MELPA

Web · Linux

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Freedom report

Two barsScore 6.4

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely2 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

MELPA is ranked #8 of 28 in package registries on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, Web. There is a free plan.

MELPA plans and pricing

All plans

MELPA Free Emacs Lisp package archive; requires Emacs 24.1 or later with package.el github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Compared on package registries

Free plan: Yes
Package ecosystems: single

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The record

Purpose: MELPA is a collection of package.el-compatible Emacs Lisp packages built automatically from upstream source using recipes.
Package updates: Packages are updated at intervals throughout the day.
Installation: Users can browse and install packages through Emacs package.el after adding the MELPA archive URL to package-archives.
Requirements: MELPA requires Emacs with package.el, specifically Emacs 24.1 or greater.
Build process: MELPA builds packages on its servers from upstream source code using simple recipes.
Curation: The MELPA homepage describes the archive as curated to exclude obsolete, renamed, forked, or randomly hacked packages.
Automatic updates: The MELPA homepage says new upstream commits result in new packages.
Contributing: People can propose packages by submitting a new recipe as a pull request.
Source integrations: Recipes support Git and Mercurial repositories and dedicated fetchers for GitHub, GitLab, Codeberg, and SourceHut.
Stable archive: MELPA Stable publishes packages built from the latest tagged upstream code when version tags exist.
Mirrors: The README lists official mirrors for package downloads and says they do not mirror the website frontend.
Security boundary: MELPA says it is not responsible for the contents of unofficial mirrors of its packages.
Product audience: MELPA is for Emacs users installing Emacs Lisp packages through package.el.
Naming: MELPA expands to “Milkypostman's ELPA” or “Milkypostman's Experimental Lisp Package Archive.”
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Package Registries in 2026#8 of 28

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Sources

github.com/melpa/melpa/blob/master/README.md· checked 4 Oct 2026
melpa.org· checked 4 Oct 2026