goenv vs RVM
goenv
github.comRVM
rvm.ioSide by side
| Figure | goenv | RVM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Runtime Version Managers | 7.7 (#10) | 7.4 (#20) |
| Spec score · Development Environment Managers | 7.6 (#29) | 7.3 (#40) |
| Integrations | The installation page documents Homebrew and a ZPlug plugin manager for Zsh. | RVM documents integrations including Bundler, Capistrano, Chef, Jenkins, Heroku, Passenger, TeamCity, Vagrant, Vim, and Zsh. |
| Purpose | goenv manages Go versions using a model similar to pyenv and rbenv. | RVM is a command-line tool for installing and managing multiple Ruby environments, from interpreters to gem sets. |
| Supported systems | The README documents Homebrew installation for macOS and Linux. | RVM supports most Unix-like systems and Windows through Cygwin or Bash on Ubuntu on Windows. |
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.
RVM
RVM is a command-line tool for installing and managing Ruby versions and gem sets. It can create a self-contained environment for each project, with a selected Ruby version and the gems that project needs. Named gemsets organize gems across Ruby versions, and a shared cache stores one on-disk copy of each downloaded gem. RVM can run test suites, rake tasks, benchmarks, and gem commands against multiple Ruby versions at the same time, supporting consistent setups across development, CI, QA, staging, and production. Its commands cover installing, selecting, upgrading, reinstalling, uninstalling, and removing Ruby versions. Documented integrations include Bundler, Capistrano, Chef, Jenkins, Heroku, and Passenger. RVM supports most UNIX-like systems and Windows through Cygwin or Bash on Ubuntu on Windows. Basic installation needs Bash, curl, gpg2, and GNU tools; git is needed for head Ruby versions. It documents single-user, multi-user, and mixed-mode installs, and recommends single-user mode for an isolated home-directory setup. RVM is free and maintained by community volunteers.