Comparison

Which graphical Git client should you choose on Linux?

On Linux, neither Sourcetree, Fork nor GitHub Desktop has an official version. That leaves GitKraken and SmartGit, proprietary and paid for some uses, git-cola, which is free software, and Merathon, free, under the MIT license, with GitHub and GitLab pull requests built in.

By Julien Dudek, author of Merathon · published on 4 November 2026

Download Merathon See the demo

Graphical Git clients compared

This table covers the three questions that rule out a piece of software fastest: does it run on your machine, what does it cost for your use, and is its code open?

Seven graphical Git clients: supported systems, price and license
Software	Linux	Windows	macOS	Price	Open source
Merathon	Yes	Yes	No	Free	Yes (MIT)
GitKraken Desktop	Yes	Yes	Yes	Free for local repositories and public remotes, paid for private repositories	No
SmartGit	Yes	Yes	Yes	Free for personal non-commercial use, paid for professional use	No
git-cola	Yes	Yes	Yes	Free	Yes (GPL-2.0)
GitHub Desktop	Not officially	Yes	Yes	Free	Yes (MIT)
Sourcetree	No	Yes	Yes	Free	No
Fork	No	Yes	Yes	Paid license, with a free evaluation	No

Information checked on 3 November 2026 on the vendors' websites: GitKraken pricing, SmartGit pricing, git-cola repository, GitHub Desktop documentation, Sourcetree website and Fork website. Prices can change: check them before you choose.

This comparison is written by the author of Merathon. Merathon's limits are listed further down so you can judge for yourself.

How to choose

You work on private repositories and do not want to pay: look at Merathon or git-cola, or SmartGit for personal non-commercial use. GitKraken's free plan is limited to local repositories and public remotes.
You review pull requests all day: look at Merathon, GitKraken or SmartGit, which build them into the application.
You move between Linux and macOS: Merathon is not suitable, as it has no macOS version. Look at GitKraken, SmartGit or git-cola.
You use Bitbucket or Azure DevOps: Merathon only integrates GitHub and GitLab. Git itself works with any remote, but without pull request management.
You want to use your distribution's packages: git-cola is often available there, whereas Merathon is downloaded from its GitHub releases.

What Merathon brings on Linux

A light package: about 8 MB for the .deb, because the interface relies on the system's web engine (WebKitGTK).
A native Git engine in Rust: the interface stays smooth during a fetch or a rebase.
The system keyring: GitHub and GitLab tokens are stored in Secret Service when it is available.
A real terminal: a shell in the repository's folder, and the log that shows each action as a git command.
The complete workflow: interactive rebase, line-by-line staging, worktrees, per-folder profiles and guided SSH setup.

Install Merathon on Linux

Download the package of the latest version from the releases page, then, from the download folder:

sudo apt install ./Merathon_*_amd64.deb: Debian 12, Ubuntu 22.04 or more recent. WebKitGTK 4.1 is installed with the package.
chmod +x Merathon_*_amd64.AppImage && ./Merathon_*_amd64.AppImage: Other distributions with glibc 2.35 or later.

After that, the application updates itself: packages are signed and the signature is verified before installation.

Merathon's 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.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free Git client on Linux?

There is no single answer. For private repositories and pull requests in the same window, Merathon fits. For free software often available in distribution packages, git-cola is a good choice. Sourcetree, Fork and GitHub Desktop have no official Linux version.

Is Sourcetree available on Linux?

No. The Sourcetree website only offers Windows and macOS.

Does Merathon work on Fedora or Arch?

There is no dedicated package for these distributions. The AppImage is made for this case: you need glibc 2.35 or later and an x86_64 architecture.

Does Merathon work on WSL?

Yes. The .deb installs in the distribution and displays through WSLg, with Windows notifications. It is faster than opening a WSL repository from the Windows version.