open sourceMITLocal★ 22kactive aug 2026
GitHub Desktop
A calm visual Git client that stops before workspaces become a product category.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-11
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Open Source)
- License
- MIT
- Hosting Model
- Local (on your machine)
- Platforms
- desktopone-click install
- Installation
- Official macOS ZIP or app, or Windows EXE or MSI; Homebrew and winget are also available
- Operational Setup
- Official builds are only for macOS and Windows; Linux requires a community fork
- Where Your Data Lives
- Repositories remain ordinary local Git folders; user settings and logs live under the OS application-data directory, with code sent only to configured remotes
- The Catch / Trade-off
- It deliberately omits GitKraken's multi-repository workspaces, issue dashboard, many integrations and team collaboration layer.
Replaces 2 paid apps
GitHub Desktop FAQ
Common questions
Is GitHub Desktop free and open source?+
GitHub Desktop is an open-source tool licensed under MIT that runs on local. A calm visual Git client that stops before workspaces become a product category.
What paid software does GitHub Desktop replace?+
GitHub Desktop serves as a free replacement for 2 paid SaaS applications: GitKraken, Tower.
How do you install and set up GitHub Desktop?+
Installation: Official macOS ZIP or app, or Windows EXE or MSI; Homebrew and winget are also available. Setup notes: Official builds are only for macOS and Windows; Linux requires a community fork
What is the catch or trade-off with GitHub Desktop?+
It deliberately omits GitKraken's multi-repository workspaces, issue dashboard, many integrations and team collaboration layer.