- Openness, whether the software is open source or proprietary
- Repository model, how working and shared source code is handled
- Shared, all developers use the same file system
- Client–server, users access a master repository server via a client; typically, a client machine holds only a working copy of a project tree; changes in one working copy are committed to the master repository before becoming available to other users
- Distributed, repositories act as peers; typically each user has a local repository clone with complete version history in addition to their working files
- AccuRev [proprietary, client-server] [proprietary, client-server] – source configuration management tool with integrated issue tracking based on "Streams" that manages parallel and global development; replication server is also available; now owned by Micro Focus
- Concurrent Versions System (CVS) [open, client-server] – originally built on RCS, licensed under the GPL
- CVSNT – cross-platform port of CVS that allows case insensitive file names among other changes
- OpenCVS – unreleased CVS clone under a BSD license, emphasizing security and source code correctness
- Darcs [open, distributed] – originally developed by David Roundy; track inter-patch dependencies and automatically rearrange and cherry-pick them using a theory of patches
- Fossil [open, distributed] – written by D. Richard Hipp for SQLite; distributed revision control, wiki, bug-tracking, and forum (all-in-one solution) with console and web interfaces; single portable executable and single repository file
- Helix Core (formerly Perforce Helix) [proprietary, client-server] – for large scale development environments
- Mercurial [open, distributed] – written in Python as an open source replacement to BitKeeper; decentralized and aims to be fast, lightweight, portable, and easy to use
- Panvalet [proprietary, shared] – Around since the 1970s, source and object control for IBM mainframe computers
- PVCS [proprietary, client-server] – developed by Don Kinzer at Polytron, first released in 1985; now owned by Micro Focus
- Razor, integrated suite from Visible Systems
- Revision Control System (RCS) [open, shared] – stores the latest version and backward deltas for the fastest access to the trunk tip[4][5] compared to SCCS and an improved user interface,[6] at the cost of slow branch tip access and missing support for included/excluded deltas
- Source Code Control System (SCCS) [open, shared] – part of UNIX; based on interleaved deltas, can construct versions as arbitrary sets of revisions; extracting an arbitrary version takes essentially the same time and is thus more useful in environments that rely heavily on branching and merging with multiple "current" and identical versions
- StarTeam [proprietary, client-server] – coordinates and manages software delivery process by Micro Focus, formerly Borland; centralized control of digital assets and activities
- Subversion (SVN) [open, client-server] – versioning control system inspired by CVS[7]
- Synergy [proprietary, client-server] – MSSCCI compliant (Source Control Plug-in API) integrated change management and task-based configuration management system, proprietary of IBM
- Vault [proprietary, client-server] – version control tool by SourceGear; first installation can be used for free
The following have been discontinued or not released in more than a decade.
- Bazaar – [open, distributed] written in Python, originally by Martin Pool and sponsored by Canonical; decentralised: goals: fast and easy to use; can losslessly import Arch archives; replaced by friendly fork named Breezy
- BitKeeper [open, distributed] – (discontinued) was used in Linux kernel development (2002 – April 2005) until its license was revoked for breach of contract; open-sourced in 2016
- Code Co-op [open, proprietary] – (discontinued) peer-to-peer version control system (can use e-mail for synchronization)
- GNU arch - A very early [open, distributed]; deprecated since 2009 in favor of Bazaar
- DCVS – A decentralized spin on CVS, last released 2006 and since discontinued
- Monotone – [open, distributed], not updated since 2011
- Vesta [open, client-server] – (discontinued) build system with a versioning file system and support for distributed repositories