Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GitHub Desktop VS Octotree

Compare GitHub Desktop VS Octotree and see what are their differences

GitHub Desktop logo GitHub Desktop

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

Octotree logo Octotree

Github on steroids
  • GitHub Desktop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-02
  • Octotree Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-17

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.

Octotree features and specs

  • Enhanced Navigation
    Octotree provides a sidebar with a file tree that makes it easier to navigate large codebases on GitHub. This helps developers quickly locate the files and directories they need without having to scroll through pages or manually search.
  • Code Review Efficiency
    With Octotree, code review becomes more efficient as it allows reviewers to quickly see the structure of the repository. This feature aids in understanding the context of code changes and accelerates the review process.
  • Collapsibility
    Octotree's file tree can be collapsed and expanded, offering a customizable view. Users can focus on relevant sections of the codebase while keeping the interface clean and organized.
  • Compatibility
    This tool is compatible with major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, making it accessible to a wide range of users regardless of their preferred browsing platform.
  • Integration with GitHub
    Octotree integrates directly with GitHub's interface, allowing users to maintain their existing workflow without needing to switch between different applications or tools.

Possible disadvantages of Octotree

  • Limited to GitHub
    Octotree is specifically designed for GitHub, meaning users who work on other platforms like GitLab or Bitbucket may not find this tool useful.
  • Performance Overhead
    While generally optimized, Octotree can sometimes introduce performance overheads, especially when navigating very large repositories or on less powerful machines.
  • Potential Security Concerns
    As with any browser extension, there is a potential risk regarding data privacy and security. Users need to trust that Octotree handles permissions and security responsibly.
  • Dependency on External Tool
    Relying on an external tool means that if Octotree experiences downtime or bugs, it could disrupt a developer's workflow until the issues are resolved.
  • Subscription Cost
    While there is a free version available, advanced features require a subscription, which might be a drawback for individuals or teams with limited budgets.

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

Octotree videos

NewBee Drone BeeBrain Lite FPV - OctoTree

More videos:

  • Review - Octotree Timelapse Drawing w/ Ohuhu Markers

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GitHub Desktop and Octotree)
Git
97 97%
3% 3
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Code Collaboration
100 100%
0% 0
Software Development
67 67%
33% 33

User comments

Share your experience with using GitHub Desktop and Octotree. 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 Octotree

GitHub Desktop Reviews

Best Git GUI Clients of 2022: All Platforms Included
Creating branches and switching to existing ones isn’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

Octotree Reviews

112 Best Chrome Extensions You Should Try (2021 List)
Octotree makes it easy for GitHub users to review code and intuitively explore Github. Using it would make you say – This should be the standard version of Github. Why is it so? Due to features such as IDE-like code tree, dark mode, private repositories, code themes, multiple tabs, code font settings, sidebar docking, and much more.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GitHub Desktop seems to be a lot more popular than Octotree. While we know about 135 links to GitHub Desktop, we've tracked only 1 mention of Octotree. 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 (135)

  • 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 / 5 months ago
  • 12 Steps to Organize and Maintain Your Python Codebase for Beginners
    I’m not going to dive into Git commands here — you can find plenty of tutorials online. If you’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 / 7 months ago
  • File Governance and Versioning in Corticon BRMS
    Using terminal commands isn’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 you’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 / 8 months 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 / 9 months ago
  • Make your first contribution on github easily
    1.Download the github desktop. 2.Open the first contribution repository. 3.Open the github app and clone the repository. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
View more

Octotree mentions (1)

What are some alternatives?

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

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

Astral - A social network for augmented reality 📍

SourceTree - Mac and Windows client for Mercurial and Git.

GitHub Polls - Polls for GitHub issues and readme

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

devhub - DevHub is a white label technology platform used by brands and companies to win digital marketing.