Homebrew is the easiest and most flexible way to install the UNIX tools Apple didn’t include with macOS. Also available for Linux.


Snapcraft is described as 'Snaps are software packages that are simple to create and install. They auto-update and are safe to run. And because they bundle their dependencies, they work on all major Linux systems without modification' and is a Package Manager in the development category. There are more than 25 alternatives to Snapcraft for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Mac, Windows, Flatpak and Flathub apps. The best Snapcraft alternative is Homebrew, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Snapcraft are Flatpak, Flathub, npm and Zero Install.
Homebrew is the easiest and most flexible way to install the UNIX tools Apple didn’t include with macOS. Also available for Linux.


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...



While snapcraft and flatpak are both universal package managers, flatpak (in my experience) supports distributions other than ubuntu much better than snapcraft.

Flathub is the place to get and distribute apps for all of desktop Linux. It is powered by Flatpak, allowing Flathub apps to run on almost any Linux distribution.



npm is a package manager for Node.js that is run through the command line and manages dependencies for an application. It is the predominant package manager for Node.js.

Zero Install is a decentralised cross-distribution software installation system. Other features include full support for shared libraries, sharing between users, and integration with native platform package managers.

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...
Bazaar is a new app store for GNOME with a focus on discovering and installing applications and add-ons from Flatpak remotes, particularly Flathub. It emphasizes supporting the developers who make the Linux desktop possible.




Warehouse is a versatile toolbox for managing flatpak user data, viewing flatpak app info, and batch managing installed flatpaks.




Utility for KDE's Plasma desktop environment for browsing, installing, and removing applications, implemented as an app store like application.



Homebrew-cask provides a friendly homebrew-style CLI workflow for the administration of Mac applications distributed as binaries.
It's implemented as a homebrew external command called cask.
A purely functional package manager and an advanced distribution of the GNU operating system developed by the GNU Project—which respects the freedom of computer users.








Unlike snap, in flatpak you can connect to multiple servers (repositories), inclusing flathub which is open source and actively developed , snap can connect only to canonical closed source store.