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Understand vs GNU Global: catalog facts
Understand	GNU Global
Paid Commercial software with a free trial.	Free Free software under the GNU GPL.
macOS	Windows, Linux, Command line
Cross-references, call trees and dependency analysis Many graph types with plugin support and export	Finds references as well as definitions Works across Emacs, Vi, shell and browser
Paid after the trial More than most small projects need	Built-in parser covers only a few languages Designed mainly for POSIX systems
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-3.0-or-later
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.