Compare · Tower
Nori vs Tower: one purchase instead of a yearly plan.
Tower is a mature native Git client for Mac and Windows, sold per user per year. Nori is a younger native client for Mac only, bought once. Both run AI through the agent CLIs you already have. Tower covers more of Git and more forges; Nori reviews GitHub and GitLab pull requests inside the app.
Price
Tower Basic is $69 per user per year and Pro $129, with a 30-day trial; access ends when the subscription does. Nori is US$40 once, every update included.
Reach
Tower runs on Mac and Windows, from macOS 14, and integrates GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps and Gitea. Nori is Mac only, on Apple silicon with macOS 26, for GitHub and GitLab.
AI, the same way
Since Tower 16, Tower writes commit messages through Claude Code or Codex. Nori does too, and also explains commits, suggests conflict resolutions and drafts pull request descriptions.
Git coverage
Tower manages submodules, Git LFS, worktree creation, Git-flow, the reflog and SSH or GPG keys. Nori does not, yet.
Feature by feature
| Nori | Tower | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$40 once for 2 Macs, every update included. 14-day free trial. | Subscription per user per year: Basic $69, Pro $129, Enterprise above. 30-day trial; free for students and non-profits. |
| Platforms | Mac only: macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon. | Mac (macOS 14 or later) and Windows. |
| Built with | Swift, SwiftUI and AppKit. Diffs render in the system’s WebKit; no bundled browser engine. | Native: Objective-C and Swift on Mac. |
| 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. | Conflict Wizard. |
| Undo | ⌘Z after a commit, a branch deletion, a stash drop or a discard, with a 30-day operations log. | Yes, ⌘Z for many actions. |
| 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. | Create, check out and manage. |
| 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, merge, close and check out pull requests, and comment on their conversation. Line comments and approvals are not documented. Self-hosted services need Pro. |
| Forges | GitHub, GitHub Enterprise and GitLab. | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, Gitea and Forgejo. |
| 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. | Commit messages through Claude Code or Codex. |
| Analytics | No product analytics in the app; it contacts Nori only for trial and licence checks. | Analytics and crash reports only if you agree to them. |
| Account | None. An email starts the trial and holds the licence. | None to use the app: a licence key and an email. |
Choose Tower if
- You need Windows, an Intel Mac or a macOS older than 26.
- Your repositories use submodules or Git LFS.
- You work on Bitbucket, Azure DevOps or a self-hosted Gitea.
- You rely on Git-flow, stacked branches or a team plan with central billing.
Choose Nori if
- You want to pay once rather than every year.
- You review and merge GitHub or GitLab pull requests, with CI checks, without opening the browser.
- You want AI beyond commit messages: explanations, conflict suggestions, pull request descriptions.
- You work on an Apple silicon Mac and want a small app: 31 MB installed.
Switching from Tower
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. Tower’s ⌘Z habit carries over: Nori undoes commits, branch deletions and discards the same way.
Sources
Tower facts come from its own website and documentation, checked on 7 October 2026. Nori facts are for Nori 1.8.0.
Tower is a trademark of its owner. Nori is not affiliated with Tower or its owner. Something out of date or unfair? Write to [email protected] and we will correct it.