--- {"title": "GitHub Desktop vs GitUI in 2026: Pricing, Setup and Features", "description": "GitHub Desktop and GitUI compared on what each does, what each costs, how each is installed and what to check before you choose.", "url": "https://saydeploy.com/github-desktop-vs-gitui/", "date": "2026-10-30"} --- GitHub Desktop and GitUI compared on what each does, what each costs, how each is installed and what to check before you choose. GitHub Desktop's page describes stashing changes and reordering commits [^1] [^1]. The GitUI facts available for this page describe GitHub's own offerings, not the GitUI app, so GitUI's project page is the place to check its features. RepoYeti shows the branch, the number of changed files and the ahead or behind count for every repo under the folders you add [^2]. | Option | What its sources describe | Price | Install | |---|---|---|---| | GitHub Desktop | Stashing without a commit [^1]; drag and drop to cherry-pick, squash or reorder commits [^1]; comparing versions to review changes [^1] | Not published | Not published | | GitUI | Facts supplied describe GitHub's own offerings, not the app [^3] | Not published | Not published | | RepoYeti | Live repo grid [^2]; commit graph [^2]; undo [^2] | Free for noncommercial use; US$79 per installation for commercial use [^2] | Binary from GitHub Releases, or clone and run with Bun 1.1 or newer [^2] | ## The short answer GitHub Desktop lets you stash changes, which means setting them aside, without committing them to a branch [^1]. It also lets you drag and drop to cherry-pick, which means copying one commit onto another branch, as well as squash or reorder commits [^1]. The GitUI facts for this page describe GitHub's own offerings, not the GitUI app, so this page says little about what GitUI does. RepoYeti shows the branch, changed files and ahead or behind count for each repo under the folders you add [^2]. It also draws a commit graph with lanes, merges and tags [^2]. On needs, GitHub Desktop's page covers stashing changes without committing them to a branch [^1] and drag and drop to cherry-pick, squash or reorder commits [^1]. RepoYeti shows the incoming commits, the files they touch and any conflicts before you pull [^2]. ## What GitHub Desktop and GitUI are built for GitHub Desktop lets you stash changes without committing them to a branch [^1]. Its page says you can drag and drop to cherry-pick, squash, or reorder commits [^1]. The GitUI facts supplied for this page are about GitHub's own offerings. GitHub offers Copilot for Business, with enterprise-grade AI features [^3]. GitHub Sponsors is a program that funds open source developers [^3]. The same page describes GitHub's enterprise offering as an AI-powered developer platform [^3]. None of these facts say what the GitUI application does, so check its project page before you decide. ## What RepoYeti is built for RepoYeti is made by the team that publishes this site. It shows the branch, the number of changed files and the ahead or behind count for every repo under the folders you add, and it updates when files change on disk [^2]. It draws a commit graph with lanes, merges and tags, and loads it in pages so large repos open quickly [^2]. Before you pull, it shows the incoming commits, the files they touch and any conflicts they would cause [^2]. It shows diffs between HEAD and the working tree in the editor used in VS Code, side by side or inline, and lets you edit and save files [^2]. `repoyeti undo` and `repoyeti redo` undo or redo the last git action, such as a commit, pull or branch switch, and refuse a rebasing pull or a cherry-pick [^2]. You can select many repos and pin, star, hide, remove, pull or push them all at once [^2]. ## Pricing and fees The GitHub Desktop facts here do not state a price, so its price is not published on this page. The GitUI facts here do not state a price for the app either. RepoYeti is free for noncommercial use [^2]. Commercial use costs US$79 per installation, meaning per machine running the background service, as a perpetual licence with 12 months of updates [^2]. No features are locked or time-limited under the free licence or a paid one [^2]. It is licensed under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0, a source-available license with a noncommercial restriction [^2]. ## Setting it up and daily use The facts here do not describe how GitHub Desktop is installed or set up, so check its download page for those steps. The GitUI facts here do not describe its installation either. You can install RepoYeti by downloading a single binary from GitHub Releases, or by cloning the repo and running it with Bun 1.1 or newer [^2]. Prebuilt binaries are available for Windows x64, Linux x64 and macOS on Apple Silicon [^2]. You open the dashboard in any browser, including on Android or iPhone [^2]. `repoyeti start --tunnel` opens a Cloudflare tunnel and prints a QR code so you can open the dashboard on your phone, and cloudflared must be installed separately [^2]. The dashboard can be installed to a phone's home screen as an app, and it reconnects after the phone wakes from sleep [^2]. The smart commit feature splits working-tree changes into scoped commits with messages, which you approve, edit or discard [^2]. It uses your own API key for Groq, OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, OpenRouter or DeepSeek [^2]. ## Things to check before you choose Ask which tasks you do most. GitHub Desktop's page covers stashing, cherry-picking, squashing and reordering commits [^1] [^1]. Check what GitUI does for you. The facts available for this page do not describe the app, so read its project page before you decide. Check your operating system. RepoYeti has prebuilt binaries for Windows x64, Linux x64 and macOS on Apple Silicon [^2]. Check your licence if you use it at work. RepoYeti is under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0 [^2], and commercial use costs US$79 per installation [^2]. Check how AI keys are used. The smart commit feature needs your own API key [^2]. Check remote access too: the phone tunnel needs cloudflared installed separately [^2]. ## How to choose - If you want to set changes aside without committing them to a branch, GitHub Desktop's page describes stashing [^1]. - If you want to drag and drop commits to cherry-pick, squash or reorder them, GitHub Desktop's page describes that [^1]. - If you want diffs between HEAD and the working tree side by side or inline in the editor used in VS Code, RepoYeti's claims describe that [^2]. - If you want one view of many repos with branch, changed files and ahead or behind count, RepoYeti's claims describe that [^2]. - If you want to see incoming commits and conflicts before you pull, RepoYeti's claims describe that [^2]. - If you want to undo the last git action, RepoYeti's claims describe that [^2]. - For GitUI, the facts here do not describe its features, so this page cannot match it to a need. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is GitHub Desktop free to use? The facts here do not state a price for GitHub Desktop, so its price is not published on this page. Its page says it lets users stash changes without committing them to a branch [^1]. Check its download page for current terms before you rely on it for paid work. ### What does commercial use of RepoYeti cost? Commercial use costs US$79 per installation, meaning per machine running the background service, as a perpetual licence with 12 months of updates [^2]. Noncommercial use is free [^2]. No features are locked or time-limited under either licence [^2]. ### How do you install RepoYeti? You can download a single binary from GitHub Releases, or clone the repo and run it with Bun 1.1 or newer [^2]. Prebuilt binaries are available for Windows x64, Linux x64 and macOS on Apple Silicon [^2]. The dashboard opens in any browser, including on Android or iPhone [^2]. ### Does GitUI stash changes or reorder commits? The GitUI facts available for this page do not describe what the GitUI app does, so they cannot answer that question. The facts supplied describe GitHub's own offerings, such as Copilot for Business [^3]. Read the GitUI project page for its features before you decide between the two tools. ### How does RepoYeti's smart commit feature use AI? The smart commit feature splits working-tree changes into scoped commits with messages, which you approve, edit or discard [^2]. It uses your own API key, a secret code from the AI service, for Groq, OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, OpenRouter or DeepSeek [^2]. Free for noncommercial use; commercial use costs US$79 per installation (per machine running the daemon), a perpetual licence with 12 months of updates. [^2] - [Visit RepoYeti](/go/start-repoyeti) ## Sources [^1]: GitHub Desktop, desktop.github.com, read 2026-10-07 (https://desktop.github.com/) [^2]: RepoYeti's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start-repoyeti) [^3]: GitUI, github.com/gitui-org/gitui, read 2026-10-20 (https://github.com/gitui-org/gitui)