Side by side
elan vs goenv
Both stand on runtime version managers. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacWindows
elan automates Lean version selection from project configuration while also allowing manual toolchain management. NixOS users should follow the stated Nixpkgs recommendation, and Lake dependency downloads require git.
Visit elan Free plan LinuxMac
goenv offers several ways to select Go versions and documents installation and shell setup for Linux and macOS. The project recommends v3 for new installations and continues limited maintenance for v2 until its stated end date.
Visit goenvThe facts
| elan | goenv | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Windows | Linux, Mac |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | github.com |
| On runtime version managers | #5 of 30 | #9 of 30 |
elan: what it does well
- Selects Lean versions from project configuration.
- Supports manual toolchain management.
- Includes shell integration and automatic switching.
- Free under Apache-2.0 and MIT licenses.
What to know first
- Lake needs git to download dependencies.
- NixOS toolchains downloaded by elan require patching.
- NixOS users are advised to install the Nixpkgs version.
goenv: what it does well
- Supports global, per-project, and environment-variable selection
- Shim executables route Go commands to the selected version
- New Go versions are added on a daily schedule
- Free under the MIT license
What to know first
- Supported operating systems are Linux and macOS
- The v2 support period ends on or before December 31, 2028