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Comparison

Pkgs vs Repology

Pkgs and Repology both land on Depends.

Pkgs

pkgs.org

Depends
Confidence: Medium

pkgs.org is a free public index of Linux/Unix packages across many distros . not software you buy, deploy, or license.

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Repology

repology.org

Depends
Confidence: Medium

Use it if you maintain packages, run mixed Linux/BSD systems, or automate dependency updates . it is free and unmatched for cross-repo version data.

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Pkgs versus Repology
ComparePkgsRepology
VerdictDependsDepends
Best forLinux/Unix sysadminsPackage maintainers
Who it's not forBuyers shopping for software to purchase or licenseAnyone needing support, SLAs, or uptime guarantees
PrivacyNo known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; one infostealer credential listing is associated with the domain.⁴No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.
Support qualityNo support evidence foundVolunteer-run; winget dropped without recourse.
Public sentimentLinux community forums reference as a broad package index; formal user reviews are scarce.³Users treat it as the go-to cross-distro package database, but rely on volunteer-run uptime with no recourse when it drops coverage.⁹
Biggest gotchaHudson Rock lists 5 infostealer credentials associated with; not a confirmed site breach⁴Site went down April 2023; Renovate timed out and stopped updating dependencies until it returned.⁹

Pick Pkgs when

  • Linux/Unix sysadmins
  • Cross-distro package lookups
  • Devs verifying repo URLs and versions

When Pkgs is not a fit

  • Buyers shopping for software to purchase or license
  • Windows/macOS-only teams
  • Anyone expecting vendor support or an SLA
  • Non-technical users comparing SaaS tools

Pick Repology when

  • Package maintainers
  • Linux/BSD distro hoppers
  • Renovate and automated dependency users
  • OSS authors tracking packaging status

When Repology is not a fit

  • Anyone needing support, SLAs, or uptime guarantees
  • Windows-first shops; winget tracking was dropped
  • Buyers wanting a vendor relationship . there is no one to pay
  • Teams wanting customization . self-host path is deprecated

Sources

  1. pkgs.org: Packages for Linux and Unixpkgs.org
    official
  2. Product security pagepkgs.org
    official
  3. pkgs.org/ large index repository of software packages . Puppy Linux Discussion Forumforum.puppylinux.com
    review
  4. pkgs.org . Infostealer Credentials (Hudson Rock)hudsonrock.com
    security
  5. centos.pkgs.org Reviews . Scamadviserscamadviser.com
    review
  6. Is pkgs.org Safe? . WOTmywot.com
    review
  7. Pkgs.org Reviews . Gridinsoftgridinsoft.com
    review
  8. The packaging hub. Repology monitors a huge number of repositoriesalternativeto.net
    review
  9. Repology down, causes Renovate to not update anything?github.com
    review
  10. Legacy python Repology web application. Deprecatedgithub.com
    official
  11. games/iqpuzzle . View this port on Repologyfreshports.org
    review
  12. FreeBSD Quarterly Status Report . Repology links requestedmail-archive.com
    official
  13. Qbs 1.21 released . complete overview on repology.orgqt.io
    official
  14. Website with detailed databases for various distrosreddit.com
    review
  15. Next round of AI models being released . repology.org mentiondiscuss.haiku-os.org
    review
  16. [Bug] Why isn't winget in repology anymore?github.com
    news