GitHub Desktop vs Tower in 2026

Q: Is Tower free to use?

Tower's page says "Get Started: It's Free" . It also offers a 30-day Pro trial without limitations . The facts here give no price for a paid plan, so that price is not published here. Check Tower's own pages for what the free start includes after the trial.

Q: Does Tower work on Mac and Windows?

Tower's page calls it a Git client for Mac and Windows . It lists macOS and Windows support, including x64 and ARM downloads . Its page says Tower 18 for Mac and Tower 14.1 for Windows were both released on October 6, 2026 .

Q: Can GitHub Desktop or Tower undo a Git action?

Tower's page lists undo everything through Cmd+Z . The facts here do not mention an undo feature for GitHub Desktop, so check its own pages. RepoYeti has an undo and redo command for the last git action such as a commit, pull or branch switch, and it refuses a rebasing pull or a cherry-pick .

GitHub Desktop, Tower and RepoYeti compared on what each does, what each costs, how each is installed and what to check before you pick a Git app.

By SayDeploy · 2026-10-21

SayDeploy is published by LunarWerx, which makes some of the tools compared here.

GitHub Desktop lets users drag and drop to cherry-pick, squash or reorder commits ^[1]. Tower's page calls it a Git client for Mac and Windows ^[2]. Tower offers a free way to get started ^[2] and a 30-day Pro trial without limitations ^[2]. GitHub Desktop's price is not published in the facts here.

Option	Free to use	Paid price	Platforms	Install
GitHub Desktop	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Tower	Free start ^[2]; 30-day Pro trial ^[2]	Not published	macOS and Windows, x64 and ARM downloads ^[2]	Not published; its page offers downloads ^[2]
RepoYeti	Free for noncommercial use ^[3]	US$79 per installation for commercial use, with 12 months of updates ^[3]	Windows x64, Linux x64, macOS on Apple Silicon ^[3]	Single binary from GitHub Releases, or run with Bun 1.1 or newer ^[3]

The short answer

GitHub Desktop lets a developer drag and drop to cherry-pick, squash or reorder commits ^[1]. Tower's page calls it a Git client for Mac and Windows ^[2]. RepoYeti shows the branch, changed file count and ahead/behind count for every repo under the folders you add ^[3].

GitHub Desktop's page also covers stashing changes without committing them to a branch ^[1] and comparing versions to review code changes ^[1]. Tower's page lists pull requests, single-line staging, interactive rebase, submodules, Git LFS, file history, blame and cherry-pick ^[2]. RepoYeti's claims cover a commit graph ^[3], a preview of incoming changes before a pull ^[3] and actions on many repos at once ^[3].

What GitHub Desktop and Tower are built for

GitHub Desktop's page says users can drag and drop to cherry-pick, squash or reorder commits ^[1]. It says you can stash your changes without committing them to a branch ^[1]. It also says you can compare versions to review code changes ^[1]. A beta program lets users try features before release ^[1]. The facts here say nothing more about it.

Tower's page calls it a Git client for Mac and Windows ^[2]. Its feature list includes pull requests, single-line staging, interactive rebase, a conflict wizard, submodules, Git LFS, Git-Flow, file history, blame and cherry-pick ^[2]. It also lists quick actions, single-click cloning, quick open, worktrees, workflows, and automatic stashing and fetching ^[2]. Stacked branches and AI commits are named too ^[2], along with automatic branch management ^[2] and undo through Cmd+Z ^[2].

What RepoYeti is built for

RepoYeti is made by the team that publishes this site.

It shows the branch, number of changed files and ahead/behind count for every repo under the folders you add, and updates when files change on disk ^[3]. It draws a commit graph with lanes, merges and tags, and loads it in pages so large repos open quickly ^[3]. Diffs between HEAD and the working tree appear in the Monaco editor, the editor used in VS Code, side by side or inline, and you can edit and save files there ^[3].

Before you pull, it shows the incoming commits, the files they touch and any conflicts they would cause ^[3]. You can select many repos and pin, star, hide, remove, pull or push them all at once ^[3]. A different commit name and email can apply to each repo using path rules ^[3]. An undo command reverses the last git action such as a commit, pull or branch switch, and refuses a rebasing pull or a cherry-pick ^[3].

Pricing and fees

Tower's page says "Get Started: It's Free" ^[2]. It also offers a 30-day Pro trial without limitations ^[2]. The facts here give no price for a paid Tower plan, so that price is not published here.

The facts here give no price for GitHub Desktop, so its price is not published here.

RepoYeti is free for noncommercial use, and commercial use costs US$79 per installation, meaning per machine running the background service, as a perpetual licence with 12 months of updates ^[3]. No features are locked or time-limited, whether you use the free licence or a paid one ^[3]. It is licensed under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0, a source-available license with a noncommercial restriction ^[3].

Setting it up and daily use

Tower supports macOS and Windows, including x64 and ARM downloads ^[2]. Its page says Tower 18 for Mac was released on October 6, 2026 ^[2], and Tower 14.1 for Windows was released on the same date ^[2]. For daily use, its page lists quick actions, single-click cloning and automatic stashing and fetching ^[2].

For GitHub Desktop, the facts here cover drag and drop commit changes ^[1] and stashing ^[1]. They say nothing about its install steps or supported systems.

RepoYeti installs by downloading a single binary from GitHub Releases, or by cloning the repo and running it with Bun 1.1 or newer ^[3]. Prebuilt binaries exist for Windows x64, Linux x64 and macOS on Apple Silicon, and you open the dashboard in any browser, including on Android or iPhone ^[3]. It can be added to a phone's home screen like an app, and it reconnects after the phone wakes from sleep ^[3]. RepoYeti prints a QR code to open the dashboard on your phone, and it needs cloudflared, a separate tool, installed first ^[3].

Things to check before you choose

Check your operating system. Tower's page names macOS and Windows ^[2], and RepoYeti lists Windows x64, Linux x64 and macOS on Apple Silicon ^[3]. For GitHub Desktop, check its own pages.

Check cost. Ask what a paid plan costs and what the free start includes. Tower's free start and 30-day trial are stated ^[2] ^[2], but check its own pages for plan prices.

Check how you work with many repos. Ask whether you need one view across all of them, as RepoYeti describes ^[3].

Check AI features. Tower lists AI commits ^[2], and RepoYeti uses your own API key to split changes into scoped commits that you approve, edit or discard ^[3].

Check how AI agents are controlled. RepoYeti can give AI agents access to your repos, and any action that changes a repo must be approved first, by you or by a webhook you run ^[3].

How to choose

If you want drag and drop to cherry-pick, squash or reorder commits, GitHub Desktop's page describes that ^[1].

If you want to try features before release, GitHub Desktop has a beta program ^[1].

If you want a Git client for Mac and Windows with interactive rebase, blame, Git LFS and submodules, Tower's page lists them ^[2].

If you want a free way to get started with a 30-day Pro trial, Tower's page says that ^[2] ^[2].

If you want one grid of every repo with branch and ahead/behind counts, RepoYeti's claims describe that ^[3].

If you want a preview of incoming commits and conflicts before a pull, RepoYeti's claims describe that ^[3].

If you want a free tool for noncommercial use, RepoYeti's claims say that ^[3].

Frequently asked questions

Is Tower free to use?

Tower's page says "Get Started: It's Free" ^[2]. It also offers a 30-day Pro trial without limitations ^[2]. The facts here give no price for a paid plan, so that price is not published here. Check Tower's own pages for what the free start includes after the trial.

Is GitHub Desktop free?

The price of GitHub Desktop is not published in the facts here, so check its own pages for cost and supported systems before you decide.

Does Tower work on Mac and Windows?

Tower's page calls it a Git client for Mac and Windows ^[2]. It lists macOS and Windows support, including x64 and ARM downloads ^[2]. Its page says Tower 18 for Mac and Tower 14.1 for Windows were both released on October 6, 2026 ^[2] ^[2].

How much does RepoYeti cost?

Can GitHub Desktop or Tower undo a Git action?

Tower's page lists undo everything through Cmd+Z ^[2]. The facts here do not mention an undo feature for GitHub Desktop, so check its own pages. RepoYeti has an undo and redo command for the last git action such as a commit, pull or branch switch, and it refuses a rebasing pull or a cherry-pick ^[3].

Free for noncommercial use; commercial use costs US$79 per installation (per machine running the daemon), a perpetual licence with 12 months of updates. ^[3]

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