Compare · Sourcetree
Nori vs Sourcetree: what a paid client adds.
Sourcetree is Atlassian’s free Git client for Mac and Windows, and the first Git GUI for many developers. Nori costs money, so the question is what it adds: conflicts resolved in the app, pull requests reviewed in the app, undo and AI. Sourcetree keeps submodules, Git LFS and older Macs.
Price
Sourcetree is free. Nori is US$40 once after a 14-day trial, every update included.
Merge conflicts
Sourcetree resolves a file with mine or theirs, or hands it to an external merge tool. Nori resolves conflicts in a three-way view, line by line, with the result in view.
Measured side by side
On the same Mac, Nori loaded git/git in 1.7 s and Sourcetree in 4.6 s; at rest, Nori held 83 to 99 MB and Sourcetree 143 to 146 MB.
Pull requests
Sourcetree creates pull requests on Bitbucket and Azure DevOps. Nori reviews them in the app on GitHub and GitLab: line comments, approvals, CI checks and merge.
Feature by feature
| Nori | Sourcetree | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$40 once for 2 Macs, every update included. 14-day free trial. | Free. |
| Platforms | Mac only: macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon. | Mac (macOS 10.15 or later) and Windows. |
| Built with | Swift, SwiftUI and AppKit. Diffs render in the system’s WebKit; no bundled browser engine. | A native Mac app, per its release notes; native on Apple silicon since 4.1.6. |
| 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. |
| Merge conflicts | Built-in three-way resolver with the result in view, and AI suggestions per conflict. | Resolve with mine or theirs, or in an external merge tool. |
| Undo | ⌘Z after a commit, a branch deletion, a stash drop or a discard, with a 30-day operations log. | Not documented. |
| Blame and file history | Yes, blame and file history that follows renames. | Yes. |
| Worktrees | Lists, opens, finishes and removes worktrees, and shows the agent working in each. Creating one is not offered yet. | No management. |
| Submodules | No. | Yes. |
| Git LFS | No dedicated support. | Yes. |
| Pull requests | Reviewed in the app: read the conversation, comment on lines, approve or request changes, follow and re-run CI checks, merge. | Create pull requests on Bitbucket and Azure DevOps; reviewing in the app is not documented. |
| Forges | GitHub, GitHub Enterprise and GitLab. | Bitbucket and Azure DevOps for pull requests; GitHub sign-in for cloning. |
| 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. | Not documented. |
| Analytics | No product analytics in the app; it contacts Nori only for trial and licence checks. | Removed from the Mac app in 4.0 (2019). |
| Account | None. An email starts the trial and holds the licence. | Optional on Mac since 4.0; the setup wizard connects Bitbucket. |
Nori vs Sourcetree, measured
Same Mac, same repositories, median of three runs, measured on 7 October 2026. How it was measured
git/git
- Nori99 MB
- Sourcetree143 MB
microsoft/vscode
- Nori83 MB
- Sourcetree146 MB
git/git
- Nori1.7 s
- Sourcetree4.6 s
microsoft/vscode
- Nori1.7 s
- Sourcetree3.4 s
git/git
- Nori0.1 %
- Sourcetree0.2 %
microsoft/vscode
- Nori0.1 %
- Sourcetree0.3 %
- Nori31 MB
- Sourcetree168 MB
Choose Sourcetree if
- You want a free Git client.
- You need Windows, an Intel Mac or a macOS older than 26.
- Your repositories use submodules or Git LFS.
- Your team works in Bitbucket, or you still have Mercurial repositories.
Choose Nori if
- You resolve merge conflicts often and want to do it in the app.
- You review GitHub or GitLab pull requests, with CI checks, and want to stay out of the browser.
- You want ⌘Z for commits, branch deletions and discards.
- You want AI commit messages and explanations through the agent CLI you already use.
Switching from Sourcetree
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. Your bookmarks list does not move over: add each repository once from Nori’s home screen.
Sources
Sourcetree facts come from its own website and documentation, checked on 7 October 2026. Nori facts are for Nori 1.8.0.
Sourcetree is a trademark of its owner. Nori is not affiliated with Sourcetree or its owner. Something out of date or unfair? Write to [email protected] and we will correct it.