Working Copy alternative for Mac, iPad & iPhone
EmpiricCommander vs Working Copy
Working Copy is the deepest Git client on iOS, full stop - if your iPad time is mostly branching, merging, and resolving conflicts, it is superb and hard to beat. EmpiricCommander comes at it from the other side: it is a full dual-pane file manager with SFTP, S3, and cloud connections that now also does a clone-edit-commit-push Git workflow, on Mac, iPad, and iPhone under one license. If Git is one part of a day that also involves servers and files, this is the honest split.
$49.99 one-time · no subscription · macOS, iPad & iPhone
Working Copy is iPad & iPhone only
Working Copy is Git-repo focused
Covers Mac + iPad + iPhone
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
An honest side-by-side - including where Working Copy comes out ahead.
Depth of Git vs. breadth of workflow
Working Copy is a Git client that happens to browse files. It is deep: SSH remotes, full branch and merge, stash, a commit history graph, submodules, conflict resolution, and a polished diff viewer. For pure iOS Git, it is the reference.
EmpiricCommander is a file manager that happens to do Git. Since 2.1 the same Git surface is on Mac, iPad and iPhone - clone over HTTPS or SSH, edit in the built-in editor, stage, commit, switch and merge branches, stash, resolve a conflict per file, and read the commit history as a topology graph - and it sits inside dual-pane file management with SFTP, S3, WebDAV, and SMB. If your work is Git and only Git, Working Copy still goes deeper; if Git is one lane of a wider file workflow, EmpiricCommander keeps it in one app.
- Both: branch, merge, stash, commit history graph on iPad
- Working Copy also has submodules and Git LFS
- EmpiricCommander adds SFTP, S3, WebDAV, SMB in the other pane
- Repo on one side, a server or bucket on the other, drag between them
Honest note, and this is the one that matters if you merge often: EmpiricCommander resolves a conflict per file - take either side, or abort the merge - and that is the whole of it. There is no per-hunk resolution, so a file where both sides changed different regions still costs you one of the two versions. Working Copy has a dedicated resolve tool and goes further. Where the gap has closed since 2.1: Git remotes over SSH work on all three platforms here, and Git itself is on iPhone - through its own toolbar entry, not the dual-pane layout, which remains Mac and iPad only.
One app across Mac, iPad, and iPhone
Working Copy is iOS and iPadOS only. EmpiricCommander is native on macOS, iPadOS, and iOS, and a single $49.99 purchase covers 1 Mac, 1 iPad, and 1 iPhone. The Git menu is the same on all three, graph and stash included; what the Mac adds is a local shell and container browsing - so a repo you clone on the iPad is one the Mac opens with more around it.
It also means your SFTP servers, S3 buckets, and cloud connections are the same saved profiles on every device, not a separate setup per app.
- Native Mac, iPad, and iPhone apps, one license
- Same Git menu on all three, SSH remotes included; local shell on macOS
- Shared connection profiles across devices
- 7-day free trial, no credit card
Pricing and platforms
EmpiricCommander is $49.99 one-time per major version with a 7-day no-card trial, covering Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Working Copy is free to install with a one-time Pro unlock to enable pushing and other pro features, on iOS and iPadOS only.
Working Copy's feature set and pricing reflect early 2026 and its iOS-only availability - check the App Store for the current release. EmpiricCommander's Git runs over HTTPS with a token or over SSH, on all three platforms since 2.1; conflict resolution is per file, never per hunk.
Which One Is Right for You?
No tool wins on every axis. Here is where each genuinely fits.
Choose EmpiricCommander if
- You want Git plus SFTP, S3, and cloud file management in one app
- You want the same workflow (and license) on Mac, iPad, and iPhone
- You want Git on the iPhone as well, not only the iPad and the Mac
- You want a dual-pane file manager, not a Git-first client
- You value one $49.99 price across three devices
Choose Working Copy if
- You resolve conflicts hunk by hunk, not by taking one side of a file
- You rely on submodules or Git LFS
- You want the most mature, git-native iOS client and nothing more
- You don't need SFTP, S3, or general file management alongside Git
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EmpiricCommander a Working Copy alternative?
Yes, if you want Git alongside real file management. EmpiricCommander does a clone-edit-commit-push Git workflow on Mac, iPad and iPhone, on the tablet and desktop inside a dual-pane file manager with SFTP, S3, WebDAV, and cloud connections. Working Copy remains the deeper choice for pure iOS Git - submodules, Git LFS, and hunk-level conflict work.
Does EmpiricCommander do everything Working Copy does?
No, and we won't claim it. Working Copy still goes further on pure Git - submodules, Git LFS, and a resolve tool that works hunk by hunk where ours takes one side of a whole file. The gap is narrower than it was: since 2.1 EmpiricCommander does Git over SSH, resolves conflicts in the app, and runs Git on iPhone as well as Mac and iPad. What it adds is a full file manager and remote connections Working Copy doesn't have, plus a Mac app.
Can I use SSH keys like in Working Copy?
Yes, since 2.1. EmpiricCommander clones, fetches and pushes over SSH on Mac, iPad and iPhone, taking the key from the matching saved connection and pinning the host key after you confirm it once; scp-style git@host:owner/repo URLs are accepted. HTTPS with a personal access token still works if you prefer it.
Does EmpiricCommander run on the Mac? Working Copy doesn't.
Yes. EmpiricCommander is native on macOS, iPadOS, and iOS, and one $49.99 license covers all three. The Git menu is the same on all three - branch/merge Log graph, stash, branch switching, SSH remotes included - and what the Mac adds is a local shell and container browsing. Working Copy is iOS and iPadOS only.
Is EmpiricCommander a subscription?
No. It is a one-time $49.99 purchase per major version with a 7-day free trial that needs no credit card, covering 1 Mac, 1 iPad, and 1 iPhone.