GitKraken vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comparison: Reviews, Features, Pricing & Alternatives in 2026

Detailed side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right solution for your team

Updated Apr 2026 8 min read

GitKraken

0.0 (0 reviews)

GitKraken provides a suite of visual Git tools including a desktop client, CLI, and browser integration to help you manage repositories, visualize commit history, and collaborate on code.

Starting at Free
Free Trial 7 days
VS

Microsoft Visual Studio

0.0 (0 reviews)

Visual Studio is a comprehensive integrated development environment that provides professional software developers with advanced tools for coding, debugging, testing, and deploying applications across various platforms and languages.

Starting at Free
Free Trial 30 days

Quick Comparison

Feature GitKraken Microsoft Visual Studio
Website gitkraken.com visualstudio.com
Pricing Model Freemium Freemium
Starting Price Free Free
FREE Trial ✓ 7 days free trial ✓ 30 days free trial
Free Plan ✓ Has free plan ✓ Has free plan
Product Demo ✓ Request demo here ✓ Request demo here
Deployment desktop saas desktop
Integrations GitHub GitLab Bitbucket Azure DevOps Jira Trello VS Code Slack Google Drive GitHub Azure DevOps Microsoft Teams Docker Unity SQL Server Slack Jira Trello Google Drive
Target Users freelancer small-business mid-market enterprise freelancer small-business mid-market enterprise
Target Industries
Customer Count 0 0
Founded Year 2014 1997
Headquarters Scottsdale, USA Redmond, USA

Overview

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GitKraken

GitKraken provides a powerful suite of tools designed to make Git more visual and accessible for your development workflow. You can manage your repositories through an intuitive desktop GUI, a simplified terminal interface, or directly within your browser and IDE. The platform helps you visualize complex branch structures and commit histories, making it easier to understand how your code evolves over time without memorizing dozens of command-line arguments.

You can resolve merge conflicts quickly using the built-in tool and track your team's progress with integrated workspaces. Whether you are a solo developer or part of a large enterprise, the software streamlines your version control process by connecting directly to platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. It eliminates the guesswork from Git, allowing you to focus on writing code rather than managing your version history.

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Microsoft Visual Studio

Visual Studio is a robust integrated development environment designed to help you build applications for web, cloud, desktop, and mobile. You can write code in multiple languages like C#, C++, Python, and JavaScript while benefiting from intelligent code completion and real-time error detection. It streamlines your entire development lifecycle by integrating version control, unit testing, and deployment tools directly into your workspace.

You can easily manage complex projects with powerful refactoring tools and a customizable interface that adapts to your specific workflow. Whether you are building high-performance games with Unity or scalable cloud services on Azure, the platform provides the specialized compilers and debuggers you need. It supports individual developers with a free community version and offers professional tiers for teams requiring advanced collaboration and testing capabilities.

Overview

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GitKraken Features

  • Visual Commit Graph Visualize your entire branch history and see exactly who made changes and when they happened with a color-coded graph.
  • Built-in Merge Tool Resolve messy merge conflicts quickly using a dedicated tool that lets you pick the right code blocks side-by-side.
  • GitKraken CLI Combine the power of the command line with visual previews to see how your commands affect the repository in real-time.
  • Cloud Workspaces Group your repositories and share them with your team to simplify onboarding and keep everyone synced on the same projects.
  • Interactive Rebase Clean up your commit history by dragging and dropping commits to squash, reword, or drop them before you push.
  • Multi-Profile Support Switch between your personal and professional Git profiles instantly to keep your work and side projects completely separate.
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Microsoft Visual Studio Features

  • IntelliCode AI. Complete your code faster with AI-assisted suggestions that learn from your patterns and thousands of open-source projects.
  • Live Share Collaboration. Collaborate with your teammates in real-time to edit and debug code together without needing to clone repositories.
  • Integrated Debugging. Find and fix bugs quickly across local and remote environments using advanced breakpoints and variable inspection tools.
  • Built-in Git Integration. Manage your source code directly within the editor by committing, pushing, and resolving merge conflicts with ease.
  • Web & Cloud Deployment. Deploy your applications directly to Azure or other cloud providers with integrated publishing wizards and container support.
  • Extensive Extensions. Customize your development environment by choosing from thousands of community-built extensions to add new languages and features.

Pricing Comparison

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GitKraken Pricing

Free
$0
  • Desktop GUI & CLI
  • Public repositories only
  • Visual commit graph
  • Basic merge tool
  • Integrations with GitHub/GitLab
M

Microsoft Visual Studio Pricing

Community
$0
  • Free for individual developers
  • Support for any platform/language
  • Advanced debugging and profiling
  • Git-integrated version control
  • Access to thousands of extensions

Pros & Cons

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GitKraken

Pros

  • Intuitive visual interface simplifies complex Git operations
  • Excellent merge conflict resolution tool saves time
  • Seamless integration with major Git hosting providers
  • Cross-platform support for Windows, Mac, and Linux

Cons

  • Performance can lag on very large repositories
  • Free version is limited to public projects
  • Higher memory usage compared to command line
A

Microsoft Visual Studio

Pros

  • Industry-standard debugging tools save significant troubleshooting time
  • Intelligent code completion accurately predicts your next steps
  • Seamless integration with Azure and GitHub workflows
  • Massive library of extensions for total customization
  • Excellent support for large-scale enterprise application development

Cons

  • High system resource usage can slow down older hardware
  • Initial installation and updates take a long time
  • Interface can feel overwhelming for beginner developers
  • Licensing costs are high for small commercial teams
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