

Zeabur - Deploy painlessly and scale infinitely with just one click