goenv vs plenv
goenv
github.complenv
github.comSide by side
| Figure | goenv | plenv |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Runtime Version Managers | 7.7 (#10) | 7.5 (#17) |
| Spec score · Development Environment Managers | 7.6 (#29) | 7.4 (#35) |
| Integrations | The installation page documents Homebrew and a ZPlug plugin manager for Zsh. | The README recommends using plenv with Carton for Perl upgrades and deployments. |
| License | The repository identifies its license as MIT. | The project says plenv is free software redistributable under the same terms as Perl itself. |
| Purpose | goenv manages Go versions using a model similar to pyenv and rbenv. | plenv lets users select a Perl version for an application so the development environment matches production. |
Plans
In their own words
goenv
goenv manages Go versions on Linux and macOS using a model similar to pyenv and rbenv. It supports global selections, per-project versions, and environment-variable overrides. Shim executables placed in PATH route Go commands to the selected installation, enabling automatic switching and project version pinning. The installation guide says goenv downloads prebuilt Go binaries provided by Google, while new Go versions are added automatically on a daily cron schedule. The project identifies v3 as its current stable version and recommends it for new installations; it says v3 is fully backward compatible with v2. Version 2 receives security patches and critical bug fixes, with support ending on or before December 31, 2028. Setup documentation covers Bash and Zsh, including a .bashrc note for Ubuntu. Installation options include Homebrew and ZPlug for Zsh, and the README includes AWS CodeBuild guidance. goenv is free under the MIT license.
plenv
plenv is a free Perl version manager for selecting the interpreter an application uses, helping keep development aligned with production. It installs Perl versions in the user’s home directory and switches between them in the shell. A `.perl-version` file can pin a Perl version to a directory, taking precedence over the global selection. Shell script wrappers called shims route Perl executable commands to the selected version. Setup instructions cover Bash and Zsh, with optional shell integration and autocompletion. Installation options include GitHub, an archive, and Homebrew on Mac OS X. The `perl-build` plugin supplies `plenv install`; `plenv-contrib` adds `use` and `lib` commands as a local::lib integration replacement. The README recommends Carton for upgrades and deployments. `migrate-modules` installs the newest module versions from one Perl environment into another, though the resulting versions may differ. The README lists Perl 5.8.1+ and Bash as dependencies, and curl for `plenv install-cpanm`. plenv supports Linux and macOS and is free software redistributable under the same terms as Perl itself.