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Developer Tools · head to head

GitHub Desktop vs Procreate Dreams

GitHub Desktop logo

GitHub Desktop

Developer Tools

A free, open source Git client from GitHub for Windows and macOS that covers common workflows rather than all of Git.

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit GitHub DesktopFull review
Procreate Dreams logo

Procreate Dreams

Design

Edit. Animate. Create.

From
$12.99/once
Free plan
No
Visit Procreate DreamsFull review

The short version

  • GitHub Desktop is free; Procreate Dreams starts at $12.99 one-off.
  • Where Procreate Dreams falls short: requires iPadOS 16.3 and is exclusive to iPad; track capacity varies by device, with the base iPad (A16) limited to 1 track at up to 4K.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GitHub Desktop and Procreate Dreams actually diverge.

Attributes where GitHub Desktop and Procreate Dreams differ
AttributeGitHub DesktopProcreate Dreams
Starting priceFree$12.99/once
Pricing modelFreeOne-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, macOSWeb
CategoryDeveloper ToolsDesign

Not yet recorded: founded for Procreate Dreams.

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in GitHub Desktop

  • Line-level staging
  • Branch and merge UI
  • Pull request integration
  • Enterprise authentication
  • Squash and reorder
  • Drag cherry-pick
  • Co-author attribution
  • Editor and shell handoff

Only in Procreate Dreams

Nothing recorded that GitHub Desktop does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

GitHub Desktop

  • Onboarding designers or technical writers who need to commit to a docs or assets repository without learning the command linenot Procreate Dreams
  • A new engineer's first weeks, where seeing the diff and the branch state visually prevents the common early mistakesnot Procreate Dreams
  • Reviewing a colleague's pull request branch locally with a readable diff before approving itnot Procreate Dreams
  • Small teams standardised entirely on GitHub who want SSO-backed authentication to work without managing personal access tokens by handnot Procreate Dreams

Procreate Dreams

  • Animation software for iPad usersnot GitHub Desktop
  • Alternative to subscription-based animation toolsnot GitHub Desktop

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

GitHub Desktop

  • There is no official Linux build; the application ships for Windows and macOS only, and the community fork at shiftkey/desktop that packages it for Linux is maintained separately and lags official releases, so a mixed-OS team cannot standardise on one client
  • Submodules are effectively unsupported: the app shows a submodule change as an opaque single line and gives you no way to initialise, update or navigate into it, so any repository using them needs the terminal anyway
  • History rewriting is limited to squashing and reordering local commits by drag and drop; interactive rebase, fixup chains, editing an old commit's contents and bisect are all absent, which is exactly the set of operations a beginner needs help with most
  • Pull request features only exist for GitHub remotes, so a team on GitLab or Bitbucket gets a plain Git client with an empty pull request pane and no review or checks view at all
  • Commit signing with a key that requires a passphrase generally fails, because the app cannot surface the pinentry prompt, and the resulting error message does not say that is the cause
  • GitHub staffs it lightly compared with its web and CI products, so long-standing feature requests and bugs sit open for years; if you file an issue you should plan around it rather than expect a fix

Procreate Dreams

  • Requires iPadOS 16.3 and is exclusive to iPad; track capacity varies by device, with the base iPad (A16) limited to 1 track at up to 4K
  • 8K video support is not yet available and is listed as coming in a future release

Pricing, plan by plan

GitHub Desktop

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Git repository management
    • GitHub integration
    • Visual diff tools

Procreate Dreams

$12.99/once
  • Procreate Dreams$12.99 one-off
    • No subscriptions
    • Pay once, create forever

Which should you pick?

Choose GitHub Desktop if

  • You need line-level staging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS.
  • You also want branch and merge ui.
GitHub Desktop review

Choose Procreate Dreams if

Nothing in the data separates Procreate Dreams from GitHub Desktop on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Procreate Dreams review

Questions people ask

Is GitHub Desktop or Procreate Dreams better?
Neither clearly leads. GitHub Desktop starts at Free and Procreate Dreams at $12.99/once, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GitHub Desktop or Procreate Dreams?
GitHub Desktop has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for GitHub Desktop and $12.99/once for Procreate Dreams.
Does GitHub Desktop or Procreate Dreams run on more platforms?
GitHub Desktop runs on Windows, macOS. Procreate Dreams runs on Web.
Can I use GitHub Desktop for free?
Yes. GitHub Desktop has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Procreate Dreams starts at $12.99/once.
What is GitHub Desktop best used for?
GitHub Desktop is most often used for onboarding designers or technical writers who need to commit to a docs or assets repository without learning the command line, a new engineer's first weeks, where seeing the diff and the branch state visually prevents the common early mistakes, reviewing a colleague's pull request branch locally with a readable diff before approving it, small teams standardised entirely on github who want sso-backed authentication to work without managing personal access tokens by hand. Of those, onboarding designers or technical writers who need to commit to a docs or assets repository without learning the command line and a new engineer's first weeks, where seeing the diff and the branch state visually prevents the common early mistakes are not what Procreate Dreams is typically brought in for.
What can GitHub Desktop do that Procreate Dreams cannot?
GitHub Desktop covers Line-level staging, Branch and merge UI, Pull request integration, Enterprise authentication.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GitHub Desktop: Is there a Linux version?

Not an official one. GitHub ships Windows and macOS builds only. A community fork, shiftkey/desktop, produces Linux packages, but it is maintained by volunteers and trails the official releases.

Procreate Dreams: How much does Procreate Dreams cost?

Procreate Dreams costs $12.99 USD as a one-time purchase through the Apple App Store. Regional pricing may vary by location.

Source
GitHub Desktop: Does it work with GitLab or Bitbucket?

For plain Git operations, yes: you can clone, commit, push and pull against any remote. The pull request, review and checks features only work against GitHub.com and GitHub Enterprise.

Procreate Dreams: Is there a subscription fee after purchasing Procreate Dreams?

No. The purchase is permanent with no recurring fees or subscriptions. You pay once and retain the app forever.

Source
GitHub Desktop: What does it cost?

Nothing. It is free and the source is published under the MIT licence, and it is separate from any GitHub plan you may or may not pay for.

Procreate Dreams: What payment methods does Procreate Dreams accept?

Payment is processed through the Apple App Store, which accepts the payment methods configured on your Apple account.

Source
GitHub Desktop: Will it handle submodules?

No. Submodule changes appear as an unreadable single-line diff and there are no controls for initialising or updating them. Repositories that use submodules need the command line.

GitHub Desktop: Do I still need to learn Git?

For everyday work, no. For recovery, yes. Anything beyond the curated set of operations, including interactive rebase and reflog recovery, happens in the terminal, so a team using it should have at least one person who knows Git properly.

GitHub Desktop: Does it work with GitHub Enterprise Server?

Yes. It signs in to GitHub Enterprise Server and GitHub Enterprise Cloud as well as GitHub.com, and it honours organisations that enforce SAML single sign-on.

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