{"slug": "appimage", "name": "AppImage", "category": "dev-libs", "category_name": "Libraries and frameworks", "description": "", "recommenders": 4, "commenters": 5, "warners": 1, "score": 2.788, "rising": 1.35, "first": "2026-04-05", "latest": "2026-10-19", "why": "AppImage actually works and is simple, so I use that.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 0, "compare": 0, "warn": 1}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 2], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "AppImage actually works and is simple, so I use that.", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://appimage.org", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["AppImage"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 802395889, "item_id": 50149743, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50149743", "by": "edg5000", "date": "2026-10-19", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "AppImage actually works and is simple, so I use that.", "excerpt": "Every time I tried Flatpak it did not work, always some other problem. Maybe this got fixed nowadays. I did not find it user friendly either, but this could be addressed by the distro. AppImage actually works and is simple, so I use that. Snap is trash because autoupdate cannot be disabled without code changes (what?!) last time I checked.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "Flatpak", "story": "Flatpak \u2013 An Insecurity Nightmare (2023)"}, {"id": 801666452, "item_id": 50104153, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50104153", "by": "nicfio", "date": "2026-10-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "flatpak and appimage solve the problem comfortably", "excerpt": "I don't like Ubuntu. It was born with the intent of making Linux more user friendly, it changed policy wanting to become the Microsoft of the linux world: Snap, Mir. And then why use a derivative if I can stay on the original? I love debian: stable, it creates the right environment to feel at ease without the fear that every update can break something. Old software? flatpak and appimage solve the problem comfortably.", "context": "", "use_case": "running newer software on Debian", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}, {"id": 778859873, "item_id": 48678742, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48678742", "by": "Imustaskforhelp", "date": "2026-06-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I recommend taking a look at appimages or flatpak within Linux", "excerpt": "I recommend taking a look at appimages or flatpak within Linux if you wish to do so and if you do appimage, try to take an older system within a VM from my understanding as then you wouldn't have issues of glibc which I have sometimes heard. I'd be interested to help if that is of your interest.", "context": "", "use_case": "packaging Linux apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: OpenKnowledge \u2013 open-source alternative to Obsidian/Notion"}, {"id": 762465873, "item_id": 47654117, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47654117", "by": "elcdodedocle", "date": "2026-04-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it is also amazing that we have AppImages", "excerpt": "I understand the frustration. I have the uttermost reverence for distro maintainers and I love distro repos. I like that my OS is a consistent and well thought suite of aligned tools mindfully put together by a collective that knows what they are doing and test that it all fits and plays nice much better than I do. Please stop treating these awesome people like some kind of authoritarian ogres. I am grateful for flat", "context": "", "use_case": "app installation", "switched_from": "", "story": "GabeN Is Shitting Yacht Money into Flatpak and You're Still Arguing Init Systems"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 802411745, "item_id": 50150734, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50150734", "by": "Tooster", "date": "2026-10-19", "stance": "warn", "quote": "even original proponents now advise against this format", "excerpt": "AppImage works in the same way downloading a binary from the web and running it with `./program` works. It is dumb simple, but it has really poor integration with the system. I've been using AppImages for several years but the manual churn got to tedious \u2014 auto updates, system integration, background services, keeping it tidy. I contributed AppImage packaging workflow to some apps \u2014 mechanism itself is messy, support", "context": "contributed AppImage packaging to apps", "use_case": "app distribution on Linux", "switched_from": "", "story": "Flatpak \u2013 An Insecurity Nightmare (2023)"}]}], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["app distribution on linux", "running newer software on debian", "packaging linux apps", "app installation"], "compared": [{"slug": "flatpak", "name": "Flatpak", "co": 7, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "snap", "name": "Snap", "co": 4, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50148601", "title": "Flatpak \u2013 An Insecurity Nightmare (2023)", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50102423", "title": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48675435", "title": "Show HN: OpenKnowledge \u2013 open-source alternative to Obsidian/Notion", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47646672", "title": "GabeN Is Shitting Yacht Money into Flatpak and You're Still Arguing Init Systems", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 2, "warn": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 802411745, "item_id": 50150734, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50150734", "by": "Tooster", "date": "2026-10-19", "stance": "warn", "quote": "even original proponents now advise against this format", "excerpt": "AppImage works in the same way downloading a binary from the web and running it with `./program` works. It is dumb simple, but it has really poor integration with the system. I've been using AppImages for several years but the manual churn got to tedious \u2014 auto updates, system integration, background services, keeping it tidy. I contributed AppImage packaging workflow to some apps \u2014 mechanism itself is messy, support", "context": "contributed AppImage packaging to apps", "use_case": "app distribution on Linux", "switched_from": "", "story": "Flatpak \u2013 An Insecurity Nightmare (2023)"}, {"id": 802395889, "item_id": 50149743, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50149743", "by": "edg5000", "date": "2026-10-19", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "AppImage actually works and is simple, so I use that.", "excerpt": "Every time I tried Flatpak it did not work, always some other problem. Maybe this got fixed nowadays. I did not find it user friendly either, but this could be addressed by the distro. AppImage actually works and is simple, so I use that. Snap is trash because autoupdate cannot be disabled without code changes (what?!) last time I checked.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "Flatpak", "story": "Flatpak \u2013 An Insecurity Nightmare (2023)"}, {"id": 801666452, "item_id": 50104153, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50104153", "by": "nicfio", "date": "2026-10-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "flatpak and appimage solve the problem comfortably", "excerpt": "I don't like Ubuntu. It was born with the intent of making Linux more user friendly, it changed policy wanting to become the Microsoft of the linux world: Snap, Mir. And then why use a derivative if I can stay on the original? I love debian: stable, it creates the right environment to feel at ease without the fear that every update can break something. Old software? flatpak and appimage solve the problem comfortably.", "context": "", "use_case": "running newer software on Debian", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}, {"id": 778859873, "item_id": 48678742, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48678742", "by": "Imustaskforhelp", "date": "2026-06-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I recommend taking a look at appimages or flatpak within Linux", "excerpt": "I recommend taking a look at appimages or flatpak within Linux if you wish to do so and if you do appimage, try to take an older system within a VM from my understanding as then you wouldn't have issues of glibc which I have sometimes heard. I'd be interested to help if that is of your interest.", "context": "", "use_case": "packaging Linux apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: OpenKnowledge \u2013 open-source alternative to Obsidian/Notion"}, {"id": 762465873, "item_id": 47654117, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47654117", "by": "elcdodedocle", "date": "2026-04-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it is also amazing that we have AppImages", "excerpt": "I understand the frustration. I have the uttermost reverence for distro maintainers and I love distro repos. I like that my OS is a consistent and well thought suite of aligned tools mindfully put together by a collective that knows what they are doing and test that it all fits and plays nice much better than I do. Please stop treating these awesome people like some kind of authoritarian ogres. I am grateful for flat", "context": "", "use_case": "app installation", "switched_from": "", "story": "GabeN Is Shitting Yacht Money into Flatpak and You're Still Arguing Init Systems"}]}