diff-so-fancy 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 script that makes git and plain diff output easier for humans to read.
Open source · MIT
A simple terminal interface for working with git commands.
The short answer
Choose diff-so-fancy if you need…
- Developers who review many diffs in the terminal
- People who use git from the command line and want clearer output
- Users who want a simple drop-in change with no complex setup
- Anyone reviewing changes made with plain diff -u
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
| diff-so-fancy | lazygit | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | CLI | CLI |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 18.1k | 83.6k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Download the app | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Perl | Go |
| Last code update | 18 days ago | 5 days ago |
What each one is
diff-so-fancy
diff-so-fancy is a command-line script that reformats the text output of diff tools, including git diff, so changes are easier to scan. It adds color, simplifies headers, and hides the leading + and - symbols, which helps you spot mistakes faster. You plug it into git as a pager or diff filter, or pipe ordinary diff output into it.
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
diff-so-fancy
- Developers who review many diffs in the terminal
- People who use git from the command line and want clearer output
- Users who want a simple drop-in change with no complex setup
- Anyone reviewing changes made with plain diff -u
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
diff-so-fancy
- Simple to install: the README says copying one script into your PATH is enough
- Configurable through several git config options with documented defaults
- Works with both git and standard diff output
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
diff-so-fancy
- People who do not use a terminal or command-line git, since it only formats text output
- Users who want syntax-aware or structural diffs, because the README describes only line-based formatting
- Anyone who needs the exact raw diff text, since the symbols and headers are changed for display
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
diff-so-fancy
- The README describes several installation routes, and packaging problems must be reported to those package maintainers
- Some features, like semIntegration, depend on a separate tool named sem
- Only the README was reviewed here, so behavior on edge cases is not verified
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
diff-so-fancy
Clone the repository (for development features)
git clone https://github.com/so-fancy/diff-so-fancySet git to use diff-so-fancy as the pager
git config --global core.pager "diff-so-fancy | less --tabs=4 -RF"lazygit
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazygitFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between diff-so-fancy and lazygit?
diff-so-fancy: A script that makes git and plain diff output easier for humans to read. lazygit: A simple terminal interface for working with git commands. diff-so-fancy suits developers who review many diffs in the terminal, while lazygit suits developers who already use git from the command line and want a faster overview of their repository.
Are diff-so-fancy and lazygit free?
diff-so-fancy: Free and open source. lazygit: Free and open source.
Is diff-so-fancy or lazygit more popular?
lazygit has more GitHub stars (83.6k) than diff-so-fancy (18.1k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to diff-so-fancy and lazygit?
Other options people compare them with include delta, difftastic, 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.