shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Git?

Free, open-source distributed version control system - git-scm.com

Worth it. Buy if anyone on your team writes code — it's free, it's the industry default, and every dev tool assumes it. Skip it if you only need to version documents or want a polished hosted product; Git is neither simple nor hosted.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~50 public sources: official docs, Reddit threads, CVE databases, and G2 reviews.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityCommunity-run; no vendor support evidence
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Git (this product)

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Hosting (e.g. GitHub Free)$0

Best for

  • Software teams of any size
  • Open-source projects
  • Solo developers
  • CI/CD-driven engineering orgs

Not for

  • Non-coders versioning documents or spreadsheets
  • Design teams storing large binary files
  • Buyers wanting a hosted UI, support, or SLAs
  • Teams unwilling to learn CLI concepts

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Client-side CVEs hit anyone cloning malicious repos; keep clients patched.

medium

Git is the engine, not the service: hosting, UI, and support cost extra via GitHub/GitLab.

medium

Onboarding is a real cost: beginners report weeks of confusion over Git's concepts.

medium

Repository bloat quietly raises backup and recovery costs over time.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free and open-source — no licenses, no seats
  • Industry default: 93% of developers use it
  • Distributed model; full history works offline
  • Rich third-party GUI ecosystem for non-CLI users
  • Governed by Software Freedom Conservancy, not a vendor

Cons

  • Steep learning curve; even seniors struggle
  • Terminology and error messages confuse beginners
  • Overkill for versioning non-code files
  • Community-run: no vendor, support, or SLA

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 9 sources - Actively maintained; CVE-2025-48384 (arbitrary file write, client-side) fixed in July 2025 — keep clients updated.

official x3review x3security x2news x1
  • CVE-2025-48384 — arbitrary file write, Flaw in Git's config handling enables client-side attacks when cloning malicious repos; security update released July 2025.
  • CVE-2025-46334, Further Git vulnerability tracked by NVD in the same July 2025 patch cycle.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 9

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free, open-source, no seats or tiers
  • Ease of use: 2/5. Steep curve; users call terms weird
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Distributed model, branching, huge GUI ecosystem
  • Support quality. Community-run; no vendor support evidence
  • Security posture: 3/5. Active CVEs, patched fast, client-side risk
  • 93% Developer adoption of developers use Git (Stack Overflow survey)
  • $0 Starting price Free, open-source
  • 537 G2 reviews reviews of Git on G2
  • $0 Hosting from GitHub Free tier for public repos

Pricing

Git (this product)

$0

  • Full distributed version control
  • CLI plus third-party GUIs
  • Self-managed remotes

Hosting (e.g. GitHub Free)

$0

  • Public repositories free
  • Paid tiers for private/team features

Security

Actively maintained; CVE-2025-48384 (arbitrary file write, client-side) fixed in July 2025 — keep clients updated.

  • CVE-2025-48384 — arbitrary file writeFlaw in Git's config handling enables client-side attacks when cloning malicious repos; security update released July 2025.⁶
  • CVE-2025-46334Further Git vulnerability tracked by NVD in the same July 2025 patch cycle.
Full analysis

Based on ~50 public sources: official docs, Reddit threads, CVE databases, and G2 reviews.

Free and universal for code, but confusing and overkill for non-technical file tracking.

Methodology

Based on ~50 public sources: official docs, Reddit threads, CVE databases, and G2 reviews.

Sources

  1. Git — official sitegit-scm.com
    official
  2. Git vs GitHub: What's the difference?nulab.com
    review
  3. Beyond Git — Stack Overflow developer surveystackoverflow.blog
    news
  4. Git is needlessly complicated (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  5. Git reviews on G2g2.com
    review
  6. CVE-2025-48384 analysis — Datadog Security Labssecuritylabs.datadoghq.com
    security
  7. Git security vulnerabilities announced — GitHub Bloggithub.blog
    security
  8. Git and Software Freedom Conservancygit-scm.com
    official
  9. Git — GUI Clientsgit-scm.com
    official

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