Git Worktree vs Clone: Which Should You Use?

When you need to work on multiple branches simultaneously, you have two options: create a git worktree or clone the repository a second time. Both give you a separate working directory, but they work very differently under the hood. This page breaks down the trade-offs so you can choose the right approach.

Comparison at a Glance

Aspect	Git Worktree	Git Clone (separate copy)
Disk space	Only the working tree files — all Git objects are shared with the main worktree	Full copy of the entire repository including all Git objects
Git history sync	Instant — commits made in one worktree are visible in all others immediately	Manual — you must `git fetch` or `git pull` to sync between clones
Shared refs	Yes — branches, tags, stashes, and reflog are shared	No — each clone has its own refs; they are independent repositories
Setup speed	Near-instant (`git worktree add` takes milliseconds)	Slow for large repos — must download all objects over the network (or copy locally)
Independence	Linked — deleting the main worktree can break linked worktrees	Fully independent — each clone stands on its own
Branch restriction	A branch can only be checked out in one worktree at a time	No restriction — the same branch can be checked out in multiple clones

When to Use Git Worktree

You want a second working directory fast without waiting for a clone to finish.
Disk space matters — worktrees share the object store, so a 10 GB repo only costs the size of the checked-out files per worktree.
You want commits to be visible everywhere instantly without pushing and pulling.
You are working on a hotfix and a feature at the same time within the same project.

When to Use a Separate Clone

You need full independence — for example, testing a destructive operation like git filter-branch without risking your main repo.
You want the same branch checked out in two places at once (worktrees do not allow this).
You are working across machines and need a separate copy on each.
You want completely isolated Git configuration (hooks, config settings, etc.).

Practical Examples

Creating a Worktree vs Cloning

Using git worktree (fast, lightweight)

# From your existing repo:
git worktree add ../project-hotfix hotfix/login-bug

# Done in milliseconds. ../project-hotfix shares
# the same .git objects as your main checkout.

Using git clone (full copy)

# Creates a completely independent copy:
git clone https://github.com/you/project.git ../project-hotfix

# Must wait for the download to finish.
# The two repos are completely separate.

Syncing Changes Between Two Clones

With separate clones, you need to push and fetch to share work:

# In clone A:
git commit -am "Fix login bug"
git push origin hotfix/login-bug

# In clone B:
git fetch origin
git log origin/hotfix/login-bug

With worktrees, none of this is needed. A commit made in one worktree is visible in all others immediately because they share the same object store and refs:

# In worktree A (on hotfix/login-bug):
git commit -am "Fix login bug"

# In worktree B (on main):
git log hotfix/login-bug  # Already has the commit

Disk Space Comparison

# Check the size of the .git directory (shared by all worktrees):
du -sh .git
# 850M    .git

# A worktree only adds the checked-out files:
du -sh ../feature-worktree --exclude=.git
# 120M    ../feature-worktree

# A full clone duplicates everything:
du -sh ../project-clone
# 970M    ../project-clone

What Is Git Worktree? — A beginner-friendly introduction
Worktree vs Branch — How worktrees and branches relate
git worktree add — How to create a new worktree