asdf vs ZVM
asdf
asdf-vm.comZVM
zvm.appSide by side
| Figure | asdf | ZVM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Runtime Version Managers | 8.1 (#6) | 7.0 (#26) |
| Intended users | The documentation describes using a shared `.tool-versions` file to help project teams use the same tool versions. | The maker describes ZVM as useful for developers who need multiple Zig versions to compile projects as the language changes. |
| Purpose | asdf is a tool version manager that uses one `.tool-versions` file to share exact tool versions with a project team. | ZVM installs and switches between different versions of the Zig programming language. |
| Supported operating systems | The installation guide lists Linux and macOS dependency instructions and provides binaries for operating-system and architecture combinations. | The supported operating systems listed are Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and Solaris. |
| Version selection | asdf selects a tool version from `.tool-versions` files starting in the current directory and searching up toward the home directory. | It can install the latest nightly with `master`, the latest stable tagged release with `stable`, or a specified version. |
Plans
In their own words
asdf
asdf is a free, open-source version manager for Linux and macOS. It gives project teams one command interface and a shared `.tool-versions` file for selecting exact versions of multiple tools and runtimes. Plugins support tools such as Node.js, Ruby, and Elixir, while the plugin API allows additional tools. When a command runs, asdf searches for configuration from the current directory upward toward the home directory, then uses shims to launch the selected executable. Existing `.ruby-version`, `.nvmrc`, and `.node-version` files can be supported per plugin. Listed shell support includes Bash, ZSH, Fish, and Elvish, with completions. A GitHub Action uses `.tool-versions` in CI/CD workflows. Installation options include Homebrew, Zypper, Pacman, precompiled binaries, Go, and source builds. asdf manages tool versions rather than system packages or upstream dependencies. If no version is set, execution errors unless the tool is configured as `system`.