Compare · GitKraken
Nori vs GitKraken: a native Mac app instead of Electron.
GitKraken Desktop is a cross-platform Git client built on Electron, with a free plan for public repositories and paid plans for private ones. Nori is a native Mac app, bought once. GitKraken reaches more platforms and forges; Nori holds about a tenth of the memory in our measurements.
Memory
With a large repository open, GitKraken held 900 to 932 MB at rest on our test Mac and Nori 83 to 99 MB. GitKraken also kept 6 to 7 % of a core busy while idle.
Price
GitKraken is free for local and public repositories; private repositories need a paid plan, Pro listed at $120 per seat per year, with first-year discounts at times. Nori is US$40 once, private repositories included.
AI
GitKraken AI needs a paid subscription and uses GitKraken’s hosted models or your own API key. Nori uses the agent CLI you already have, with no key to paste.
Reach
GitKraken runs on Windows, Linux and Intel Macs, and integrates Bitbucket and Azure DevOps. Nori is Mac only, for GitHub and GitLab.
Feature by feature
| Nori | GitKraken | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$40 once for 2 Macs, every update included. 14-day free trial. | Free for local and public repositories. Pro listed at $120 per seat per year; Advanced and Business above. 14-day Pro trial. |
| Platforms | Mac only: macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon. | Mac (macOS 12 or later, Intel and Apple silicon), Windows and Linux. |
| Built with | Swift, SwiftUI and AppKit. Diffs render in the system’s WebKit; no bundled browser engine. | Electron. |
| Staging | Files, folders, hunks and single lines. | Files, hunks and lines. |
| Interactive rebase | Yes, with a plan editor: pick, reword, edit, squash, fixup, drop. | Yes; on the free plan, public repositories only. |
| Merge conflicts | Built-in three-way resolver with the result in view, and AI suggestions per conflict. | Built-in merge tool; on the free plan, public repositories only. AI conflict resolution on paid plans. |
| Undo | ⌘Z after a commit, a branch deletion, a stash drop or a discard, with a 30-day operations log. | ⌘Z for the most recent checkout, commit, discard, branch deletion, reset or rebase, and redo. |
| Blame and file history | Yes, blame and file history that follows renames. | Yes; on the free plan, public repositories only. |
| Worktrees | Lists, opens, finishes and removes worktrees, and shows the agent working in each. Creating one is not offered yet. | Create, switch, lock and remove; on the free plan, public repositories only. |
| Submodules | No. | Yes. |
| Git LFS | No dedicated support. | Yes; on the free plan, public repositories only. |
| Pull requests | Reviewed in the app: read the conversation, comment on lines, approve or request changes, follow and re-run CI checks, merge. | Create, review, comment on and merge pull requests. Self-managed services need Advanced. |
| Forges | GitHub, GitHub Enterprise and GitLab. | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure DevOps. |
| AI | Commit messages, explanations, conflict suggestions and pull request descriptions through the agent CLI you already use (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor). No API key. | GitKraken AI on paid plans: hosted models with credits, or your own API key. Also runs agent sessions. |
| Analytics | No product analytics in the app; it contacts Nori only for trial and licence checks. | Its privacy policy describes usage analytics, folder and file names and crash reports. |
| Account | None. An email starts the trial and holds the licence. | Asks you to sign in or create an account at first launch; required for paid plans. |
Nori vs GitKraken, measured
Same Mac, same repositories, median of three runs, measured on 7 October 2026. How it was measured
git/git
- Nori99 MB
- GitKraken900 MB
microsoft/vscode
- Nori83 MB
- GitKraken932 MB
git/git
- Nori1.7 s
- GitKraken10.3 s
microsoft/vscode
- Nori1.7 s
- GitKraken9.1 s
git/git
- Nori0.1 %
- GitKraken5.9 %
microsoft/vscode
- Nori0.1 %
- GitKraken7.1 %
- Nori31 MB
- GitKraken633 MB
Choose GitKraken if
- You need Windows, Linux, an Intel Mac or a macOS older than 26.
- You work only on public repositories and want a free app.
- Your team uses Bitbucket or Azure DevOps, or GitKraken’s cloud workspaces.
- Your repositories use submodules or Git LFS.
Choose Nori if
- You want a native Mac app that stays around 100 MB with a large repository open.
- You work on private repositories and would rather pay once than every year.
- You want AI without a vendor account, credits or an API key.
- You want pull request review, CI checks and merge on GitHub or GitLab next to the history.
Switching from GitKraken
Nothing to import or convert. Nori opens the repositories already on your Mac with your own Git, its configuration, hooks and SSH keys, so you can keep both apps on the same folders while you try it. There is no workspace to recreate: Nori opens each repository as a tab in one window.
Sources
GitKraken facts come from its own website and documentation, checked on 7 October 2026. Nori facts are for Nori 1.8.0.
GitKraken is a trademark of its owner. Nori is not affiliated with GitKraken or its owner. Something out of date or unfair? Write to [email protected] and we will correct it.