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SPECIFICTION
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Fossil vs Perforce P4 (Helix Core)

Fossil

fossil-scm.org

Perforce P4 (Helix Core)

perforce.com

Side by side

FigureFossilPerforce P4 (Helix Core)
Price fromFree$39/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Open source——
WebYesYes
WindowsYesYes
macOSYesYes
LinuxYesYes
API—Yes
Self-hostedYesYes
Plans published18
Spec score · Version Control Software8.3 (#15)8.9 (#2)
Spec score · Source Code Management8.2 (#13)8.8 (#4)
Spec score · Game Version Control Software8.2 (#14)8.9 (#4)
Founded20071995
Self-hostingFossil can run as a standalone server, CGI, SCGI, inetd, or stunnel service.P4 Server can be installed and operated on an organization's own infrastructure as a proof-of-concept or production deployment.
What it doesFossil is a distributed software configuration management system for controlling and tracking software-project development and history.P4 (formerly Helix Core) is a client-server version-control platform for source code, binaries, 3D assets and other digital files.

Plans

Fossil

  • Free and Open-SourceFree

Fossil pricing →

Perforce P4 (Helix Core)

  • FreeFree
  • Cloud$39 a month
  • ScalePriced on request
  • PlatformPriced on request
  • P4 FreeFree
  • P4 Cloud$39 a month
  • 12-Month SubscriptionPrice not published
  • Perpetual UsePrice not published

Perforce P4 (Helix Core) pricing →

In their own words

Fossil

Fossil is a free, distributed software configuration management system for controlling and tracking software-project development and history. It combines version control with bug tracking, a wiki, forums, email alerts, chat, and technical notes. Its built-in web interface includes ticketing, documentation, timelines, full-text search, histories, diffs, ZIP downloads, and access management. Fossil is distributed as a single self-contained executable and can run as a standalone server or through CGI, SCGI, inetd, or stunnel. Official precompiled binaries are available for Linux, Mac, and Windows, and it can be self-hosted. Network communication uses HTTPS or SSH; synchronization supports autosync and manual merges, with autosync enabled by default. Repositories use an SQLite database with atomic transactions and consistency checks before commits. The project supports an automatic GitHub mirror and originated as a tool for the SQLite project. Fossil is offered under a 2-clause BSD license. Listed limitations include no file locking, large-file handling, sparse checkout, or nested repositories.

Visit fossil-scm.org

Perforce P4 (Helix Core)

Perforce P4 (Helix Core) has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.

Visit perforce.com