hub vs lazygit
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A git wrapper that adds GitHub commands like cloning by repo name and managing pull requests.
Open source · MIT
A simple terminal interface for working with git commands.
The short answer
Choose hub if you need…
- Developers who use git and GitHub daily from the terminal
- People who want git commands to stay familiar while gaining GitHub shortcuts
- Developers writing shell scripts that call the GitHub API
- Teams using GitHub Actions workflows that need to list pull requests
Choose lazygit if you need…
- Developers who already use git from the command line and want a faster overview of their repository
- People who prefer working inside a terminal rather than a graphical app
- Users who want to stage, commit, and push changes without memorizing every git flag
Side-by-side
| hub | lazygit | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | CLI | CLI |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 23k | 83.6k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Go | Go |
| Last code update | 3 years ago | 6 days ago |
What each one is
hub
hub is a command-line tool that wraps git and adds extra commands for working with GitHub, such as cloning a repository by its owner/name or handling pull requests from the terminal. It can also be aliased as git so normal git commands still work with the added features. The README notes that GitHub's official CLI, gh, is an alternative.
lazygit
Lazygit is a terminal user interface (TUI) for git, the version control system used to track changes in code. Instead of typing git commands one by one, you use keyboard-driven panels to view status, stage changes, commit, and push. The README describes it simply as a terminal UI for git commands.
Best for
hub
- Developers who use git and GitHub daily from the terminal
- People who want git commands to stay familiar while gaining GitHub shortcuts
- Developers writing shell scripts that call the GitHub API
- Teams using GitHub Actions workflows that need to list pull requests
lazygit
- Developers who already use git from the command line and want a faster overview of their repository
- People who prefer working inside a terminal rather than a graphical app
- Users who want to stage, commit, and push changes without memorizing every git flag
Strengths
hub
- Keeps familiar git commands while adding GitHub features
- Installs through many package managers and as a standalone binary
- Has no dependencies beyond git 1.7.3 or newer, per the README
lazygit
- Keyboard-driven panels make common git actions quicker to reach than typing full commands
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Available as prebuilt binaries for Linux, Windows, and FreeBSD, according to the latest release assets
Not ideal for
hub
- People who want the official, actively positioned GitHub CLI: the README points to cli.github.com as the more user-friendly option
- Users who need help with GitHub.com itself: the README says the repo's issue tracker is not for web interface problems
- Anyone who dislikes tools that alias or wrap git, since aliasing changes how the git command behaves in the shell
lazygit
- People who are new to git and need to learn its concepts first, since the tool exposes git operations directly
- Users who need a graphical desktop app or work mainly in an IDE, because it runs only in a terminal
- Teams relying on hosting-platform workflows (pull requests, issues) that the README does not describe as supported
Trade-offs
hub
- The README recommends the official gh CLI as a more user-friendly option, so this tool may be less actively promoted
- Some community-maintained packages may lag behind the latest release, as the README warns
- The GitHub Actions example needs a token, and the default token only covers the workflow's own repository
lazygit
- Requires comfort with a terminal and a basic understanding of git
- The README is truncated here, so detailed feature coverage and limits could not be fully verified
- Its scope is git operations; it does not replace a full code editor or code review platform
Getting started
hub
Install with Homebrew (macOS, Linux)
brew install hubInstall with Scoop (Windows)
scoop install hublazygit
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazygitFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between hub and lazygit?
hub: A git wrapper that adds GitHub commands like cloning by repo name and managing pull requests. lazygit: A simple terminal interface for working with git commands. hub suits developers who use git and github daily from the terminal, while lazygit suits developers who already use git from the command line and want a faster overview of their repository.
Are hub and lazygit free?
hub: Free and open source. lazygit: Free and open source.
Is hub or lazygit more popular?
lazygit has more GitHub stars (83.6k) than hub (23k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to hub and lazygit?
Other options people compare them with include git-extras, mas, GitUI.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.