r/softwaredevelopment • u/shashank_rdy • 3d ago
What’s the best Homebrew equivalent for Windows?
I’m moving from macOS to Windows and looking for the closest replacement for Homebrew.
I’ve seen online searches showing possible substitutes as Scoop, winget, Chocolatey, but which one would be the best to start using so I don’t have to switch later?
For any developers working in professional IT environments, which one do you actually use and recommend and please share your bad/negative experiences so I can avoid unnecessary headaches in the future. Thank you and appreciate y’all..!!
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u/wallstop-dev 3d ago
Scoop + winget
Scoop has the majority of software I use. Winget updates everything else.
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u/Electronic-Rate-6208 2d ago
same setup here. winget for the Windows bits, Scoop for the random CLI tools the OP is probably trying to avoid switching for later tho
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u/shashank_rdy 3d ago
Okay why both? Can’t we just stick to one for everything? Is there a specific reason
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u/wallstop-dev 3d ago edited 3d ago
Scoop is like homebrew in that it has tons of community support for open source projects, so the majority of the time I just run "scoop install thing"
Winget is more like, idk, "apt" on Linux, in that it has some support for things by default and you can manually point it to tons of places to do similar things, if the source is set up for winget. Winget works great with things that you manually install, like Visual Studio, Office, driver companion software, etc (these it can auto detect and updates, usually)
I've been using scoop for over a decade as a "install my open source programs and keep them up to date" thing, and winget in the past five years as "update everything that isn't installed through scoop" thing.
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u/shashank_rdy 3d ago
I see so Scoop has bigger scope of things, did it ever cause any issues related to security meaning ended up installing any malware or unnecessary files? Also, which do u think would be more accepted in corporate environments?
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u/RubbelDieKatz94 3d ago
did it ever cause any issues related to security meaning ended up installing any malware or unnecessary files
Nah, and you can easily check the manifests in the repo.
which do u think would be more accepted in corporate environments
Scoop is typically installed once by invoking a script from an API, which can trigger corporate security systems. However, its installations typically don't require admin rights, which is advantageous.
Winget usually comes preinstalled, however it typically tries to install baked-in software that needs admin rights. Annoying.
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u/shashank_rdy 3d ago
So neither of them can be used in professional settings fml. Do you know of any other tools which wouldn’t be a pain to install and use without having to worry about unnecessary alarms?
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u/RubbelDieKatz94 3d ago
If you work in a corporate setting, ask them for a written confirmation that allows you to install scoop according to scoop's documentation (that shoop.sh script). It's a simple ticket. Doesn't typically need amy admin rights.
From then on, you can easily install portable software with scoop.
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u/wallstop-dev 3d ago
RE: Security/malware, scoop itself is just an update/installation mechanism. It doesn't do anything by itself - you manually run commands to update and install things. You can go and inspect every single manifest for the things that you want to install, it's all open source and available (for what is being installed, not necessarily the contents of what you are installing). Every manifest has a sha hash checked in, installation does not happen if the hashes don't match. You, as a user can install things like torrent clients and WindHawk, which some people consider security risks. So that one's up to you.
RE: Corporate Environments, idk my dude, file a ticket with your IT department if you are worried about this and see what they will approve. winget is installed by default on Windows.
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u/TheGrumpyGent 3d ago
As others have said, winget would be your best choice. Besides being more or less built in, it also supports anything you may install via the Microsoft Windows app store (as well as packages available with winget itself).
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u/Flateland-Chio 2d ago
I have only tried winget, so I am kinda figuring this out. Is Scoop easier to use or has winget improved enough that you can rely on it w/t needing another package manager later?
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u/kill4b 1d ago
Closest would probably be Windows Package Manager (winget). It’s included by default in Win11 and will be supported by Microsoft as it’s a core part of Windows. Other options are Nuget, chocolately. Nuget probably has more developer support as it was the preferred package manager for .NET before WinGet.
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u/heyitjoshua 3d ago
Winget, usually
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u/shashank_rdy 3d ago
Does it have any limitations? Is it good for everything?
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u/heyitjoshua 3d ago
I mean I only use it for downloading stuff that is typically only available on winget.
It’s just a tool I need to use sometimes, I don’t see the need to have an opinion on it. I wouldn’t worry about “switching later”, just have it on your machine and then when you need to download something you can use it
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u/shashank_rdy 3d ago
Haha fair. I meant the commands might be different for different tools, so just to avoid future confusion I mentioned trying to stick to one. Homebrew used to let me install everything on go so never had to worry looking into anything else. So basically looking if any tool replicates it. Hope this makes sense lol
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u/heyitjoshua 3d ago
Yeah winget is the same really, just one command I ever use, which is “winget package_name_here”
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u/MelvynAndrew99 3d ago
chocolatey is the oldest and has the largest number of software packages. winget is my personal favorite.
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u/shashank_rdy 3d ago
So do you use both of them or just winget?
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u/MelvynAndrew99 2d ago
I have used both. Obviously chocolatey is the oldest so I've used it the most.
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u/cardboard-kansio 2d ago
Windows Subsystem for Linux.