We all love GitHub, don’t we? It’s like the comfy couch every dev team crashes on. But sometimes, even the couch gets lumpy. Remote teams need faster merge conflict resolution, better branch management, and more automation. So, what’s beyond GitHub?
TL;DR
GitHub is great, but there are awesome alternatives out there. Teams working remotely often choose tools with improved UI, smoother merges, and better branching. In this article, we’ll show you seven options loved by remote developers. They might just make your workflow smoother and your merges less painful.
1. GitLab – Merge Made Easy
Superpower: Built-in CI/CD and powerful merge request tools.
One of GitHub’s biggest competitors, GitLab is a full DevOps platform. And guess what? Everything lives in one place. You can manage repositories, pipelines, deployments, and even monitoring—all from a single dashboard.
Remote teams love GitLab because of its detailed merge request workflow. You can assign reviewers, see diffs clearly, and resolve conflicts right in the interface.
- Visual conflict resolution
- Merge approvals and rules
- Autocomplete for branch names
Bonus: GitLab has a generous free tier if you’re just getting started!
2. Bitbucket – Built for Teams
Superpower: Deep integration with Jira (by Atlassian).
If your team uses Jira, Bitbucket is your friend. Bitbucket’s merge tools are intuitive and it has smart branching strategies built-in. You can even automate branching rules!
Bitbucket’s pull requests include inline code comments, side-by-side diffs, and required approvals. Plus, it supports both Git and Mercurial (for those who still live in 2008).
- Branch permissions
- Bitbucket Pipelines (CI/CD)
- Built-in code search
It’s great for teams already swimming in the Atlassian ecosystem.
3. Azure Repos – Microsoft-Strong
Superpower: Enterprise-grade permission handling and branching policies.
Azure Repos gives you unlimited private repos, and its branch policies are a game-changer. You can enforce rules like minimum reviews, build completions, and check commit messages automatically.
The web-based diff tool is also very handy for resolving conflicts while collaborating across time zones. Plus, it integrates with Azure DevOps for complete project management and project tracking.
- Two-way code reviews
- Fine-grain role management
- Template-based branch policies
Perfect choice if your team is already using other Microsoft tools.
4. Gitea – Lightweight and Self-Hosted
Superpower: Crazy lightweight and easy to host anywhere.
If your remote team likes outsourcing to no one, Gitea is the solution. It’s a fast, self-hosted Git service that’s open-source and doesn’t eat your server’s CPU for breakfast.
Though simple, Gitea offers cool collaboration features like pull requests, branch protections, and issue tracking. It’s minimal but powerful.
- Easy to install and maintain
- Works well for small- to medium-sized teams
- Free and open-source
It’s like the indie movie of version control tools—low budget, high impact.
5. Sourcegraph – For Mega Codebases
Superpower: Smart code search and cross-repo navigation.
Sourcegraph is more of a code intelligence platform than just a repository manager. But remote teams using multiple repos and languages love this tool.
Think of it like Google Search, but for your code—across all branches and repos. Merge conflicts become easier when you can trace dependencies in seconds.
- Universal code search
- Jump to definitions and references
- Integration with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
If you’re juggling microservices or huge codebases, this tool is gold.
6. Phabricator – Everything in One Interface
Superpower: Powerful code review tool called “Differential.”
Phabricator (by Phacility) is like the Swiss Army knife of dev collaboration. It supports Git, Mercurial, and Subversion, and it’s designed for serious engineering teams.
Code review via Differential lets you deeply inspect each change, compare multiple revisions, and even mark up changes like you’re painting code red.
- Inline commenting
- Audit trails and reports
- Built-in task and bug tracker
The UI can feel a bit… old-school. But fans say it’s incredibly powerful once you get used to it.
7. Fossil – All-in-One Simplicity
Superpower: Everything you need in a single binary file. Seriously.
Fossil includes version control, a wiki, chat, ticketing system, and a web interface—all in one tool. It’s open-source, and setup is crazily simple.
This isn’t just for tiny side-projects. Fossil is used by SQLite. Yes, the SQLite.
- Zero dependencies
- Works great offline
- Awesome for long-term project history
Remote teams who just want fewer moving parts (and almost no setup headaches) love this one.
Final Thoughts – Pick the Tool that Feels Right
Every team’s needs are different. Some want easy hosting. Others need enterprise-grade policies. Many just want a tool that won’t make quantum physics look simple.
The right version control tool can save hours, reduce mistakes, and make collaboration fun instead of frustrating.
So, take these seven for a spin and see what works best for your team:
- GitLab: DevOps all-in-one
- Bitbucket: Jira’s best friend
- Azure Repos: Corporate and solid
- Gitea: Light as a feather
- Sourcegraph: Smart code search
- Phabricator: Hardcore and flexible
- Fossil: Minimal and mighty
Your merge conflicts await. Go with the tool that helps you fix them faster!
