Tig can be used without paying: GPL-2.0 software is free to use. Check the vendor’s pricing page for current limits.

Yes. Tig publishes its source code under the GPL-2.0 license.

Which platforms does Tig support?

Tig is available on: Command line.

What is Tig best for?

Quick history browsing and chunk staging in a terminal. In our ranking of git clients it is number 10 of 10 with a score of 78.5.

What are the best alternatives to Tig?

The highest-ranked alternatives on listme.name are GitHub Desktop, Lazygit, GitKraken Desktop, GitUI.

Tig

Ncurses text-mode interface for browsing and staging Git repositories

#10 of 10 in best git clients
Free and open source
Free to use
Open source
Command line

78.5

Score in best git clients

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Ranked 10 of 10 in best git clients

GPL-2.0 ncurses interface for browsing Git history, staging by chunk and acting as a pager for Git output. It is light and free, but text-only, so it suits terminal users who need quick history views rather than a full client.

Best for Quick history browsing and chunk staging in a terminal

About Tig

Tig is a text-mode interface for Git that runs in a terminal. The project describes it as a Git repository browser that can also help stage changes for commit at chunk level and act as a pager for output from Git commands. Its manual is split into pages for tig(1) and tigrc(5).

The GitHub repository is GPL-2.0 licensed and had about 13,400 stars when checked. The documentation covers installation, release notes, screenshots and testing. Developers who want a full-screen Git interface may compare lazygit or GitUI, which are both in this ranking.

Key features

ncurses interface
History browser
Chunk staging
Pager for Git output
Manual pages

Strengths

GPL-2.0 open source
Chunk-level staging from the terminal
Works as a pager for Git output

Limits

Text-only interface
Less visual than desktop Git clients

Where Tig ranks

Best git clients#10of 10 · 78.5
Best for: Quick history browsing and chunk staging in a terminal

How Tig compares

Product	Score	Price	Platforms	Interface	Linux support
#6Sourcetree	84.0	Free	WindowsmacOS	Graphical	No
#7Tower	82.5	Subscription	macOSWindows	Graphical	No
#8SmartGit	82.0	Free plan, paid upgrades	WindowsmacOSLinux	Graphical	Yes
#9Fork	80.0	Paid	macOSWindows	Graphical	No
#10Tig	78.5	Free and open source	Command line	Text-mode terminal	Yes

The full comparison table for best git clients has all 10 products.

Alternatives to Tig

All 9 alternatives

Questions about Tig

Is Tig free?: Tig can be used without paying: GPL-2.0 software is free to use. Check the vendor’s pricing page for current limits.
Is Tig open source?: Yes. Tig publishes its source code under the GPL-2.0 license.
Which platforms does Tig support?: Tig is available on: Command line.
What is Tig best for?: Quick history browsing and chunk staging in a terminal. In our ranking of git clients it is number 10 of 10 with a score of 78.5.
What are the best alternatives to Tig?: The highest-ranked alternatives on listme.name are GitHub Desktop, Lazygit, GitKraken Desktop, GitUI.

Show this ranking on your site

If you make or maintain Tig, this badge links back to this page and shows its current rank. It updates when the ranking does.

<a href="https://listme.name/software/tig"><img src="https://listme.name/badge/tig.svg" height="28" alt="Ranked #10 of 10 git clients on listme.name"></a>

Articles that mention Tig

All articles

Guides · 3 min readHow to choose a Git client: visual or terminal, platforms, costChoose a Git client by visual or terminal style, operating system, cost and hosting. Compare GitHub Desktop, Lazygit, GitKraken, GitUI, Sourcetree and Tower.