Software Alternatives & Reviews

Zero Install VS Snapcraft

Compare Zero Install VS Snapcraft and see what are their differences

Zero Install logo Zero Install

Zero Install is a decentralised cross-distribution software installation system.

Snapcraft logo Snapcraft

Snaps are software packages that are simple to create and install.
  • Zero Install Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-26
  • Snapcraft Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12

Zero Install videos

Zero Installation Purifier Reverse Osmosis Unboxing - Demo - Review

Snapcraft videos

Snaps and snapcraft.io explained in 3 minutes

More videos:

  • Review - SnapCraft Review
  • Review - ZombieV Game Review SnapCraft

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Zero Install and Snapcraft)
Software Marketplace
100 100%
0% 0
Front End Package Manager
OS & Utilities
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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

Based on our record, Snapcraft seems to be a lot more popular than Zero Install. While we know about 88 links to Snapcraft, we've tracked only 4 mentions of Zero Install. 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.

Zero Install mentions (4)

  • Using jlink to cross-compile minimal JREs
    Sounds like https://0install.net which has been around for a while. Personally I prefer to avoid 'installing' anything: if something's written in Java, its launcher should reference some specific java binary; if something's written in Python, it should reference some specific python3 binary; etc. For example, my job is mostly writing Scala and building it with Maven; yet I have neither installed system-wide.... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Go binding for upx utility
    It seems more like a package manager. https://0install.net/. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Ubuntu's Snap performs application updates without user consent
    The article mentions Snap, AppImage and FlatPak, but there is also a much older system called 0install (zero install) that was started in 2003 or so [1]. I wonder why that never took off. [1] https://zero-install.sourceforge.net/roadmap.html (note this is the old website; the new website is https://0install.net - looks like it's still getting releases in October this year). - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Flaptak (and Snap) is not the future
    That's true, future app distributions should utilize web 3.0, e.g. decentralization. There is 0install ( https://0install.net/ ), for example, it is better. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago

Snapcraft mentions (88)

  • Operating System Wars, what is the best operating system for programming. ⚔️
    Back in the day, I used snapd, which is similar to Mac's Homebrew. - Source: dev.to / 5 days ago
  • Tools for Linux Distro Hoppers
    Hopping from one distro to another with a different package manager might require some time to adapt. Using a package manager that can be installed on most distro is one way to help you get to work faster. Flatpak is one of them; other alternative are Snap, Nix or Homebrew. Flatpak is a good starter, and if you have a bunch of free time, I suggest trying Nix. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Setting Up for Java on Linux.
    My personal favourite IDE for java is Intellej Idea. Apart from not demanding the extra extension, It was designed special for Java and Java related languages so it runs java smoothly with great compilation time. So lets install it. Make sure you have snap before installing it. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Why is Linux so hard and anti GUI?
    Linux Mints App Store is full of GUI programs, Snap Store ist full of it, Flathub is full of it. Source: 5 months ago
  • This might seem dumb but where tf does snap put the actual files and stuff?
    You are being lazy. But I recommend bringing your ass directly to snapcraft.io and reading those documents in the Learn section!! Source: 5 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Zero Install and Snapcraft, you can also consider the following products

IObit Software Updater - IObit is an application that updates the software of your PC to keep all the software properly working.

Flatpak - Flatpak is the new framework for desktop applications on Linux

Patch My PC - Patch My PC Updater is a free, easy-to-use program that keeps over 300 apps up-to-date on your computer.

FLATHUB - Apps for Linux, right here

Ninite - Ninite is the easiest way to install software.

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS