USourceControl vs Plastic SCM / Unity VCS
Plastic SCM, now Unity Version Control, ties your source control to Unity's ecosystem, pricing tiers, and multiple clients to learn. USourceControl is built for Unreal Engine teams, with one desktop app and nothing to set up, from $25/user/mo.
At a glance
Why teams choose USourceControl over Plastic
One mental model
Plastic rewards teams that invest in its branch-per-task philosophy and multi-client setup. USourceControl stays close to what game teams actually need: commit, sync, lock, restore. Less to learn, less to get wrong.
Built for Unreal, not tied to a vendor
Plastic's roadmap is Unity-shaped. It's now Unity Version Control, after all. USourceControl is built for the way Unreal Engine teams actually work, with sensible defaults for large binaries in Unreal: .uasset and .umap files, and exclusions like Saved/, Intermediate/, and DerivedDataCache/.
Transparent, independent billing
Plastic pricing is tangled up in Unity subscription tiers and seat economics. USourceControl bills per user, bundles storage and bandwidth, and starts at €25/user/mo. It works the same for Unreal Engine teams, priced on its own terms.
One app, every role
Plastic ships distinct clients aimed at programmers vs artists (Plastic GUI vs Gluon). USourceControl has one desktop app for everyone, so artists and engineers share a mental model.
When Plastic / Unity VCS fits better
Plastic is a strong tool and sometimes the better pick:
- You want deep source control integration inside the editor.
- Your team benefits from branch-per-task workflows and semantic merge.
- You need on-premise deployment with a polished commercial support contract.
Common questions
Isn't Plastic SCM now Unity Version Control?
Yes. Unity acquired Plastic and rebranded much of it as Unity Version Control. The underlying technology is similar; the positioning, pricing, and Unity integration have shifted.
Does USourceControl integrate with the editor?
Not as an in-editor plugin yet. The workflow today is through the desktop app, which sits alongside the Unreal Editor, and it works because artists and designers never have to open an in-editor VCS UI. An in-editor plugin is in development.
Can I migrate from Plastic to USourceControl?
Yes. The straightforward path is to sync your current working copy to USourceControl as a first commit. Full history import from Plastic isn't automated today but is possible as a service for Studio and Enterprise plans.
What about Plastic's semantic merge?
Plastic's semantic merge is excellent for C# code. If your team relies on it, keep your code in Plastic and use USourceControl for content that doesn't merge well, the binary assets in Unreal Engine. Many teams split this way.
Does USourceControl support Unreal Engine?
Yes. USourceControl is built for Unreal Engine teams, all versions, with defaults tuned for game projects: large .uasset and .umap files, and exclusions like Saved/, Intermediate/, DerivedDataCache/, and Binaries/.
The simpler home for your game, in Unreal Engine
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