Best Free Source Code Management Software of 2025

GitHub stands as the leading platform for developers globally, renowned for its security, scalability, and community appreciation. By joining the ranks of millions of developers and businesses, you can contribute to the software that drives the world forward. Collaborate within the most inventive communities, all while utilizing our top-tier tools, support, and services. If you're overseeing various contributors, take advantage of our free GitHub Team for Open Source option. Additionally, GitHub Sponsors is available to assist in financing your projects. We're thrilled to announce the return of The Pack, where we’ve teamed up to provide students and educators with complimentary access to premier developer tools throughout the academic year and beyond. Furthermore, if you work for a recognized nonprofit, association, or a 501(c)(3), we offer a discounted Organization account to support your mission. With these offerings, GitHub continues to empower diverse users in their software development journeys.

GitLab is a complete DevOps platform. GitLab gives you a complete CI/CD toolchain right out of the box. One interface. One conversation. One permission model. GitLab is a complete DevOps platform, delivered in one application. It fundamentally changes the way Security, Development, and Ops teams collaborate. GitLab reduces development time and costs, reduces application vulnerabilities, and speeds up software delivery. It also increases developer productivity. Source code management allows for collaboration, sharing, and coordination across the entire software development team. To accelerate software delivery, track and merge branches, audit changes, and enable concurrent work. Code can be reviewed, discussed, shared knowledge, and identified defects among distributed teams through asynchronous review. Automate, track, and report code reviews.

Git is a powerful and freely available distributed version control system that is built to manage projects of any size swiftly and effectively. Its user-friendly nature and minimal resource requirements contribute to its remarkable speed. Git surpasses traditional source control management tools such as Subversion, CVS, Perforce, and ClearCase by offering advantages like inexpensive local branching, user-friendly staging areas, and diverse workflow options. Additionally, you can interact with configurations through this command, where the name represents the section and the key separated by a dot, while the value is appropriately escaped. This versatility in handling version control makes Git an essential tool for developers and teams alike.

Bitbucket offers much more than simple Git code management, serving as a centralized platform for teams to plan projects, collaborate on coding efforts, test, and deploy applications. It provides free access for smaller teams consisting of up to five members, while offering scalable pricing options through Standard ($3 per user per month) and Premium ($6 per user per month) plans. Users can efficiently organize their projects by creating Bitbucket branches directly from Jira issues or Trello cards, and they can utilize integrated CI/CD for building, testing, and deploying their applications. The platform supports configuration as code and promotes fast feedback loops, enhancing the development process. Code reviews can be streamlined through pull requests and accompanied by a merge checklist featuring designated approvers, allowing for discussions to take place directly within the source code via inline comments. With Bitbucket Pipelines and Deployments, teams can seamlessly manage their build, test, and deployment processes, ensuring that their code remains secure in the Cloud with features such as IP whitelisting and mandatory two-step verification. Additionally, users have the ability to restrict access to specific individuals and impose control over their actions through branch permissions and merge checks, thereby maintaining high standards of code quality. This robust set of features ensures that teams can work more effectively and securely throughout their development lifecycle.

Heroku is a cloud-based platform that enables businesses to create, deploy, monitor, and scale applications, offering a swift transition from concept to a live URL while eliminating infrastructure complications. The phrase "There's an app for that," popularized by a memorable marketing initiative a few years back, marks the beginning of our evolving connection with mobile technology. Today, applications have woven themselves into the fabric of our daily lives, serving as crucial tools for managing tasks, making purchases, connecting with others, staying updated, and engaging with clients. An application's influence begins to manifest when users start to engage with it. The speed at which apps can be launched and iterated upon in the digital realm is a critical factor in determining a company's success. Heroku is dedicated to enhancing the developer experience, with a sharp focus on applications. It empowers organizations of all sizes to capitalize on the potential of apps, steering clear of the distractions associated with hardware and server management. In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, Heroku positions itself as a vital ally for developers aiming to innovate efficiently.

Concentrate on what truly matters rather than grappling with Git. Whether you're just starting out with Git or have years of experience, GitHub Desktop streamlines your development process. You can quickly add co-authors to your commits, which is especially useful for collaboration and a nice way to acknowledge that special someone who assisted in resolving a tricky bug. You can view attribution on the history page, easily undo any accidental attributions, and see all co-authors listed on GitHub. Additionally, you can monitor all open pull requests for your repositories and interact with them as if they were local branches, even if they originate from upstream branches or forks. It's also handy to see which pull requests have successfully passed their commit status checks! The latest version of GitHub Desktop enhances your experience with syntax highlighting for diffs across various programming languages. You can conveniently compare modified images, viewing them side by side, fading between them, or focusing solely on the changes. The app allows you to launch your preferred editor or terminal directly, or return to GitHub Desktop from your shell with ease. With these features, GitHub Desktop not only simplifies version control but also fosters a more collaborative and efficient development environment.

Utilize integrated software delivery tools to share code, monitor tasks, and deploy software, all hosted on your premises. Whether you choose to leverage the full suite of Azure DevOps services or just a select few, these tools can seamlessly enhance your current workflows. Formerly recognized as Team Foundation Server (TFS), Azure DevOps Server provides a comprehensive set of collaborative tools for software development, tailored for on-premises use. By integrating with your preferred IDE or editor, Azure DevOps Server empowers your diverse team to collaborate effectively on projects, regardless of their scale. This powerful software includes robust source code management capabilities, along with features such as access controls and permissions, bug tracking, build automation, change management, code reviews, collaboration, continuous integration, and version control, to support your development process in a holistic manner. With Azure DevOps Server, teams can streamline their development cycles and enhance productivity, ensuring that software delivery is efficient and reliable.

K.Explorer is an AI system that creates better software faster, cheaper, and more efficiently. A coding assistant that increases developer productivity. An AI pair programmer that suggests code completions and complete function bodies as you type. You can also search the engine for help. It is an AI-powered Code Assistant that has been trained on millions of lines of code from private corporations, as well as billions of lines of open-source code for general purposes. Natural Language allows programmers to receive guidance and tell a text story about what code they are writing.

Code reviews don't need to be overly complicated. Review Board simplifies the process of code review, allowing you to save valuable time, resources, and mental energy, enabling you to concentrate on developing exceptional software. You can evaluate nearly anything, from code to documents, artwork, and more! Your project encompasses much more than mere code. It includes essential elements like documentation, artistic designs, website layouts, interface prototypes, release notes, feature outlines, and an extensive array of other materials. Visuals can significantly enhance your review process, as a single image can convey complex ideas. By simply dragging and dropping one or multiple images into your review request, they become readily available for assessment. Team members will have the ability to interact with the images directly, leaving comments precisely where needed. Any modifications made to the images can be easily tracked by uploading a new version and reviewing the changes through various visual diff options. Additionally, there may be other textual content that pertains to your project but resides outside of your source tree. Such flexibility allows for a more comprehensive review process overall.

At Posit, we strive to enhance data science by making it more open, user-friendly, accessible, and collaborative for everyone. Our suite of tools empowers individuals, teams, and enterprises to utilize advanced analytics to derive meaningful insights and create a significant impact. From our inception, we have committed to open-source software, such as RStudio IDE, Shiny, and tidyverse, because we firmly believe in democratizing access to data science tools. We offer R and Python-based solutions designed to streamline the analysis process, enabling you to achieve higher-quality results in less time. Our platform facilitates secure sharing of data-science applications across your organization, reinforcing the idea that our code belongs to you. You can build upon it, share it, and use it to enhance the lives of others. By simplifying the processes of uploading, storing, accessing, and distributing your work, we aim to make your experience seamless. We are always excited to learn about the incredible projects being developed using our tools globally, and we cherish the opportunity to share those inspiring stories with the community. Ultimately, our mission is to foster a vibrant ecosystem where data science can flourish for everyone involved.

Codeberg serves as a platform for collaboration and git hosting, specifically designed for free and open source software, content, and various projects. It operates independently, relying on donations and contributions from users—consider becoming a member of the non-profit association Codeberg e. V. to support our goals and gain voting rights! All of our services are hosted on servers we manage, ensuring there are no external dependencies, third-party cookies, or tracking involved. Despite the invaluable contributions made by the Free and Open Source Software community, the landscape is dominated by commercial platforms that host the fruits of our collective efforts. This situation creates a contradiction, where countless volunteers dedicate their time to developing, collecting, and maintaining essential knowledge and software, which ultimately feeds into proprietary systems that are neither transparent nor accountable to the public. It is crucial to recognize this imbalance and strive for a future that prioritizes open access and community-driven initiatives.

Experience the elegance and efficiency of a powerful Git GUI with Sourcetree, which streamlines your interaction with Git repositories, allowing you to dedicate more time to your coding tasks. This user-friendly interface enables you to visualize and manage your repositories effortlessly, eliminating the need for command line operations and enhancing the distributed version control experience for everyone involved. Ideal for boosting the productivity of even the most experienced users, Sourcetree allows you to review changesets, stash modifications, and cherry-pick between branches with ease. With just a click, you can access detailed information about any branch or commit, making it an invaluable tool for developers. This comprehensive GUI provides a seamless and consistent development workflow from the start, supporting both Git and Mercurial. Visualize your work confidently as you stage and discard changes at the file, hunk, or line level, ensuring you never overlook any important updates. Stay informed about your work and maintain an overview of your code effortlessly, thanks to its detailed branching diagrams that help you monitor your team's progress effectively. In an ever-evolving development landscape, Sourcetree stands out as an essential tool for collaboration and efficiency.

Sourcegraph shows you the repositories that you use, stored in any code host or search across the open-source universe. With smart filters and Code Intelligence, you can quickly find answers with regular, structural, or literal expression searches. Extensions allow you to connect all your tools, including test coverage, 1-click file in editor, custom highlight, and information from other services. To help engineers learn unfamiliar code faster, create living documentation using Markdown and live query code. Use collaborative, shareable notebooks to navigate through your codebase and resolve issues. You can embed HTML in notebooks wherever you can, just like your internal documentation. This will allow you to spend less time updating outdated docs. To learn more about the code and repository structure, search across all code hosts.

Automated deployment of code from your repository to your server. Zero downtime and instant rollbacks. Launchdeck is our solution to complicated deployment. Launchdeck is an automated code deployment tool that has a very clear user interface and smart features that will do all the hard work for you.

Review Assistant is a plug-in for Visual Studio designed specifically for code reviews, enabling users to create and respond to review requests seamlessly within the IDE. This tool by Devart is compatible with various version control systems, including TFS, Subversion, Git, Mercurial, and Perforce. Users can take advantage of a 30-day unlimited trial along with a free plan to get started quickly, often within just five minutes. It serves as an invaluable resource in achieving code perfection by minimizing the need to switch between different tools and development environments. Our solution integrates the code review process closely with the development workflow, allowing developers to add review comments directly in the code editor. Furthermore, the Code Review Board window organizes all created reviews and discussions related to the code, streamlining the entire review process for enhanced collaboration and efficiency. By centralizing these discussions, it fosters better communication among team members.

Painless self-hosted all-in-one software development service, including Git hosting, code review, team collaboration, package registry, and CI/CD. Its backend is written in the Go language and it is published under the MIT license. Gitea runs anywhere Go can compile for Windows, macOS, Linux, ARM, etc. You can also run it with Docker. Gitea has low minimal requirements, super fast performance, and user experience.

The SCM-Manager gives you full control over your source code, and allows you to manage Mercurial, Subversion, and Git repositories. The SCM-Manager is lightweight and flexible, with many benefits. Below are the most important benefits: - Open source 100% under MIT License: SCM-Manager can be used commercially and personally, regardless of the size or composition of your team. - No extra weight: The core task of the SCM Manager is to manage repository management. - Rapidly extendable: More than 50 plugins add new target-oriented functions to your SCM-Manager, such as e.g. for workflow-controlled code reviews - Simple integration: Connect the SCM-Manager easily to existing systems (e.g. Project management software or CI/CD pipelines). - Free choice of platform: No matter whether you are using Linux, Windows, macOS, or container, a convenient installer will prepare your instance in no more than a few minutes. - Community Support: The platform at myCloudogu will offer support regarding any issues or interests. Current new releases or future requests are shared on the community forum. - Documentation: The SCM-Manager documentation describes the usage and administration. It is available in English and German.

Sourcetrail serves as an interactive tool designed to enhance the exploration of existing source code by systematically indexing it and collecting information about its architecture. This tool offers a user-friendly interface composed of three dynamic views, each essential for accessing the necessary information efficiently. The Search feature enables users to swiftly locate and choose indexed symbols within the source code. An autocompletion box appears, providing an immediate overview of all relevant results found throughout the entire codebase. The Graph view visualizes the arrangement of your source code, emphasizing the currently selected symbol while illustrating its incoming and outgoing dependencies with other symbols. Meanwhile, the Code view lists all the source locations tied to the selected symbol through various code snippets, and clicking on any listed location allows users to shift their selection for a more in-depth analysis. Overall, Sourcetrail significantly streamlines the process of understanding complex code structures.

Enhance your productivity by ensuring only high-quality code is released, as SonarQube Cloud (previously known as SonarCloud) seamlessly evaluates branches and enriches pull requests with insights. Identify subtle bugs to avoid unpredictable behavior that could affect users and address security vulnerabilities that threaten your application while gaining knowledge of application security through the Security Hotspots feature. Within moments, you can begin using the platform right where your code resides, benefiting from immediate access to the most current features and updates. Project dashboards provide vital information on code quality and readiness for release, keeping both teams and stakeholders in the loop. Showcase project badges to demonstrate your commitment to excellence within your communities. Code quality and security are essential across your entire technology stack, encompassing both front-end and back-end development. That’s why we support a wide range of 24 programming languages, including Python, Java, C++, and many more. The demand for transparency in coding practices is on the rise, and we invite you to be a part of this movement; it's completely free for open-source projects, making it an accessible opportunity for all developers! Plus, by participating, you contribute to a larger community dedicated to improving software quality.

Unity Plastic SCM is a powerful version control and source code management solution designed to enhance collaboration and scalability for teams working with any game engine. It streamlines workflows for both artists and programmers while providing exceptional performance when handling large files and binaries. With a multitude of features, Plastic SCM significantly simplifies the lives of developers. Effective branching and merging are vital for task-oriented development, feature branches, and efficient release management. With Plastic, you can quickly branch even in extensive codebases, facilitating smoother development processes. The tool also allows you to compare refactored code using the integrated semantic diff tool along with the "analyze refactors" feature, which identifies refactored code across various programming languages, including C#/VB.NET, Java, and C. Additionally, the advanced 3-way merge tool, Xdiff/Xmerge, helps users resolve intricate merge conflicts by supporting language-agnostic refactoring. Furthermore, Plastic SCM incorporates the SemanticMerge product, further enhancing its capabilities for developers. This comprehensive toolkit ensures that teams can maintain high productivity and efficiency throughout their project lifecycles.

Scalable, end to end management for third party code, license compliance and Open Source has been a critical supplier for modern software businesses. It has changed the way people think about code. FOSSA provides the infrastructure to enable modern teams to succeed with open source. FOSSA's flagship product allows teams to track open source code used in their code. It also automates license scanning and compliance. FOSSA's tools have been used to ship software by over 7,000 open-source projects (Kubernetes Webpack, Terraform and ESLint) as well as companies like Uber, Ford, Zendesk and Motorola. FOSSA code is used by many in the software industry today. FOSSA is a venture-funded startup that has been backed by Cosanoa Ventures and Bain Capital Ventures. Marc Benioff (Salesforce), Steve Chen(YouTube), Amr Asadallah (Cloudera), Jaan Talin (Skype), Justin Mateen (Tinder) are some of the affiliate angels.

Enhance the quality of your code by adopting healthier coding practices and refining your code review process. Codecov offers a suite of integrated tools designed to organize, merge, archive, and compare coverage reports seamlessly. This service is free for open-source projects, with paid plans beginning at just $10 per user each month. It supports multiple programming languages, including Ruby, Python, C++, and JavaScript, and can be effortlessly integrated into any continuous integration (CI) workflow without the need for extensive setup. The platform features automatic merging of reports across all CI systems and languages into a unified document. Users can receive tailored status updates on various coverage metrics and review reports organized by project, folder, and test type, such as unit or integration tests. Additionally, detailed comments on the coverage reports are directly included in your pull requests. Committed to safeguarding your data and systems, Codecov holds SOC 2 Type II certification, which verifies that an independent third party has evaluated and confirmed their security practices. By utilizing these tools, teams can significantly increase code quality and streamline their development processes.

A seamless integration with coding practices is essential, alongside diverse workflows, adaptable hierarchies, and transparent progress tracking. Implementing an advanced security framework, maintaining thorough operational logs, and utilizing automated repository snapshots are crucial for safeguarding projects. Additionally, proficient management of code and enhanced collaboration among project teams can lead to significant improvements in research and development efficiency. Moreover, a holistic approach to security ensures comprehensive protection for all assets.

Streamline your workflow by utilizing Upsource to analyze your code and monitor your progress, allowing you to concentrate on enhancing your work. Engage in discussions and oversee your reviews seamlessly within your IDE environment. Navigate through new changes in a browser with intuitive IDE-like features, respond via email, and ensure you stay updated on significant modifications. Collaborate on changes, tag colleagues, react to feedback, and earn achievements as you explore new functionalities and support your teammates. Effortlessly incorporate Upsource into your workflow by integrating it with issue trackers, CI servers, and syncing with GitHub. Rest assured, Upsource is built to scale with your needs; whether your team expands or your projects multiply, it can accommodate your growth. If you require a robust code review tool, valuable insights into your project's history, or a collaborative space to enhance your developer skills, Upsource is the comprehensive solution you need! Plus, its user-friendly interface makes adoption a breeze for teams of any size.

GitBucket is a web platform for Git that is built using the Scala programming language. Additionally, you have the option to deploy the GitBucket WAR file to any servlet container that is compatible with Servlet 3.0, such as Jetty, Tomcat, or JBoss, among others. This flexibility allows for a range of deployment options tailored to various server environments.