Side by side
juliaup vs rbenv
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
juliaup centralizes Julia installation and channel management across major desktop platforms. Users should choose a non-MSI Windows method when automatic updates matter and check Linux GUI requirements.
Visit juliaup Free plan LinuxMac
Choose rbenv if you want Ruby version selection tied to project directories, with global and shell-level options as well. Its free, open-source approach and plugin support are useful for customizing version selection. Look elsewhere if you need the core tool itself to install Ruby; that task requires ruby-build.
Visit rbenvThe facts
| juliaup | rbenv | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Windows | Linux, Mac |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Free or on request |
| Plans published | None | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | rbenv.org |
| On runtime version managers | #17 of 30 | #21 of 30 |
juliaup: what it does well
- Installs and manages specific Julia versions
- Supports stable, LTS, beta, and nightly channels
- Offers both CLI and graphical interfaces
- Manifest.toml version selection is available
- Documents GitHub Actions installation for CI
What to know first
- Manifest-based selection is disabled by default
- Windows MSI lacks automatic updater
- Linux GUI requires X11 or Wayland and OpenGL
- Linux requires glibc 2.28 or newer
rbenv: what it does well
- Automatically switches versions based on a project's `.ruby-version` file.
- Supports global, per-project, and shell-session version selection.
- Shims route Ruby executable commands to the selected version.
- Plugins can hook into or override much of the default behavior.
- Free and open source under the MIT license.
What to know first
- Installing Ruby requires the separate ruby-build plugin.
- New Ruby releases may require upgrading ruby-build first.
- The installer is intended for casual use on a user's own development machine.
Alternatives to juliaup Alternatives to rbenv The whole list