vioscale
Comparison

Chocolatey vs Homebrew

On the evidence we track, Homebrew leads this comparison with a composite score of 59/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Chocolatey full profile →Homebrew full profile →
Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Chocolatey53
★Homebrew59
Score
Vioscale score
Chocolatey53 / 100medium · 56%
Homebrew59 / 100medium · 50%
Pricing
Free tier
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew✓
Model
Chocolateycommercial
Homebrewcommercial
Price level
Chocolateymid
Homebrewfree
Transparent
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew–
Integrations
Count
Chocolatey3
Homebrew–
Security
Disclosure policy
Chocolatey–
Homebrew✓
Gdpr
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew–
Scorecard
Chocolatey4.8
Homebrew5.9
Vulnerabilities
Reliability
Status page
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
Chocolatey110
Homebrew0
Github stars
Chocolatey11,495
Homebrew49,281
Activity
Commits last 30d
Chocolatey7
Homebrew100
Release
Cadence days
Chocolatey21
Homebrew3
History
Chocolatey20 items
Homebrew20 items
License
Spdx
Chocolatey–
HomebrewBSD-2-Clause
Language
Primary
ChocolateyC#
HomebrewRuby
Market
Availability

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for package registries. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Role
ChocolateyPackage manager client
HomebrewPublic registry
Ecosystem
Ecosystem / language
ChocolateyOS-level
HomebrewOS-level
Deployment
Deployment
ChocolateyBoth
HomebrewCLI-local
Formats
Package formats supported
ChocolateyMany formats
HomebrewMany formats
Hosting
Private / scoped packages
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew✓
Upstream proxy / caching
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew-
Resolution
Lockfile / deterministic installs
Chocolatey-
Homebrew-
Workspaces / monorepo
Chocolatey-
Homebrew-
Content-addressable store
Chocolatey-
Homebrew✓
Supply chain
Supply-chain integrity
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew✓
Vulnerability / licence scanning
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew✓
Licensing
Openness
ChocolateyOpen-core
HomebrewOpen-source
Pricing
Pricing model
ChocolateyPer-seat
HomebrewFree / OSS

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Chocolatey

Chocolatey is a command-line package manager for Windows that simplifies software deployment and lifecycle management. It offers both free open-source capabilities and commercial enterprise editions with advanced features like central management and package auditing.

Independently observed

Homebrew

Leader

Homebrew is a package manager that installs command-line tools, libraries, and applications from upstream source code. It organizes each package in an isolated directory and uses symlinks to integrate them into your system.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Chocolatey

from $18/moHybridFree tier

Free open source tier. Pro $96/year for individuals (up to 8 machines). Business from $18/node/year with volume discounts.

  • Open SourceFree
    • Unlimited machines
    • Create packages
    • Host own package repository
    • Third-party tool integration
    • Package shims
    • +3 more
  • Pro$96/year for up to 8 machines
    • All open source features
    • Enhanced functionality
    • Additional PowerShell functions
    • Package reducer
    • Package throttle
    • +2 more
  • Business (C4B)From $18/node/year (100-node minimum). Volume discounts and perpetual licensing available.
    • All Pro features
    • Central management dashboard
    • Self-service package installation
    • Full package synchronization
    • Package internalizer
    • +3 more
as of verify ↗

Homebrew

Leader
FreeFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
macOS
Chocolatey✗
Homebrew✓
Windows
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew✗
Linux
Chocolatey✗
Homebrew✓
CLI
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew✗
Self-hosted
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew✓
On-premise
Chocolatey✓
Homebrew✗

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Chocolatey

3 total
  • Puppet
  • SCCM
  • Intune
Independently observed

Homebrew

Leader

Not documented yet.

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.