For Unreal Engine teams
Version control for Unreal Engine, built around how game teams actually work.
Branchive is built on Lore, Epic's version control system — designed
for gigabyte-sized .uasset and
.umap files from the start,
not bolted onto a text-first tool.
Windows only today — macOS and Linux are in development.
Back to BranchiveNative big binaries vs. an LFS bolt-on
.uasset and .umap, built in from the start.
Binary assets like .uasset and .umap don't diff or merge. The lore:// protocol is QUIC-native — a real 6.05 GiB Unreal project, 3,637 files, cloned in 78 seconds from Branchive Cloud (measured, one command, not a benchmark rig).
Reviewed PRs vs. none
A team layer Lore doesn't have natively.
Stock Lore has no propose/review/approve/merge concept at all — a push just lands. Branchive Cloud adds the full pull-request flow, with required review enforced server-side before a merge lands.
Transparent, free right now
No per-seat tiers to track.
Branchive Desktop is free, full stop. Branchive Cloud's collaboration features are free while we're in early access.
Enforced permissions vs. an honor system
Protected branches, enforced by Branchive Cloud.
Core Lore already blocks a direct push to a protected branch, even the owner's. Branchive Cloud forks the server to enforce role by level and gate unprotect to admins only, so protection actually holds — on the lore CLI and Branchive Desktop too, not just the web UI.
Full feature comparison
Full feature comparison.
Competitor wins are shown honestly — green leads the row, red loses it, gold marks a caveat in between. Where we couldn't verify a competitor's number, like Unity Version Control's pricing, we say so instead of guessing.
| Feature | Branchive | loregui | GitHub | Perforce Helix Core | Diversion | Unity Version Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native large-binary handling | Yes — native QUIC lore:// | Yes — binds Lore's native API in-process | No — bolt-on Git LFS | Yes — native | Yes — native | Yes — native |
| File locking | Yes — enforced on Branchive Cloud; self-hosted Lore doesn't block the write | Exclusive claim only — no server, so it can't block the write | Git LFS locking — best-effort, not hard-enforced | Exclusive, write-blocking | Exclusive — "Hard Locks" | Exclusive — "Smart Locks" |
| Code review / merge-request workflow | Yes — native pull requests | No — local GUI, no server | Yes — native pull requests | Yes — needs the Helix Swarm add-on | Yes — Reviews | Yes — Code Reviews |
| Required review enforced before merge | Yes | No — nothing to enforce it | Yes | Yes — Swarm enforce | ⚠️ Not enforced — on Diversion's roadmap, per their docs | Yes |
| Protected branches (server-enforced) | Yes — core Lore blocks natively; our fork adds level-enforcement and admin-gated unprotect | No — no hosted server | Yes | Yes — protections table | Yes | Yes |
| Permission levels (read/write/admin) enforced | Yes | No — no access-control layer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Web UI (browse / diff / review) | Yes | No web UI — full native desktop GUI instead | Yes | Needs the Helix Swarm add-on | Yes | Yes |
| Self-host option | Core is self-hostable; the enforcement layer is Branchive Cloud-only | Yes — 100% local, any backend (local/S3/MinIO/Garage) | Yes — Enterprise Server | Yes | Enterprise tier only | Yes |
| Desktop platforms | Windows only today — macOS/Linux in development | Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon), Linux | Windows, macOS (GitHub Desktop) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS (Linux via CLI) | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| CI / automation | Via webhooks → your CI | No — local GUI only | Yes — Actions | Yes — via Jenkins | Yes — CI integrations | Unity DevOps |
| Pricing / free tier | Free during early access | Free — open source (MIT) | Free tier + paid; Git LFS metered ~$0.07/GB storage + ~$0.0875/GB egress | Free ≤5 users; Cloud $39/user/mo | Free ≤5 users (Indie); Pro $25/user/mo, Studio $35/user/mo | — see Unity's site |
| Target audience | Unreal Engine / game teams, Windows-first | Lore users who want a free local GUI, any platform | General development | AAA game / VFX, enterprise | Unreal Engine / game teams, cloud-native | Game development, real-time 3D |
The GitHub column reflects Git + Git LFS — the same metered-storage and best-effort-locking model applies to self-hosted Git + LFS on GitLab, Gitea, or Bitbucket. The loregui column is Biloxi Studios' free, open-source local GUI for Lore — genuinely free and cross-platform today, with no hosted server, review pipeline, or access-control layer. Unity Version Control's pricing isn't published anywhere we could verify, so we don't quote a number here — check Unity's site directly.
Honesty
When another Unreal Engine VCS is still the better choice.
Perforce Helix Core — client-side read-only lock enforcement, AAA-scale administration
Branchive Cloud now enforces locks server-side — the same as Helix Core — for direct commits and pushes. What Helix Core still does that we don't: make the locked file read-only on your local disk, not just blocked on push. If you need that, plus the admin resources for a AAA-scale binary depot, Helix Core remains a proven choice. See our Helix Core comparison.
Diversion — client-side read-only lock enforcement, cloud-native for Unreal today
Diversion's Hard Locks make a locked file read-only on your local disk, not just blocked on push — a step beyond Branchive Cloud's server-side push enforcement. Its required review is not yet enforced, per Diversion's own docs. See our Diversion comparison.
Unity Version Control — client-side lock enforcement, cross-platform desktop
If you need a lock that also makes the file read-only on your local disk, not just blocked on push, and native macOS/Linux desktop clients today, Unity Version Control has both. See our Unity Version Control comparison.
GitHub (with Git LFS) — deep existing Git/GitHub ecosystem investment
If your studio's tooling, CI, and community are already invested in the Git/GitHub ecosystem, migrating away from Git LFS carries real cost. See our GitHub comparison or our Git LFS comparison.
Questions
Frequently asked questions.
What makes a version control system good for Unreal Engine specifically?
Native handling of large binary files like
.uasset and
.umap (not a bolt-on like Git LFS),
some form of locking so two people don't silently overwrite the
same asset, and fast clones so onboarding and CI don't stall on
a multi-gigabyte repo.
Does Branchive lock Unreal asset files?
Yes. Lock a .uasset or
.umap file to claim it — nobody else
can lock the same file while you hold it. On Branchive Cloud,
locking is enforced: the server rejects anyone else's direct
push, force-push, or rename over your locked file. Approved PR
merges aren't lock-gated, and owners/admins can force-release a
lock.
Is Branchive free for Unreal Engine teams?
Branchive Desktop is a free Windows client. Branchive Cloud collaboration features — pull requests with required review, invite-only team sharing, and per-repo read/write/admin roles (collaborators land changes via reviewed pull requests; only the owner pushes directly today) — are available when you sign in with Google.
Does Branchive enforce protected branches for Unreal projects?
Core Lore already blocks a direct push to a protected branch, even the owner's — that's native. What stock Lore lacks: protection isn't gated (anyone holding a grant can unprotect, push, and reprotect) and roles are checked by presence, not level, so a read-only grant can still push to an unprotected branch. Branchive Cloud forks the server to close both gaps — role enforced by level, and unprotect admin-gated — so protection actually holds, on the lore CLI and Branchive Desktop too, not just the web UI. A self-hosted, stock loreserver gives you the Lore core, not this enforcement layer.
Try it
Clone an Unreal project in about a minute.
Windows only today — macOS and Linux are in development.
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