Working Copy - Git client Reviews

by Tedmiston

I have used WorkingCopy for many many years to manage a repo of Markdown documents.

Recently, the maintainer *tried* to improve Markdown highlighting by making checkboxes tappable. However, the implementation is riddled with bugs, such as where a checkbox will be flipped on the wrong line from the one you're editing extremely frequently. Tapping on a non task line just to edit the text, results in a checkbox on another line being incorrectly toggled. Tapping on an empty line to insert text does the same. The maintainer seems to not be aware of how many bugs they have rolled out and left sitting in WorkingCopy under the new implementation. Reporting bugs in WorkingCopy is a tedious and annoying process compared to other apps.

After dealing with this bug dozens of times per day under the new Markdown highlighting, I tried reporting bugs to no avail, I tried switching to plain text, but that's a PITA for editing Markdown... I've basically given up on WorkingCopy being useable because there's no way to disable this "enhanced" Markdown syntax editing mode that broke something that worked fine for years and years and didn't need changed. It's sad to see an app ruined because of alpha level buggy changes to critical path features, and then no updates to fix the numerous bugs around Markdown tasks in the new redefined Markdown syntax.

by Bandtank

As a fellow app developer, I understand paying to support continued development. This is a pretty good app with a lot of features, but $16 is way too expensive. I was expecting $5, which I would have gladly paid. You’re in a low volume market and pricing yourself out of sales is a bad idea. I have been selling apps for quite some time and the typical economic paradigms are still at play - sales volume always makes up for margin.

Not being able to access github issues, wiki, etc. is unfortunate. CodeHub is free and does that quite well, but I paid for it since the social aspect is so helpful. Every day I respond to issues with that app.

Anyway, nice app, but I’ll go back to what I was previously using since $16 is rather off-putting.

by Sigadore

The User Manual is found under Settings which was not an obvious location, a "?" icon Somewhere obvious on the interface would be helpful to us beginners.
I didn't find the magic on how to .zip repositories to have quick local access, so I tried the Share icon ...
The concept of syncing with the iCloud Files needs some work, obviously, you'll put a .git directory there the first save, then WorkingCopy gets concerned when it sees the .git directory there the next time that the Repository is "sync'd" or "saved" from the Share icon. Clearly, the intention is to utilize git push / pull but this seems to only be part of the process when ssh or an external Repo (via network) is involved.
The editor is solid and I will check out the Pro features, but I expect those to make the purchase worth it.

by Seattle Rex

I'm just a little burned out on WorkingCopy Store shenanigans lately. I've lost count of the number of "Pro" upgrades of purchased which are now "free" and covered with ads. I'm tired of plunking down cash for expensive programs that, months later, switch to a subscription model, taking my cash and flushing it in the process. I'm tired of paying for apps, only to find them still filled with Ads. Maybe I'm just having a bad run, but WorkingCopy Store truly feels like a scammer's bazaar these days. There are pick-pockets everywhere. I don't really lump the Working Copy folks into the group ... because they at least make a quality product and seem to put real effort into it. This is why I paid for a "permanent" Pro upgrade 14 months ago. And just paid $8 again for another "permanent" Pro upgrade. Like many other things, "permanent" doesn't mean what I thought it did. I'm sure it it's worth it, and I'm glad to support them, I just feel a little burned out and a little "over-used". I bought last Christmas and it just doesn't feel that long ago to get hit up again. I feel like I get rolled like a drunken sailor every time I log into WorkingCopy store these days. I really like WorkingCopy though. Nice work, guys.

by Neural_bites

Hello.

I am back. I like the way you can import projects from virtually anywhere and edit on your phone. But there’s bugs. I hate bugs. Do you like bugs? Ok. So. When your in the middle of editing something and copying from here and pasting into there. And then you go back one too many pages. And it hits you, when you can’t find the netbeans project folder. Because working copy deleted it. It hits you. That you just got fooled. Working copy isn’t what you thought it was going to be. No, not the application that seamlessly edits and commits with NO bugs. Not that one. Maybe in the next lifetime. Some app will do what it “claims to do” and everyone will be happy.

If you read this till the end, good job.

by 0x45

We had some troubles getting WorkingCopy configured with our HTTPS-only GitLab instance. The "hosting provider" setup appeared to go ok and even passed the "Test" connection but any attempt to clone a repository resulted in an error: "Unexpected return value from ssl handshake: -9836". Some fiddling with our hardened nginx configuration revealed that forcing TLS 1.3 breaks Working Copy's cloning functions. Enabling TLSv1.2 solved the problem but is sub-optimal from a security standpoint. I messaged the developer this morning and received a response within hours. Amazing. Have raised our rating from 2stars to 4stars and upgraded to Pro straight away. Will hold onto that 5th star until TLSv1.3 works for cloning ;)

by Vegetableprincess

Working Copy is the only GUI git client, on any platform, that I like better than the command line git. I like the preview features, the reliability, the way it handles rebasing, the excellent responsiveness of the developer, and yes, I like the pricing model! I wish every app used this model. Retaining access to previously unlocked features means I never go backwards when a subscription expires, and I don't mind needing to pay to upgrade to the latest greatest thing.

I recommend Working Copy for other geeks, especially those who use an iPad as a primary computing device, and anyone who needs to use a git repo as file storage.

by Sean D. Hunt

I find it stupid that pushing is a pro only feature. Because of that WorkingCopy becomes useless after the trial forcing me back to the even more useless git2go because I cant zip up a repository that I cloned on my phone and transferred to my laptop to make changes and commited on to push it on my phone as the laptop has no internet as the wifi driver in 1803 and the latest windows insiders keeps disconnecting me. This is why I got WorkingCopy to replace that trash app but with push being pro it makes this one trash too. Sorry but if you want people want to be able to use it without them being forced to buy pro or people like me who cannot get a job because of my mental stability and so I do open source to pass time. Please take this into consideration. I love the fact of gpg signing too something git2go does not have. Although I would like it if I could press some rebase button on a commit that asks me if I want to squash it into the previous commit and possibly ones after it or fixup the previous one using only the currently opened one to basically amend the one before it. Other than that keep up the good work. :wink: Even I would like to help with making WorkingCopy if it itself was also open source.

by Nervosa420

Very few apps that I’ve come across in Apple’s App Store, or any competitor’s equivilant library, warrant very much praise. Some are aesthetic but fall short of user friendliness, fail to meet expectations or simply throw a wrench into creative workflow rather than nurture it. Mainly, writing in python, I script and debug using Pythonista, (which is another shining gem I recommend to anyone looking for a strictly Py development environment.) and Working Copy is the only resource I turn to for version control. It’s so quick and intuitive to initialize a new repo, create and arrange your directories and start populating it with modules. The interoperability with other dev apps is second to none I’ve seen, and cloning repos from Git, Mercurial, and the like is reason enough alone to test drive Working Copy today. And, thank you to the developer for this extremely sharp, and highly complimentary toolset that I have used and I that will keep utilizing for a long time to come! 🤜🏼🤛🏻
**Any and all apologies for the lengthy testament**

by Xuochi

The iPad is an incredible device. It’s instant on, lightweight, decently powerful. It lacks some stuff for sure, but by adding Working Copy to my repertoire of apps it has replaced a laptop for me. Working Copy gives me amazing access to my various repos and does so elegantly.

Historically, I am a Linux guy (Slackware particularly). I prefer Vim, git’s CLI, and a compiler. Yet, Working Copy is just so darned handy, I find that my workstation is rarely actually powered on. The ability to lounge in hammock, sip a coffee, get work done on the iPad with Working Copy, all while enjoying the fresh air... it’s just too hard to say no.

Life is short. Enjoy more of it by freeing yourself from your computer. Use your iPad, and use Working Copy. If you’re sitting indoors at a desk every single day in 2019 when this alternative is available, you’re doing it wrong.

If you’re wondering why it’s 4 instead of 5 stars, that’s primarily due to pricing structure. 15 USD each year for the feature set worries me as many apps become abandonware.

by Jonnyappleskins

Andres is doing amazing work. This developer should be the model for all apps that want re-occurring revenue.

WorkingCopy is fantastic, constantly working better, and the pay the renewal for new features, but not until one comes out that you need. This is just the way it ought to be. Unlike my other now not so favorite apps. Take Drafts for iso who went to a $20/year, or $2/month price if you wanted to continue to use a dark there.

Keep up the good work Andres. I’ve enjoyed/love your app, I and I bought the renewal anyway out of principle because it’s Developers like you that deserve the money!

by NamelessMasses

I’ve never been happier to pay for a Pro version even when I don’t know that I’ll use the Pro features that much because I still work primarily on a full development PC (watch me end up using this app Pro more than I think I will).

As a developer, I appreciate “good” software. I’ve tried many other git clients for iOS/iPadOS and this app is the one that has had the fullest feature set combined with the most stable/robust implementation. I’ve had no issues getting anything to work.

I read that Anders, the Author, works on this app as a side project so wanted to support this effort by buying Pro.

by Donnylicious

ill be completely honest... most of the time i have no idea what im doing, but i love to play around with it. From the moment i downloaded WorkingCopy, it was clear the developer is knowledgeable and dedicated to their app. The way i see it, if you enjoy a product and it does exactly what you need if not more, then you pay for it. So please dont complain that you have to pay for the full app, in most cases, when you dont pay...its called stealing. Thank Satan for ads funding most "free" services you most likely use. I speak only to the negative reviewers. If you like WorkingCopy and know how to use it, i reccomend the paid version 100%, it will be worth it.

by Thomas Hansknecht

WorkingCopy works exactly as you would expect it to. WorkingCopy gives you all of your commit history, let’s you post on any branch of your choice, and let’s you gather repositories from any number of accounts you have. The one downside of this application is you have to pay 16$ dollars for it since the free version does not allow you to upload local changes to your remote branch which kind of defeats the entire purpose of WorkingCopy . Overall I love WorkingCopy and highly recommend it if you use git regularly especially if you need to make quick on the go changes to your remote branches.

by Settsu

It’s pretty amazing actually that it’s one of the better Git GUIs I’ve used and it’s an app on my phone. There’s truly something to be said for simplicity and how a phone screen challenges an application to be its best self to the benefit of users.

I appreciate the details that contribute to a smooth experience: the the option to push on a commit, being able to easily Fast Forward, the amount of detail on commits, etc.

Thanks to a helpful response by the developer, I found out where the word wrap toggle is and that there is a landscape mode (just happened to not work for me at first.) I discovered there’s even a minimap scrolling feature when tapping & holding the left side of the editor (seems like maybe it only works when line numbers are on?)

It doesn’t replace a full-featured editor at this point, especially without real-time linting*, but it does make most basic development tasks entirely possible.

*someone should create an API for that to support lightweight editors, preclude the need local updates potential restarts, etc.

by Clarkezone

This is a pretty great app with one limitation that is super annoying.. my github account is affiliated with an organization that has hundreds of repo’s. In the working copy UI this is really problematic as i have to scroll through pages and pages of stuff i’m not interested in to see my own repos. There is no way of flitering this list, or searching. And even more annoying is that the started repo’s which i care about most are right at the end of the list! This makes me think twice before using WorkingCopy to clone a new project as I waste literally minutes hunting through solutions manually. Please fix this as it seriously limits the usefulness of an otherwise excellent app.

by Andrewgremlich

I don't recall how I came across WorkingCopy. I guess I was kind of curious to see if there was some sort git client that handled pulling and pushing. As I think about it now, I don't think there are any other app that does pulling and pushing. So I downloaded WorkingCopy to give it a shot.

I will admit, I was a little sad to find that a there are paid pro features provided with the application. I have been a bit spoiled with some awesome free stuff when it comes to development. But then I started to explore WorkingCopy a little bit. Then I tried out the 10 ten day pro trial. And I have to say, WorkingCopy is crazy impressive. It just about handles the basic git commands very well, and it doesn't leave any of the basic ones out. On top of that, instead of being just a git client, there is also text editing and development included!

I will admit this too. I have not yet purchased the pro, but I wouldn't be suprised if I finally did within the next few weeks. To have this crazy impressive application to be done by one developer is a job well done.

feature request...
rebasing? or did I miss that...

by NeoYokel

I had the relatively unique experience of coming to Git, mobile-first, via this very application on my iPhone 8 Plus, almost exactly 4 years ago. Thanks to GitHub's Education program, I've had access to unlimited repository creation since that first day, and it's honestly quite a testament to the power of Working Copy just how much of a mess I made in those initial few months.

Now on my iPad Pro, I keep so many repos (89 as of this writing) that I have an automation that maintains a browsable index of the lot (which is, itself, a testament to Working Copy's incredibly comprehensive and solid Siri Shortcuts support.)

by Furtab

I’ve been using WorkingCopy for over a year. I just found the image difference view with split view cut view and color glow. Oh. My. God. You mean to tell me that from one place I can edit files, see history, globally search, visually compare changes (Even in images), and remotely push and PR to the Git server? WHY IS THIS ONLY $16 and $8 A YEAR after that?! this beats the SNOT out of stuff I’ve seen charged $50 and $100 a year on the desktop!

If you’re on the fence about whether you should pay $16 because you see every other app going 99 cents or bust—think more in terms of how much time this elegantly designed app will save you. How much do you value your time? Will WorkingCopy save you time? Do it. JUST. DO IT. DON’T LET YOUR DREAMS BE DREAMS

by Rando8989

I’ll preface by saying that I am not a developer, just a hobbyist. I really don’t use git a ton aside from cloning repositories for self hosted apps on my raspberry pi or digital ocean server etc. In fact, I use this developer’s other app, secure shellfish (also a fantastic app- best ssh client for iOS hands down), for all of that.

That being said, I have a good understanding of how git works and an appreciation for well developed apps. This one is outstanding. Both of this developer’s apps continue to amaze me with their ability to seemingly push the limits of what’s possible with iOS. I don’t think any other apps integrate so seamlessly with the iOS files app and are as feature rich as secure shellfish and working copy. The UIs are also extremely visually pleasing.

Although I can do everything (and more) that I need just from the free version, I felt compelled to pay for the pro features. As another reviewer said, give this guy your money. He definitely deserves it.

by Donny1117

Forgive the stupid pun. But seriously, it’s the only power app for dealing with repositories. It’s ABSOLUTELY worth the paid version if you spend any time editing or viewing repos (there are less functional apps trying to charge recurring subscription) Reasons WorkingCopy is better than the others I’ve tried: - Ability to use preferred text editor (I use Textastic) - Works with Gitlab and other non-GitHub sources - Constant updates - Multiple remotes per repo - IOS files integration - Ability to upload a repo to an SSH server, run commands (scripts, linting, compiling, etc), then having the resulting changes synced to your device so you can review the changes before commit. It seems to only sync the diff which is impressive. That last feature is super useful. The only reason I can complain is because it took me so long to discover it. It’s kinda hard to find and you have to dig to find it on the iPhone. It’s a killer feature, it shouldn’t be so obscure.

by SnapStarSean

Below are the reasons this is a great app for me. I'm often on the go and love the fact that I can just grab an iPad and still do real work. I've use WorkingCopy for years, I'm hard to please. I don't know the developer, and I don't do this often. WorkingCopy and developer are ★★★★★, no doubts.

• Secure
• Integrates we'll with iOS text editors and IDEs
• Easy. When I was a noob I learned git with WorkingCopy
• A very stable and mature app which the developer continues to improve. Today WorkingCopy , released 10 years ago, is at version 6+, and was last updated just four weeks ago.
• Nice feature set (pro-subscriber, and I'd pay double for this one)
• A share sheet action makes cloning an online repository trivial, even if WorkingCopy is not open.
•. Builf in diff, basic syntax highlighting, BYO OpenAI key, fully supports Shortcuts, WebDav server, handy folder sync option, for times when git is overkill, connect to Finder on your Mac…
• WorkingCopy and developer remind me of what I like about the Apple cult/culture and the ingenuity and hard work of its true indie developers.

by Yagermadden

Not only can I work on projects from my phone or iPad, it is a real pleasure to do so. Integration with other software (Textastic, Drafts) just works, and commit/push/pull workflow is intuitive and nice. I can’t really do everything from mobile with this, but it isn’t really WorkingCopy ’s fault — sometimes I just need or want a REPL for trying stuff out and/or a more fully featured IDE to work in. But for quick changes and especially things like making edits to documentation or website content, it’s such a great workflow I almost prefer it to desktop. Highly recommended!

by MontclairNJ

Using the iPad-native app iFontMaker to create fonts, I find Working Copy indispensable to creating truly open-source fonts. Without it, and without its commit, push and pull features, every file I work on would have to be transferred off the iPad to some other system simply to get it to Github — which, in reality, means most changes wouldn’t be recorded, collaboration with another designer would be implausible, and versioning would be impossible.

I bought the upgrade immediately because Working Copy’s utility is so stark. Great tool for any workflow that incorporates an iPad. Five stars!

by Cameron0208

If all apps were of this quality, WorkingCopy Store wouldn’t be such a cesspool. The developer clearly spent a lot of time on WorkingCopy and it shows. The attention to detail is incredible. Very intuitive, great UI and UX, easy to navigate, and a ton of features even with the free app.

I am just starting to learn Git and have been struggling with learning via GitHub. After spending some time in Working Copy, I’m finally picking it up. Definitely plan on purchasing Pro once I become a little more knowledgeable. Thanks for the amazing app!