Launchpad vs Papers
Launchpad
launchpad.netPapers
apps.gnome.orgSide by side
| Figure | Launchpad | Papers |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · PDF Readers | 8.3 (#7) | 7.2 (#20) |
| Purpose | Launchpad is a software collaboration and hosting platform for software projects. | Papers is a document viewer for the GNOME desktop that can view, search, and annotate documents. |
| Support | Launchpad provides community support through Answers and links to Launchpad Support and a user guide. | The app page directs users to its issue tracker to give feedback or report issues. |
Plans
In their own words
Launchpad
Launchpad is a free platform for open-source collaboration, with tools to build and publish software. Projects can host Git repositories, review and merge changes, and link code changes to bug reports. Bug tracking can also integrate reports from Bugzilla, Trac, GitLab, and Mantis. Teams can build and distribute Debian packages, snaps, rocks, charms, and OCI images; documented architectures include AMD64, AMD64v3, ARM, and RISC-V. Localization tools support importing, exporting, and sharing translations, while blueprints help track project ideas and work. Launchpad Answers supports community help requests and FAQs. Automation options include a REST-style API, the launchpadlib Python client, and webhooks. The platform is available through the web, Linux, API, and self-hosted options. Commercial projects can request private branches, bugs, teams, mailing lists, and PPAs, but these features require Canonical authorization. Security documentation describes least-privilege access, restrictive networking, and fine-grained permissions; it also says automatic security monitoring was not in place as of July 2023.