MerathonAlternative
A free and open source alternative to GitKraken
GitKraken Desktop's free plan is limited to local repositories and public remotes: access to private repositories starts with the Pro plan. Merathon is a graphical Git client under the MIT license, free for all repositories, public or private, on Linux and Windows.
GitKraken and Merathon at a glance
| Criterion | GitKraken Desktop | Merathon |
|---|---|---|
| Private repositories | From the Pro plan, paid | Free |
| License | Proprietary | Open source (MIT) |
| Systems | Linux, Windows, macOS | Linux, Windows, WSL |
| Integrated forges | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and others | GitHub, GitLab.com, self-hosted GitLab |
Information checked on on GitKraken's pricing page. Plans can change: check them before you choose.
This page is written by the author of Merathon.
What you will find in Merathon
- The graph: local branches, remote branches and tags, with a solo mode that shows only the branches you choose.
- Graphical interactive rebase: reorder, rename, squash or delete commits, with a timeline of the steps.
- Pull requests and merge requests: creation, line-by-line review, CI, approval and merge without leaving the application.
- Precise staging: by file, by block or line by line.
- Worktrees: each branch in its own folder and its own tab.
- Per-folder profiles: one identity, account and SSH key per projects folder, with the native
includeIfrule.
When to stay on GitKraken
Merathon does not replace GitKraken in every case. Stay on GitKraken if you work on macOS or if your team uses Bitbucket. Here are all of Merathon's current limits:
- No macOS version: Merathon runs on Linux, Windows and WSL.
- GitHub and GitLab only: Bitbucket and Azure DevOps are not integrated.
- x86_64 architecture only, and glibc 2.35 or later on Linux (Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12 or more recent).
- The Windows installers are not signed yet: on first launch, you need to click "More info" then "Run anyway".
- Pull requests from a fork are not retrieved by the remote's fetch: you view their diff in the browser.
Moving from GitKraken to Merathon
- Download and install Merathon from the releases page.
- Open your existing repositories: they are ordinary Git repositories, there is nothing to convert.
- Add your GitHub or GitLab account, by browser login or with a token. It is stored in the system keyring.
Nothing stops you from keeping both programs while you compare: they read the same repositories.
Frequently asked questions
Is GitKraken free?
Yes, but only for local repositories and public remotes. For private repositories, you need at least the Pro plan.
Is Merathon really free for private repositories?
Yes. Merathon is under the MIT license, with no paid plan or limit on private repositories, including for professional use.
Does Merathon work on macOS?
No. Merathon is available on Linux, Windows and WSL. On macOS, you need another client.
Do I need to create an account to use Merathon?
No. A GitHub or GitLab account is only used for forge features, such as pull requests. For a local repository, no login is needed.