Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Magit VS TortoiseGit

Compare Magit VS TortoiseGit and see what are their differences

Magit logo Magit

Front-end to the git revision control system for emacs.

TortoiseGit logo TortoiseGit

TortoiseGit is an easy to use client for the Git distributed revision control system.
  • Magit Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13
  • TortoiseGit Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-25

Magit features and specs

  • Integration
    Seamless integration with Emacs, making it convenient for Emacs users to use Git without leaving their text editor.
  • Efficiency
    Highly efficient as it provides numerous keybindings and shortcuts that allow for rapid Git operations.
  • Interactive Interface
    Interactive and intuitive visual interface for performing Git tasks, which helps with a better understanding of Git operations.
  • Documentation
    Excellent documentation and tutorials are available, making it easier for new users to learn and use the tool effectively.
  • Customizability
    Highly customizable, allowing users to tailor the workflow and functionality to fit their individual needs.
  • Community Support
    Strong community support, providing numerous plugins and extensions to enhance functionality.

Possible disadvantages of Magit

  • Learning Curve
    Steeper learning curve for users who are not already familiar with Emacs, which can be a barrier to entry.
  • Dependency
    Requires knowledge and use of Emacs, which may not be appealing or feasible for all users.
  • Complexity
    The extensive feature set and configurability can be overwhelming for beginners.
  • Speed
    May not be as fast as command-line Git for certain operations, especially in very large repositories.
  • Platform Limitation
    Primarily designed for Emacs, thus limiting its use to environments where Emacs is available and optimal.

TortoiseGit features and specs

  • Integration with Windows File Explorer
    TortoiseGit integrates directly into the Windows File Explorer, allowing users to access Git commands via the context menu. This makes it convenient for users to manage repositories without the need for a separate Git client.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    It provides a graphical user interface that is easier for beginners to use compared to the command line, making Git operations more approachable for users who may not be comfortable with terminal commands.
  • Comprehensive Logging
    TortoiseGit offers detailed logs and history views, which can help users track changes, understand commits, and revert to previous states more intuitively.
  • Drag-and-Drop Support
    Users can perform various Git operations such as adding and moving files using simple drag-and-drop actions within the File Explorer.
  • Various Git Operations
    It supports a wide range of Git operations including diffing, merging, branch management, and more, all from the context menu in Windows Explorer.

Possible disadvantages of TortoiseGit

  • Windows Only
    TortoiseGit is designed specifically for Windows and does not run on other operating systems, which limits its use for developers working on macOS or Linux.
  • Complex Configuration
    Initial setup and configuration can be complex, especially for users who are not familiar with Git or Windows shell integration. This could be a barrier to entry for some users.
  • Performance Impact
    Because it integrates deeply with the Windows File Explorer, TortoiseGit can sometimes lead to slower performance or responsiveness issues in the Explorer, especially with large repositories.
  • Not Always Up-to-Date
    TortoiseGit may not always have the latest Git features as soon as they are released, potentially lagging behind the command-line Git client in terms of new functionalities.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic operations are user-friendly, more advanced features and Git commands may still require a steep learning curve and deeper understanding of Git principles.

Magit videos

Magit Introduction and Demonstration

More videos:

  • Review - Emacs Magit - The Git Commit Flow in More Detail - Emacs Doom 19
  • Review - Git in Spacemacs/Emacs with Magit

TortoiseGit videos

Reverting Incorrect Git Commits #2. Perform revert commit with TortoiseGIT. Review Changes

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Install TortoiseGit..? What is TortoiseGit..? Why Use TortoiseGit..?
  • Tutorial - TortoiseGit Tutorial 3: git add (staging) , commit and push

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Magit and TortoiseGit)
Git
23 23%
77% 77
Git Tools
17 17%
83% 83
Git Client
100 100%
0% 0
Code Collaboration
17 17%
83% 83

User comments

Share your experience with using Magit and TortoiseGit. 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 Magit and TortoiseGit

Magit Reviews

Best Git GUI Clients for Windows
Magit is not a separate Git desktop client – it is a free plugin with an original text-based interface. It is implemented as a GNU Emacs package to use on Windows, Mac, and Linux. The plugin allows the developers to perform the necessary version control tasks directly in the Emacs window.
Source: blog.devart.com

TortoiseGit Reviews

Best Git GUI Clients of 2022: All Platforms Included
There are tools such as TortoiseGitMerge that help resolve conflicts and lets you see the changes you made to your files. It has a spell checker to log messages and auto-completion for keywords and paths. It’s also available in 30 different languages.
Boost Development Productivity With These 14 Git Clients for Windows and Mac
You are free to use TortoiseGit with any development programs that you prefer since it is not an IDE-specific integration for Eclipse, Visual Studio, and so on. It is perfect for large-scale DevOps projects since you can also integrate the tool with issue tracking systems.
Source: geekflare.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, TortoiseGit should be more popular than Magit. It has been mentiond 32 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.

Magit mentions (6)

  • Tig: Text-Mode Interface for Git
    There're multiple solutions like this and I've used some of them over the past years. - There's obviously the fantastic Magit (https://github.com/magit/magit) I did use this for a long time but recently switched over to LazyGit for the better Vim bindings and having more features - LazyGit (https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit). One thing that I added that (as far as I know) none of the others have and I... - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • What is the best possible solution for file history?
    If you use magit, it has magit-wip-mode to automatically commit changes to tracked files in working and index trees into wip refs per branch. Source: over 2 years ago
  • What does your workflow look like on Linux?
    Magit because it's a great git frontend. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Let's share your top 3 packages that you can't live without.
    Without any order magit, lispy and minions. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Link to a git commit from Org mode using Magit | THIS IS EMACS
    Do you believe me if I tell you that with Org mode the data we refer To in a link can be a buffer in magit-revision-mode (from magit Package) showing us a specific commit of some git repository? Source: about 3 years ago
View more

TortoiseGit mentions (32)

  • I don't know why so many devs avoid a GUI for Git
    Sadly TortoiseGit[1] is only available for Windows :( git-cola[2] is a decent stand-in for TG's commit review window though. [1]: https://tortoisegit.org/ [2]: https://git-cola.github.io/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Suggestions for portfolio projects.
    TortoiseGit Sourcetree Git kraken Some times you need to compare to files you can do this with the notpad++ compare plugin or with Meld. Source: about 2 years ago
  • GIT GUI tool or command line?
    Instead on my PC I use TortoiseGit. Most useful for the git log (as a graph), diff with previous versions,, filter files to commit by directory and ability to exclude files from the current commit, and most of all; ease of splitting a commit for each single file into parts by ability to "restore after commit" which allows you to edit a file before the commit and have it automatically restored to the pre-commit... Source: about 2 years ago
  • TexStudio - git integration for easy committing?
    If running TeXStudio in Windows, my personal preference is to keep the automatic check-in disabled and to use the manual one (File -> SVN/git -> Check in); this allows an individual commit message with the briefer abstract line, empty line, and the longer report. Perhaps it is less exhaustive then a proper git client (in Windows e.g., tortoise), yet TeXStudio' GUI and integrated version control allows to resolve... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Git-SIM: Visually simulate Git operations in your own repos with a single termi
    > We now have a large selection of tools that allow you to visualize what's going on (I use git-kraken), as well as google for help on doing something that isn't in muscle memory. Git Kraken is excellent, though Git has a page on various GUIs, many of which are free with no restrictions: https://git-scm.com/downloads/guis Personally, on Windows I like SourceTree: https://www.sourcetreeapp.com/ Some that have... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Magit and TortoiseGit, 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...

SourceTree - Mac and Windows client for Mercurial and Git.

tig - TIG Software Updates & Expansions. Download the most up-to-date, innovative software solutions for your TIG welder instantly to a memory card for enhanced performance.

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

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

Fork - Fast and Friendly Git Client for Mac