Linux · Apps

Install and manage apps outside your distro's native packages

Flatpak and Snap are sandboxed, distro-agnostic app formats that sit alongside your native package manager — Flatpak (via Flathub) is more broadly adopted across distros, while Snap is maintained by Canonical and preinstalled on Ubuntu by default.

What you should know

  • Flatpak: install support with `sudo apt install flatpak` / `sudo dnf install flatpak` (Fedora ships it by default) / `sudo pacman -S flatpak`, then add Flathub with `flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo`.
  • Install a Flatpak app: `flatpak install flathub <app-id>`; update all: `flatpak update`; both also work through most "Software" GUI apps that already have Flathub configured.
  • Snap (preinstalled on Ubuntu; installable elsewhere via `sudo apt/dnf/pacman install snapd`): `sudo snap install <package>`; updates happen automatically in the background, or manually via `sudo snap refresh`.
  • Both formats sandbox apps and may need explicit permission grants for filesystem, camera, or microphone access — Flatpak via `flatpak permissions` or the Flatseal GUI app, Snap via `snap connections`.

Why it matters

Flatpak and Snap solve the long-standing problem of an app needing a newer library version than your distro ships — they let up-to-date app versions install cleanly on any distro without touching system packages, at the cost of larger download sizes and occasional sandboxing quirks.

Best practices

  • Prefer your distro's native package for core system tools, and Flatpak/Snap for user-facing apps (browsers, chat clients, creative tools) where the newest version matters more.
  • Periodically clean up unused runtimes with `flatpak uninstall --unused` — Flatpak keeps shared runtime dependencies that can accumulate over time.
  • If a sandboxed app can't see a file or folder you expect, check its permissions (Flatseal for Flatpak) rather than assuming it's a bug.

Common problems and fixes

Flatpak app can't access files outside the Home/Downloads folder
Grant broader filesystem access with Flatseal, or run `flatpak override --filesystem=<path> <app-id>` for a specific folder.
Snap apps feel slow to launch
This is a known characteristic of Snap's compression/mounting approach, especially on the first launch after boot — subsequent launches are faster since the squashfs stays mounted.

Tips and tricks

  • `flatpak list` and `snap list` show everything currently installed through each system — useful before a reinstall to know what to restore.

Frequently asked questions

Should I remove Snap and only use Flatpak, or vice versa?

Not necessary — both can coexist without conflict. Pick whichever has the app you need; on Ubuntu some apps (like Firefox in recent releases) ship as Snap by default, which you can swap for the Flatpak or native .deb version if preferred.