Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Tower VS Code Time

Compare Tower VS Code Time and see what are their differences

Tower logo Tower

Build Better Software. Over 100,000 developers and designers are more productive with Tower - the most powerful Git client for Mac and Windows.

Code Time logo Code Time

VS Code extension for automatic programming metrics
  • Tower
    Image date //
    2026-07-03
  • Tower Tower commit history
    Tower commit history //
    2026-07-03
  • Tower Tower pull requests management
    Tower pull requests management //
    2026-07-03
  • Tower Tower automatic branch management
    Tower automatic branch management //
    2026-07-03
  • Tower Tower stacked branches
    Tower stacked branches //
    2026-07-03

Recent releases have added some genuinely useful features. AI Commits let you generate commit messages and descriptions with one click, right from the commit area โ€” handy for when writing a good commit message is the last thing you feel like doing. Automatic Branch Archiving takes care of housekeeping by detecting stale or fully merged branches and archiving them for you, so your sidebar doesn't fill up with clutter over time.

For teams with their own conventions, Custom Git Workflows let you define a branching model from scratch โ€” trunk/topic branches, prefixes, merge strategies โ€” or start from templates like git-flow or GitHub Flow, with one-click "Start/Finish Feature" actions to guide you through it. Tower also has Graphite Integration built in, covering stack creation, restacking, PR submission, and merge queue support without leaving the app.

Two more additions support more advanced setups: Worktree Support, for checking out and working on multiple branches at once, and Stacked Branches, which track parent-child relationships between branches so you can work with stacked pull requests and restack a whole chain with a single action.

Rounding things out, Commit Templates let teams reuse commit message formats across a repository, with quick keyboard access when you need one.

  • Code Time Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-30

Tower

$ Details
paid Free Trial โ‚ฌ59 / Annually
Platforms
Windows MacOS Mac

Tower features and specs

  • Advanced Git Features
    It supports advanced Git features like submodules, interactive rebase, and stashing, which makes it powerful for experienced developers.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Tower is available for both macOS and Windows, providing a consistent experience across major operating systems.
  • Integration with Popular Services
    It integrates seamlessly with popular services like GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and others, enhancing workflow automation.
  • AI Commits
    Generate commit messages and descriptions using AI with a single click, right from the commit area
  • Automatic branch management
    Tower can automatically archive stale and fully merged branches, or let you do it manually with drag-and-drop. Branches are automatically labeled as "Fully Merged" or "Stale" with one-click deletion hints in the sidebar
  • Custom Git Workflows
    Define your own branching workflows from scratch: set trunk/base/topic branches, prefixes, merge strategies, and more
  • Start/Finish Feature Flow
    One-click "Start Feature" and "Finish Feature" actions guided by the configured workflow
  • Worktree Support
    Create, check out, and manage Git worktrees directly from Tower's sidebar, allowing multiple branches checked out simultaneously
  • Stacked Branches
    Tower tracks parent-child relationships between branches, enabling the Stacked Pull Requests workflow

Code Time features and specs

  • Productivity Tracking
    Code Time provides detailed analytics on your coding habits, helping developers track their productivity and identify patterns that can improve efficiency.
  • Integration
    The tool integrates seamlessly with popular code editors like VS Code, Sublime Text, and Atom, making it convenient to use without disrupting existing workflows.
  • Goal Setting
    It offers features like setting coding goals and measuring progress, which can motivate developers to stay on track and achieve their objectives.
  • Free Version
    Code Time offers a free version with ample features, making it accessible to individual developers and small teams who might have budget constraints.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Available on multiple platforms, Code Time allows developers to use it on their preferred operating systems, ensuring flexibility and ease of use.

Possible disadvantages of Code Time

  • Privacy Concerns
    Since Code Time tracks coding activity, there may be concerns regarding data privacy and how the information collected is used or stored.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    While the free version is robust, some advanced features are locked behind a paywall, which might deter users looking for a comprehensive free tool.
  • Potential Distractions
    The continuous tracking and notification features might become distracting for some developers, causing interruptions in focus during coding sessions.
  • Learning Curve
    New users may experience a learning curve as they navigate through the various features and settings, especially those unfamiliar with productivity tools.
  • Dependence on IDE
    Code Time is dependent on the use of supported integrated development environments (IDEs), potentially limiting its usefulness for developers who use less conventional coding setups.

Analysis of Tower

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Tower is highly regarded for its comprehensive set of features and ease of use. It effectively balances functionality with simplicity, making it a valuable tool for anyone who regularly works with Git.

Why this product is good

  • Tower (git-tower.com) is considered good because it provides a powerful yet user-friendly interface for managing Git repositories. It supports advanced Git features and workflows, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced developers. Tower offers visual conflict resolution, pull requests management, and integrations with popular services like GitHub, Bitbucket, and GitLab. Its cross-platform availability on macOS and Windows also broadens its usability.

Recommended for

    Tower is recommended for software developers and teams who need a robust and efficient graphical interface for Git. It's particularly useful for those who prefer a visual alternative to command-line Git management, as well as for development teams looking for a collaborative environment that integrates well with other tools in their workflow.

Tower videos

Get Started with Tower in 3 Minutes

Code Time videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Tower and Code Time)
Git
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100
Code Collaboration
100 100%
0% 0
Time Tracking
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Tower and Code Time

Tower Reviews

Boost Development Productivity With These 14 Git Clients for Windows and Mac
Tower Git Client helps you manage large development projects and is also ideal for projects that need scaling up. It is a premium git GUI client for Windows and macOS computers.
Source: geekflare.com

Code Time Reviews

We have no reviews of Code Time yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Code Time seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time 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.

Tower mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Tower yet. Tracking of Tower recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Code Time mentions (1)

  • How do you prevent PRs from getting stuck in your teams?
    There are some tools like software.com's devtools suite. It can surface all your throughput metrics as well as give you a "pending reviews" view to see what's waiting. You can also set it up to ping you with things sit around for too long. Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Tower and Code Time, you can also consider the following products

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

Waydev - Waydev analyzes your codebase from Github, Gitlab, Azure DevOps & Bitbucket to help you bring out the best in your engineers work.

SourceTree - Mac and Windows client for Mercurial and Git.

Timeneye - Time Tracking Software for Teams and Freelancers

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

GitPrime - GitPrime uses data from any Git based code repository to give management the software engineering metrics needed to move faster and optimize work patterns.