Alternatives to Snap

Canonical's universal Linux packages with confinement and automatic updates. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Snap.

  • Flatpak

    Sandboxed application packaging for Linux, with shared runtimes and Flathub.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Flatpak sandboxes apps with inspectable permissions and shared runtimes from Flathub, uses an open back end rather than Canonical's store, but runtimes take a lot of disk.

  • AppImage

    Portable Linux application format that runs from a single file with no install.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    AppImage runs each app from a single file with no install or root, but has no sandboxing by default and no automatic updates unless the app adds them.

  • Nix

    Functional package manager with reproducible builds and atomic rollbacks.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    Nix offers reproducible builds and atomic rollbacks on Linux and macOS, but its language has a steep learning curve and the store needs garbage collection.

  • GNU Guix

    A transactional package manager and GNU/Linux distribution whose packages and system configurations are written in Guile Scheme.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxCommand line

    GNU Guix provides transactional, per-user packages configured in Guile Scheme, and packages only free software, so some proprietary apps are unavailable.

  • Homebrew

    Package manager for macOS and Linux with formulae and GUI app casks.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    Homebrew installs command line tools and apps on Linux and macOS from prebuilt bottles, without confinement or Snap's automatic background updates.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.