
Fork (Git client) will soon be paid - tda
https://git-fork.com/
======
guessmyname
Dan and Tanya Pristupova are doing a great job developing the macOS and
Windows version of this software [1]. I use it intermittently along with other
applications that offer a graphical interface to interact with a Git
repository and Fork is one of my favorites.

I think $49.99 is a fair price if you compare it with similar programs like
Git Tower that ask you to pay (minimum) $69.00 per year for a subscription,
$99.00 to include pro-features, and $149.00 to include additional enterprise
features. That’s a lot of money for a non-permanent software license. I’m glad
I could find a bug in their licensing library to be able to bypass their
checks.

Notice that I’m complaining specifically about the subscription model rather
than the price. I happily paid $99.00 for a Sublime Merge [2] lifetime
license. I know that if I am not interested in future updates I can keep
running the program with the license I bought. With Git Tower, they can _—and
probably will—_ disable the license next year if I don’t pay for the upgrade.

Source Tree [4] is still one of the best free Git graphical interfaces for
both macOS and Windows. It is unfortunate the community was unable to convince
Atlassian to port the code to Linux. I remember using Smart Git [5] in the
office because all developers’ computers were running Linux. I was happy
switching to macOS and being able to install quality software with polished
user interfaces.

Last year I discovered Git Fox [6] which unfortunately also uses the
subscription model, asking you to pay EUR $24.99 per year.

I am sure that many developers are willing and definitely able to pay these
prices, but I don’t know how many are comfortable renting software. Whoever
started this trend (Apple?) is bathing in buckets of money. They are being
very smart, but god it is gaining the hatred of many people.

[1] [https://git-fork.com/about](https://git-fork.com/about)

[2] [https://www.git-tower.com/pricing/mac](https://www.git-
tower.com/pricing/mac)

[3]
[https://www.sublimehq.com/store/merge](https://www.sublimehq.com/store/merge)

[4] [https://www.sourcetreeapp.com/](https://www.sourcetreeapp.com/)

[5] [https://www.syntevo.com/smartgit/](https://www.syntevo.com/smartgit/)

[6] [https://www.gitfox.app/plans](https://www.gitfox.app/plans)

~~~
tda
Yes, I am also very impressed by Fork. I wondered how they could make such a
polished client for free, doesn't seem very sustainable. I hope they switch to
a plain and simple license model and make enough off of it to not have to
resort dark patterns like advertising, data brokering and rental models. We'll
see, they certainly deserve some reward for their effort!

