Ketarin vs Topgrade
Ketarin
ketarin.orgTopgrade
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Ketarin | Topgrade |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Software Update Tools | 7.7 (#10) | 7.6 (#13) |
| Purpose | Ketarin automatically updates setup packages to maintain a collection that can be copied to disc or USB, rather than keeping the installed system up to date. | Topgrade detects the tools you use and runs the appropriate commands to update them. |
Plans
In their own words
Ketarin
Ketarin is a free, open-source Windows application for maintaining a collection of setup packages. It monitors webpage content, identifies changed files through download rules, and saves updated installers where you specify. The aim is to keep packages ready for copying to disc or USB, not to update software already installed. Rules can use a FileHippo-based service or your own definitions, including regular expressions. Applications can be grouped into user-defined categories, with flexible save paths. Entries support XML import and export. After downloads, Ketarin can run custom commands and PowerShell scripts. Listed features include an online database, scheduled scans, bulk updates, custom app support, silent installation, and a portable version. Written in C#, it targets .NET Framework 4.5 and uses SQLite. The homepage identifies version 1.8.11 as latest and links to a forum and tutorial. Source files use GPLv2 unless otherwise stated; resource images have reuse restrictions.
Topgrade
Topgrade is a free command-line tool that detects tools in use and runs the commands needed to update them. Run it with the `topgrade` command. The project provides self-updating binaries, source installation, and package-manager options; release binaries cover macOS, Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD. Its example configuration includes Arch package managers, DNF, Nix, Homebrew, Flatpak, and Winget. Topgrade can pull or fetch configured Git repositories, and custom commands can run before, during, or after its built-in commands. It can use SSH to run Topgrade on configured remote hosts before acting locally. On first run, it creates a configuration file if one is missing and also loads and merges files from `topgrade.d`. The project describes itself as a fork of r-darwish's Topgrade that aims to keep the tool maintained. Its example configuration advises against running it as root on Unix, since it invokes sudo or an equivalent where needed. Only the latest version is supported, and fixes are not backported.