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Mercurial

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Company health

Employee growth
No change in the last year

Ratings

G2
4.2/5
(31)
Capterra
4.1/5
(9)

Mercurial description

Mercurial is a tool that lets your developers track changes to code over time. Think of it like "track changes" in a Word document, but for your entire software project. This helps teams collaborate better, experiment safely, and go back to older versions if needed. It's known for being user-friendly, even for larger projects. Being free and highly flexible makes it a favorite for many.


Who is Mercurial best for

Mercurial is a free, open-source, distributed version control system known for its user-friendly interface and speed. Perfect for small to medium-sized software teams, Mercurial allows developers to track code changes, experiment safely, and easily revert to older versions. Users praise its intuitive commands and fast performance but note its smaller ecosystem compared to Git.

  • Ideal for small to medium-sized teams seeking efficient version control.

  • Best fit for software development teams.


Mercurial features

Supported

Mercurial is a distributed version control system that tracks code changes and allows reverting to previous versions.

Supported

Mercurial offers a comprehensive set of command-line operations for version control.

Supported

Mercurial supports parallel development through named branches, bookmarks, cloning, and implicit branching.

Supported

Mercurial supports Git repositories via extensions like GitExtension and HgGit.

Supported

Mercurial supports merging changes from different branches using the hg merge command.

Supported

Mercurial provides a detailed log of all repository changes via the `hg log` command.


Mercurial reviews

We've summarised 40 Mercurial reviews (Mercurial Capterra reviews and Mercurial G2 reviews) and summarised the main points below.

Pros of Mercurial
  • User-friendly and easy to learn, especially for beginners.
  • Simple and intuitive commands.
  • Fast and efficient, even with large files.
  • Free and open-source.
Cons of Mercurial
  • Limited external platform support, especially commercial ones.
  • Small ecosystem compared to Git, lacking community and tools.
  • Bitbucket ending Mercurial support is a significant drawback.
  • Can be limiting for large, distributed projects.

Mercurial pricing

See the Mercurial pricing page.

  • Mercurial has a free plan.


Mercurial alternatives

  • Logo of AWS CodeCommit
    AWS CodeCommit
    Securely host and manage your Git code in the cloud.
    Read more
  • Logo of BlazeMeter Continuous Testing Platform
    BlazeMeter Continuous Testing Platform
    Simplified performance and user interface testing for faster releases.
    Read more
  • Logo of Git
    mercurial vs Git
    Version control: track changes, collaborate, and rewind your code.
    Read more
  • Logo of Git Tower
    Git Tower
    Friendly Git client makes complex code changes simple.
    Read more
  • Logo of GitLens
    GitLens
    Supercharge Git inside VS Code: visualize code authorship and history.
    Read more
  • Logo of Code Compare
    Code Compare
    Easily compare, merge, and manage code changes.
    Read more

Mercurial FAQ

  • What is Mercurial and what does Mercurial do?

    Mercurial is a distributed version control system that tracks code changes, enabling efficient team collaboration and rollback to previous versions. Known for its user-friendly interface and speed, it's a free and flexible tool well-suited for small to medium-sized projects. However, limited external platform support and a smaller ecosystem compared to Git are potential drawbacks.

  • How does Mercurial integrate with other tools?

    Mercurial integrates with other tools through extensions. It supports Git repositories via extensions like GitExtension and HgGit. However, it has a smaller ecosystem compared to Git, with limited external platform support, especially commercial ones.

  • What the main competitors of Mercurial?

    Top Mercurial alternatives include Git, GitHub, Bitbucket, and SourceTree. Git offers similar functionality as a distributed version control system. GitHub and Bitbucket provide code hosting and collaboration features. SourceTree simplifies Git and Mercurial management with a visual interface.

  • Is Mercurial legit?

    Yes, Mercurial is a legitimate and safe open-source distributed version control system. It's known for being user-friendly and efficient, even with large files. However, its smaller ecosystem compared to Git is a potential drawback.

  • How much does Mercurial cost?

    Mercurial is a free and open-source distributed version control system. Therefore, there is no cost associated with using the software itself.

  • Is Mercurial customer service good?

    Mercurial's support relies on its community, which can be helpful for common issues. However, more complex problems may require more dedicated assistance, and the level of support is considered limited due to its free nature.


Reviewed by

MK
Michal Kaczor
CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT
Tymon Terlikiewicz
CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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