Version control systems (VCSs) have been helping developers manage code changes, collaborate efficiently, and maintain a structured history for debugging, rollbacks, and audits for over 50 years. Their adoption continues to grow yearly.

In 2024, the global VCS market was valued at $708.46 million and is projected to reach $761.1 million in 2025, driven by cloud adoption and AI-powered development tools.

This article examines the most widely used VCSs in 2025, based on developer surveys, market trends, and statistical data.

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Your Preferred VCS: Developer Trends and Choices

According to Fortune Business Insights, approximately 90% of tech startups rely on version control systems (VCSs) as essential development tools. Additionally, 72% of developers believe that VCSs help reduce development time by up to 30%.

For the past decade, Git has remained the dominant choice among developers. In 2016, 87.1% of developers preferred Git, and by 2025, its usage had risen to 93.87%.

The Stack Overflow Developer Survey ranks version control systems by frequency of use:

• Git – 93.87% adoption
• SVN (Subversion) – 5.18%
• Mercurial – 1.13%

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But to demonstrate a bigger picture, we picked 5 Version Control Systems for our investigation - the abovementioned Git, SVN and Mercurial as well as Concurrent Versions System (CVS) and Perforce.

Git

Git is a free, distributed version control system that enables efficient collaboration, powering platforms like GitHub and GitLab, which are essential for modern software development, CI/CD, and AI-assisted coding. Since its creation in 2005, it has become the backbone of open-source projects and enterprise DevOps, used by companies like Google, Microsoft, and AI-driven startups in 2025.

Apache Subversion

Apache Subversion (SVN) is a free, centralized version control system that has been in use since 2001, originally designed as a replacement for CVS. While modern alternatives exist, many organizations, including LinkedIn, NASA, Siemens, and Citigroup, continue to rely on SVN due to its structured access control, stability, and ability to manage large binary assets in enterprise, government, and financial sectors.

Mercurial

Mercurial is a free, decentralized source code management system developed in 2005 for high performance, scalability, and simplicity. While less popular than other version control systems, it remains in use by organizations such as Mozilla, Facebook, NGINX, and W3C due to its speed, efficiency with large repositories, and straightforward user experience.

Perforce

Perforce is a commercial, centralized version control system that has been in use since 1995, offering a master server for file versioning accessible via P4 or mirrored to Git repositories. While widely used by companies requiring strict access control and handling large-scale projects, its high licensing costs and lack of decentralization have led many firms to transition to decentralized version control systems (DVCS) for greater flexibility and scalability.

Concurrent Versions System (CVS)

Concurrent Versions System (CVS) is a free, centralized (client-server) revision control system developed in 1990. It was designed to keep track of the file changes. Its active development has effectively stopped in 2008, yet there are few companies still using CVS, mainly because it fulfills their needs and there’s no economically viable reason to migrate their legacy projects.

Google Trends

Turning to Google Trends data is one way to determine a VCS popularity. Google Trends tool allows to compare how many times a particular version control system was searched (i.e., its popularity in Google) relative to the total search volume in the world.

Data source: Google Trends, 2004-present

Note: numbers represent search interest relative to the highest point on the chart. This doesn't convey absolute search volume.

Considering the graph above, it is clear that Git remains the most popular version control system in 2025. While its search interest has fluctuated over time, it continues to dominate the space. Meanwhile, search interest in SVN, Mercurial, CVS, and Perforce remains low and shows no signs of resurgence, reflecting their declining adoption.

Search interest for the term is shown as a ranked scale (1 to 100), with the rankings being normalized so that they are comparable to each other. The most recent data available is for March 2025.

Evolution of Decentralized vs. Centralized VCS

By 2025, the industry has definitively embraced decentralized version control systems (DVCS) over centralized models. Git’s distributed nature makes it indispensable for agile, remote, and DevOps-driven teams.

• Centralized VCS Decline. SVN, once widely used, has largely been phased out in favor of Git, though some legacy enterprise systems continue using it.
• Mercurial Fades Away. After Bitbucket discontinued Mercurial support in 2020, its adoption declined sharply, and it is now used mainly in niche projects.
• Perforce Remains a Niche Player. While Git dominates general software development, Perforce (Helix) retains a foothold in game development and large-scale enterprise applications.
• Git as the Default Standard. Almost all new projects today start with Git, with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket being the dominant hosting services.

AI and Automation in Version Control

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning transform how developers interact with version control systems. AI-assisted version control tools enhance developer productivity in several key ways:

• AI-Assisted Merge Conflict Resolution. GitHub Copilot and similar AI tools now help developers automatically resolve merge conflicts with intelligent suggestions.
• Automated Commit Messages & Code Summarization. AI-powered tools can analyze code changes and generate meaningful commit messages, reducing developer workload.
• Predictive Code Review. Machine learning models analyze historical commits to detect risky changes and suggest improvements before code is merged.
• Automated Branching & Repository Management. Some organizations use AI to create and manage branches automatically based on project activity.

Evolution of Version Control Systems in 2025

Peer-to-Peer VCS. Decentralized version control without reliance on a central server, improving data sovereignty and reducing single points of failure.

Blockchain-Based VCS. Uses blockchain for immutable commit histories, enhancing security and transparency in code versioning.

Patch-Based VCS. A mathematically driven approach that improves how changes are tracked and merged, reducing conflicts.

Large-Scale Monorepo VCS. Designed for enterprises handling massive codebases with performance optimizations beyond traditional Git workflows.

Final Thoughts

By 2025, Git is the undisputed leader in version control, with nearly universal adoption across new projects. But despite Git’s dominance, large companies in finance, healthcare, and other regulated industries continue to rely on SVN and Mercurial due to Git’s technical limitations: inefficiencies with high-volume repositories, lack of fine-grained access control, and challenges in handling large binary files. Perforce maintains a niche role in gaming and enterprise monorepos, while emerging alternatives explore decentralization, blockchain, and AI-driven improvements.

Looking forward, we anticipate:

1. Continued Git dominance, but with incremental improvements in usability, security, and AI-driven features.
2. More automation and AI-assisted development, reducing manual effort in commit management and merging.
3. Growth of decentralized alternatives, especially in security-conscious or censorship-resistant environments.

About RhodeCode

RhodeCode is an enterprise source code management platform. It’s designed to offer developers and businesses of all sizes centralized management over version control systems Mercurial, Git, and Subversion. The platform was built for highly secure, behind-the-firewall enterprise environments to enhance DevEx and simplify small-team code management into larger-scale companies. Yet, it is also developer-oriented: open source, with tool integrations and powerful APIs.