Homebrew AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Package Managers

The best Package Manager alternative to Homebrew is Chocolatey, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Homebrew and many of them are Package Managers so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Package Manager alternatives to Homebrew are UniGetUI, MacUpdater, Scoop and Flatpak.

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Homebrew alternatives are mainly Package Managers, but if you're looking for Software Installers or Software Updaters you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows and Mac. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Homebrew.
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Alternatives list

  1. Chocolatey icon

    Chocolatey

     344 likes
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    Windows-centric package manager streamlining software updates without registration. Privacy-focused, ad-free, open-source, lightweight, and supports a command-line interface for efficiency and ease of use.

    72 Chocolatey alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Chocolatey screenshot 1
     
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    1
    15
    Comments about Chocolatey as an Alternative to Homebrew
    Shaz Shah
    Positive
    0

    It is probably the closest you can get to a Homebrew experience as Chocolately does have a command line interface. It's not as elegant, but a very useful package manager to quickly setup new machines.

    Homebrew Icon
    Chocolatey icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Chocolatey is a great Homebrew alternative.

    • Chocolatey is the most popular Windows alternative to Homebrew.

    • Chocolatey is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Homebrew.

    • Chocolatey is Freemium and Open SourceHomebrew is Free and Open Source
    • Chocolatey is Privacy focusedHomebrew is not according to our users
  2. UniGetUI icon

    UniGetUI

     134 likes
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    Intuitive interface for managing software on Windows through WinGet, Scoop, Chocolatey, Pip, Npm, .NET Tool, and PowerShell Gallery. Offers bulk install, detailed metadata, custom options, auto-updates, tray notifications, filtering, backups, and restore features.

    21 UniGetUI alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Chocolatey
    UniGetUI screenshot 1
     
  4. MacUpdater icon

    MacUpdater

     270 likes
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    MacUpdater is an application that can scan your Mac and display which of the apps that you have installed are not up-to-date. MacUpdater can also update those outdated apps to their newest versions with a simple click.

    17 MacUpdater alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    MacUpdater screenshot 1
     

    • MacUpdater is the most popular Mac alternative to Homebrew.

    • MacUpdater is the most popular commercial alternative to Homebrew.

    • MacUpdater is Paid and ProprietaryHomebrew is Free and Open Source
    • MacUpdater is Privacy focusedHomebrew is not according to our users
  6. Flatpak icon

    Flatpak

     67 likes
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    Distributing applications on Linux is a pain: different distributions in multiple versions, each with their own versions of libraries and packaging formats. Flatpak is here to change all that. It allows the same app to be installed on different Linux distributions, including...

    29 Flatpak alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Flatpak screenshot 1
     

    • Flatpak is the most popular Linux alternative to Homebrew.

    • Flatpak is Free and Open SourceHomebrew is also Free and Open Source
  7. Synaptic icon

    Synaptic

     178 likes
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    Synaptic is a graphical package management program for apt. It provides the same features as the apt-get command line utility with a GUI front-end based on Gtk+.

    56 Synaptic alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Debian
    • Xfce
    Synaptic screenshot 1
     
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    6
  11. Nix Package Manager icon

    Nix Package Manager

     27 likes
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    Nix is a powerful package manager for macOS, Linux and other Unix systems that makes package management reliable and reproducible. It provides atomic upgrades and rollbacks, side-by-side installation of multiple versions of a package, multi-user package management and easy setup...

    53 Nix Package Manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
     
  12. pacman (package manager) icon

    pacman (package manager)

     65 likes
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    The pacman package manager is one of the major distinguishing features of Arch Linux . It combines a simple binary package format with an easy-to-use build system. The goal of pacman is to make it possible to easily manage packages, whether...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Arch Linux
     
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    1
    Comments about pacman (package manager) as an Alternative to Homebrew
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Because it doesn't work on Macs! Duh!

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Homebrew Icon
    pacman (package manager) icon
    • pacman (package manager) is Free and Open SourceHomebrew is also Free and Open Source
12 of 44 Homebrew alternatives