GNU Stow Alternatives

GNU Stow is described as 'Symlink farm manager which takes distinct packages of software and/or data located in separate directories on the filesystem, and makes them appear to be installed in the same place. This is particularly useful for keeping track of system-wide and per-user' and is an app in the development category. There are six alternatives to GNU Stow for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Linux, Windows, BSD and FreeBSD apps. The best GNU Stow alternative is chezmoi, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like GNU Stow are Anvil for macOS, filetailor, Mackup and lnk.

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GNU Stow alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. chezmoi icon

    chezmoi

     9 likes
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    Dotfiles manager through a version control system.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • FreeBSD
    • OpenBSD
    • Mac
     

    • chezmoi is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to GNU Stow.

    • chezmoi is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to GNU Stow.

    • chezmoi is Free and Open SourceGNU Stow is also Free and Open Source
  2. Anvil for macOS icon

    Anvil for macOS

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    End manual app setup on macOS. Batch install development tools, sync configurations via GitHub, and troubleshoot issues —no virtualization, just smart automation.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  4. filetailor icon

    filetailor

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    filetailor is a peer-based configuration management utility for plain-text files (and directories) such as dotfiles. Files are backed up to a specified folder using filetailor, transferred to another device using tools such as Nextcloud or Syncthing, and then restored on other...

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     

  5. Mackup

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    Keep your application settings in sync (OS X/Linux).

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  6. lnk icon

    lnk

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    Lnk makes managing your dotfiles straightforward, no tedious setups, no complex configurations. Just tell Lnk what files you want tracked, and it’ll automatically move them into a tidy Git repository under ~/.config/lnk.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
     
  7. Barrel App icon

    Barrel App

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    Your macOS development environment, perfectly preserved. Never lose your setup again.

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Barrel App screenshot 1
     

    • Barrel App is the most popular commercial alternative to GNU Stow.

    • Barrel App is Paid and ProprietaryGNU Stow is Free and Open Source
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