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Developer Tools · head to head

GitHub Desktop vs Strikingly

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
Strikingly logo

Strikingly

Web Development

One-page website builder for small businesses and creators

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit StrikinglyFull review

The short version

  • GitHub Desktop is free; Strikingly starts at $8/mo.
  • Only GitHub Desktop lists line-level staging; only Strikingly lists simple Store.
  • Where Strikingly falls short: Strikingly is optimized for single-page sites and is not well suited to building large, multi-section websites.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GitHub Desktop and Strikingly actually diverge.

Attributes where GitHub Desktop and Strikingly differ
AttributeGitHub DesktopStrikingly
Pricing modelFreeFreemium
PlatformsWindows, macOSWeb
CategoryDeveloper ToolsWeb Development
Founded20082012

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).

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 Strikingly

  • Drag-and-drop editor
  • Simple Store
  • Blogging
  • Forms and live chat
  • Traffic analytics
  • Social feed integration
  • HTTPS/SSL

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 Strikingly
  • A new engineer's first weeks, where seeing the diff and the branch state visually prevents the common early mistakesnot Strikingly
  • Reviewing a colleague's pull request branch locally with a readable diff before approving itnot Strikingly
  • Small teams standardised entirely on GitHub who want SSO-backed authentication to work without managing personal access tokens by handnot Strikingly

Strikingly

  • Personal portfolio or resume sitenot GitHub Desktop
  • Single-product or small online storenot GitHub Desktop
  • Event or landing pagenot GitHub Desktop
  • Small business brochure sitenot 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

Strikingly

  • Strikingly is optimized for single-page sites and is not well suited to building large, multi-section websites
  • Transaction fees of 2-5% apply to store sales on lower-tier plans in addition to payment processor fees
  • Design customization is limited compared to code-based site builders, since sites are built from fixed templates
  • The free plan does not support a custom domain, limiting its use for professional or commercial sites

Pricing, plan by plan

GitHub Desktop

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

Strikingly

Free
  • Limited$8/mo
    • 2 sites
    • 1 GB storage per site
    • Up to 5 pages
  • Pro$16/mo
    • 3 sites
    • 20 GB storage per site
    • Up to 100 pages
  • VIP$49/mo
    • 5 sites
    • 100 GB storage per site
    • Up to 500 products

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 Strikingly if

  • You need drag-and-drop editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want simple store.
Strikingly review

Questions people ask

Is GitHub Desktop or Strikingly better?
Neither clearly leads. GitHub Desktop starts at Free and Strikingly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GitHub Desktop or Strikingly?
GitHub Desktop starts at Free and Strikingly at Free.
Does GitHub Desktop or Strikingly run on more platforms?
GitHub Desktop runs on Windows, macOS. Strikingly runs on Web.
Can I use GitHub Desktop for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Strikingly is typically brought in for.
What can GitHub Desktop do that Strikingly cannot?
GitHub Desktop covers Line-level staging, Branch and merge UI, Pull request integration, Enterprise authentication. Strikingly covers Drag-and-drop editor, Simple Store, Blogging, Forms and live chat.

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.

Strikingly: Does Strikingly have a free plan?

Strikingly offers a free tier for getting started, with paid plans beginning at $8/month (billed yearly) adding a custom domain, more storage, and lower transaction fees on store sales.

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.

Strikingly: Does Strikingly charge transaction fees on store sales?

Yes. The Limited plan charges a 5% transaction fee, the Pro plan charges 2%, and the VIP plan removes the transaction fee entirely, in addition to any payment processor fees.

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.

Strikingly: What payment methods can I use to sell products?

Strikingly's built-in Simple Store supports accepting payments through PayPal and Stripe.

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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