Flox vs PHPBrew
Flox
flox.devPHPBrew
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Flox | PHPBrew |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $20/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Spec score · Development Environment Managers | 8.6 (#5) | 7.5 (#34) |
| Purpose | Flox provides reproducible software environments containing the tools and frameworks developers need across the software lifecycle. | PHPBrew builds and installs multiple PHP versions in a user's home directory. |
Plans
In their own words
Flox
Flox gives developers a way to define reproducible software environments, including project packages, variables, and shell hooks, with configuration managed as code. It presents these environments as working across macOS, Linux, and WSL2. Its Nixpkgs-powered catalog contains more than 190,000 packages. FloxHub supports syncing and sharing environments, with package lists, earlier versions, and change logs available for review. GitHub Actions can install Flox and activate environments in CI workflows, while a VS Code extension supports package management, activation, and running services; the extension is also compatible with Cursor. Flox Skills are described as helping Claude Code, Codex, and skills.sh agents create environments, services, and builds and onboard repositories. Flox says environments include signed, hash-pinned software bills of materials and build provenance. The free Personal plan includes three private FloxHub environments and five private packages. Team costs $20/user/mo; Enterprise pricing is custom.