Which Subversion client should I use?

Question

I want to use Subversion source control for a PHP website. It is installed on the webspace I rent: hooray!

On the website of Subversion is a huge list of client-apps: http://subversion.tigris.org/links.html#all-clients

Which one can be recommended? I have Windows XP installed on my PC. And I don't want to pay for it, so a free client will do.

I've used Visual SourceSafe and Team Foundation Server in Visual Studio 2008.

EDIT: Perhaps one that integrates with Eclipse?

Edit 2: I found the article Ultimate Round-Up For Version Control with Subversion regarding Subversion in Smashing Magazine.

Answer 1

I use TortoiseSVN at work, and it works very well. I'm pretty sure it's one of, if not the most popular SVN client for Windows :)

It has Windows Explorer shell integration, so you get a nice TortoiseSVN menu in your right-click context menu.

And it's free!

Answer 2

AnkhSvn is a good (and free) Visual studio plugin for Subversion.

I also use TortoiseSVN (as recommended by BenA). The two work happily together.

Answer 3

For use with Eclipse, you could try Subclipse. I haven't used it myself however, so I don't know its pros and cons!

Answer 4

I agree that for most use TortoiseSVN is probably the best bet. But for some use cases, e.g. a bit more complicated merging operations, you might want to stick to the original svn command-line client, even on Windows. At least this is what I see my Windows-using colleagues do even if they normally use Tortoise...

See this answer and its comments (in a similar Linux question) for some justification and resources.

Answer 5

The Subversive project aims to provide Subversion (SVN) integration for Eclipse. The Subversive plug-in gives you the ability to work with this CVS successor version control system from the Eclipse workbench. You can work with Subversion repositories in almost exactly the same way that has long been possible with CVS repositories using the CVS plug-in bundled in the standard Eclipse distribution.

General features of the Subversive plug-in are quite similar to those of the CVS plug-in:

* Browse a remote repository
* Add a project to the repository and check out projects from the repository
* Synchronize a project to see incoming and outgoing changes
* Commit, update and revert changes
* See resource change history
* Merge changes

Subversive project

Answer 6

I use RapidSVN because I need to work in Windows and Linux, and this tool runs in both environments. It does the trick and it's free.

Answer 7

I usually have installed four SVN clients here:

• TortoiseSVN
• SlikSVN which is the command-line subversion client, just without the OpenCollabNet registration and advertising crap.
• AnkhSVN in Visual Studio
• Subclipse in Eclipse

I tend to use either one, depending on in which environment I am currently. What's important to note, though: If you have multiple clients and Subversion changes the working copy format again, you have to upgrade all to a new version. Would be so much easier, if they all shared a single library ...

Answer 8

If you want a (free) solution that integrates into Visual Studio, you could give AnkhSVN a try. I've used it successfully before now, and the only reason I don't use it is that I prefer tortoise.

Answer 9

Why the plugin available for your local installation of Netbeans of course!

Answer 10

Free command line subversion client: SlikSVN

Visual studio plugin AnkhSVN

Answer 11

Another free command line client: CollabNet Subversion Client.

Answer 12

I used Subclipse when I still used Eclipse, it also tied into mylar the bug-tracking plugin, tagging commits with the bug id.

Now, I just use the command line.

Answer 13

smartSVN can be used for free in limited mode and it is quite good even with the limits.

Answer 14

For OS X, you cannot go past Versions. It would have to be the best GUI subversion client that has ever existed. It is such a shame that a similar program does not exist for Windows.

Answer 15

Tortoise also has a plugin for Eclipse.