How do GitLens and VS Code Git Graph compare for resolving merge conflicts?

Developers working in modern IDEs such as VS Code, Cursor, Kiro, and Antigravity often explore extensions that make Git history easier to understand. Two popular options are GitLens and Git Graph.

Both extensions visualize repository history, but they take very different approaches to helping developers handle complex workflows like merges and rebases.

Git Graph focuses primarily on visualizing commit history and enabling Git actions directly from a commit graph. GitLens goes further by adding contextual insights, proactive conflict detection, and deeper Git awareness directly in the editor.

Feature / Criteria	GitLens	VS Code Git Graph
Conflict Detection	GitLens Pro provides proactive conflict detection. It can warn developers when a branch is likely to conflict with its merge target before starting a merge or rebase.	Git Graph does not proactively detect merge conflicts. Conflicts are discovered only after Git operations are executed.
Merge Editor Integration	Integrates with your IDEs merge editor and adds contextual information such as inline blame to help understand conflicting lines.	Relies entirely on VS Code’s built-in merge editor with no additional contextual Git insights.
Proactive Alerts in UI	GitLens surfaces branch status directly in its Home view, showing when branches are ahead, behind, diverged, or likely to conflict.	Git Graph focuses on repository visualization and does not provide a workflow dashboard or conflict alerts.
Visualization of History	GitLens provides a powerful commit graph with filtering, search, and deeper insights into commits, authors, and code changes.	Git Graph provides a visual commit graph for navigating branches, commits, and tags.
File History and Blame	GitLens includes line-level blame annotations, revision navigation, and file history directly inside the editor.	Git Graph shows file changes within commits but does not provide line-level history or blame annotations.
Pricing	GitLens Community is free, with advanced features available through GitKraken Pro.	Git Graph is a free open-source extension.