Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

paru VS Flatpak

Compare paru VS Flatpak and see what are their differences

paru logo paru

An AUR helper written in Rust and based on the design of yay. It aims to be your standard pacman wrapping AUR helper with minimal interaction.

Flatpak logo Flatpak

Flatpak is the new framework for desktop applications on Linux
  • paru Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-02-16
  • Flatpak Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-06

paru features and specs

  • AUR Helper
    Paru is an AUR helper, which means it simplifies the process of searching, installing, and upgrading packages from the Arch User Repository.
  • Features Rich
    Paru offers rich features including dependency resolution, conflict detection, and parallel downloads, enhancing the overall package management experience.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Designed with a focus on usability, Paru provides an intuitive and user-friendly command-line interface for managing packages.
  • Active Development
    Paru is actively developed and maintained, ensuring regular updates and prompt responses to issues and feature requests.
  • Built-in AUR Interactive Mode
    It offers an interactive mode for reviewing PKGBUILDs before installation, ensuring transparency and control over what gets installed.

Possible disadvantages of paru

  • Arch-Specific
    Paru is specific to Arch Linux and its derivatives, which limits its usability to this subset of Linux distributions.
  • Command-Line Interface
    As a command-line tool, it may not be suitable for users who prefer graphical interfaces or are unfamiliar with terminal commands.
  • AUR Risks
    Installing packages from the AUR can pose security and stability risks as these packages are user-submitted and not officially vetted.
  • Learning Curve
    For new users, there might be a learning curve associated with understanding and using Paru effectively, especially if they are new to Arch Linux.
  • Dependency Management Complexity
    Handling complex dependencies for certain packages might require manual intervention and understanding of the system's package management.

Flatpak features and specs

  • Cross-distribution support
    Flatpak applications can be installed on any Linux distribution, which helps in resolving compatibility issues.
  • Sandboxing
    Flatpak apps run in a sandbox, which isolates them from the system and other applications, thereby enhancing security.
  • Dependency management
    Flatpak handles dependencies internally, allowing different applications to use different versions of the same library without conflicts.
  • Bleeding-edge software
    Flatpak allows users to access the latest versions of applications, even if their Linux distribution's repository is not up-to-date.
  • Backward compatibility
    Flatpak apps can run on older systems because Flatpak includes the required runtime libraries.

Possible disadvantages of Flatpak

  • Disk space usage
    Flatpak applications may use more disk space because runtimes and libraries are bundled separately for each app.
  • Performance overhead
    The sandboxing and isolation can introduce a performance penalty compared to natively installed applications.
  • Limited integration
    Flatpak applications may not fully integrate with the host system, leading to inconsistencies in look and feel.
  • Update lag
    Flatpak uses a central repository for updates, which can sometimes result in delays in getting the latest versions of applications.
  • Learning curve
    New users might find it challenging to understand and use Flatpak, especially if they are accustomed to traditional package managers.

Analysis of Flatpak

Overall verdict

  • Flatpak is generally regarded as a positive option for software distribution on Linux, particularly for those seeking a cross-distribution solution that ensures application stability and security.

Why this product is good

  • Flatpak is considered good due to its ability to provide application sandboxing, which enhances security by isolating applications from the rest of the system. It also ensures consistent behavior across different Linux distributions by packaging all dependencies with the applications. Furthermore, Flatpak enables easy updates and rollback of applications, making it convenient for both developers and users.

Recommended for

  • Users who want access to the latest software versions
  • Developers looking for a unified application distribution method
  • Users of multiple Linux distributions who want consistent application behavior
  • Those who prioritize security and isolation of applications.

paru videos

Attention Arch Users! Replace 'Yay' With 'Paru'.

More videos:

  • Review - Arch Linux: The Paru AUR Helper
  • Review - เฐจเฑเฐตเฑเฐตเฑ เฐฎเฑŠ**เฐฒเฑ‹ Questions เฐ…เฐกเฐ—เฐ•เฑ เฐฆเฐตเฐก เฐฎเฑ€เฐฆ เฐฆเฑ†เฐ‚**| Laila Paru Interview | Tiktok StarS interviewS | IB9TV

Flatpak videos

How to Use Flatpak

More videos:

  • Review - [2018] LINUX - FLATPAK REVIEW and SETUP
  • Review - Matador FlatPak Toiletry Bottle Review | TSA Approved | Small Travel Container & Liquid Soap Holder

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to paru and Flatpak)
Work Music
100 100%
0% 0
Front End Package Manager
Focus Music
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using paru and Flatpak. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Flatpak should be more popular than paru. It has been mentiond 90 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

paru mentions (12)

  • My First Arch Linux Installation
    But you can also choose another one (like paru which is written in Rust), or if you're really going in Arch Linux way, get familiar with the manual build process. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • switch from nouveau to 390xx drivers xorg
    Next compile / install the AUR package https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nvidia-390xx-dkms - I'd recommend using a helper app like paru to help installing updates for it easier. Reboot and the nvidia v390 kernel module should have loaded. Source: about 3 years ago
  • What goes into maintaining an Arch system?
    Many users also use an AUR helper, which makes it easier to install and upgrade packages from the AUR. Yay and paru are the most popular. Source: about 4 years ago
  • How can I add aur in an arm arch Linux, is it with the same paru-bin located at https://aur.archlinux.org/paru-bin.git ????
    Paru-bin provides binaries for x86_64 and aarch64. If your device is not aarch64, you'll have to build paru from source. Source: about 4 years ago
  • any solution for checkupdates-aur
    I use paru as my aur helper. It uses the same flags pacman does with additional ones if you want to handle only aur updates instead of both pacman packages + aur. Source: over 4 years ago
View more

Flatpak mentions (90)

  • My fully offline AI-assisted Linux development machine
    Docker, Distrobox, Flatpak, and a bit of Homebrew where it makes sense. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • OpenClaw isn't fooling me. I remember MS-DOS
    Https://flatpak.org/ does this on Linux and someone else already pointed out, MacOS does this with app store apps. I don't like handing control to Apple so I much prefer the FlatPak solution - you get very detailed and fine grained control over what each app can see and it works fairly seamlessly. It's still a bit technical - but not far from being user friendly even for a less tech savvy user. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Discovering Fedora: My First Days in an Open Source Community That Actually Lives Its Values
    Features Fedora leads. Others follow. Systemd? Fedora pioneered it. Wayland? Fedora adopted it early. Flatpak? Fedora helped develop it. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • The Holy Grail of Linux Binary Compatibility: Musl and Dlopen
    There are things like this. The things I know of and can think of off the top of my head are: 1. Appimage https://appimage.org/ 2. nix-bundle https://github.com/nix-community/nix-bundle 3. Guix via guix pack 4. A small collection of random small projects hardly anyone uses for docker to do this (i.e. https://github.com/NilsIrl/dockerc ) 5. A docker image (a package that runs everywhere, assuming a docker runtime... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • 2026 will be my year of the Linux desktop
    GUI apps often come in Flatpak these days - which are sandboxed[1] like you are expecting. [1] https://docs.flatpak.org/en/latest/basic-concepts.html#sandboxes - https://flatpak.org/ - https://flathub.org/en. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing paru and Flatpak, you can also consider the following products

Yay - Yay is an AUR helper written in go, based on the design of yaourt, apacman and pacaur.

Snapcraft - Snaps are software packages that are simple to create and install.

pikaur - AUR helper with minimal dependencies. Review PKGBUILDs all in once, next build them all without user interaction.Inspired by pacaur, yaourt and yay.

FLATHUB - Apps for Linux, right here

Trizen - Trizen AUR Package Manager: A lightweight wrapper for AUR.

AppImageKit - Linux apps that run anywhere