Pi-Apps
A free, open-source app store for Raspberry Pi and ARM Linux devices, simplifying software installation with shell scripts.
What is Pi-Apps?
Pi‑Apps is a free, open‑source app store for Raspberry Pi and other ARM‑based Linux devices. It solves the difficulty of installing software on ARM Linux by providing a curated collection of over 200 shell scripts that automatically download and install applications from their original sources, bypassing the limitations of official repositories. This makes the Raspberry Pi more accessible as a daily desktop computer.
Raspberry Pi users, educators, hobbyists, and developers who want an easy way to install popular or complex software not available in standard package managers. It is especially useful for those who find manual installation on ARM Linux challenging or time‑consuming.
Developers choose Pi‑Apps because it uses flexible shell scripts to install apps from anywhere, avoiding dependency on standardized packaging formats. Its community‑driven catalog of over 200 apps, user‑friendly GUI, and support for multiple ARM platforms (like Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu on Pi, Nintendo Switch, and Nvidia Jetson) provide a unique, centralized solution for discovering and installing hard‑to‑find software.
Overview
Raspberry Pi App Store for Open Source Projects
Use Cases
Best For
- Installing popular applications not available in the official Raspberry Pi OS apt repositories.
- Setting up a Raspberry Pi as a daily desktop computer with a wide range of pre‑configured software.
- Educators and schools looking for a simple way to deploy software on multiple Raspberry Pi devices.
- Hobbyists using ARM‑based devices like Pine64, Orange Pi, or Nvidia Jetson who need an easy app installation method.
- Users who want to avoid manual, error‑prone installation processes for complex applications on ARM Linux.
- Community‑driven software discovery and contribution via simple bash scripting for app creation and submission.
Not Ideal For
- Users on non-Debian or non-Ubuntu Linux distributions like Arch or Fedora, which the README explicitly lists as unsupported and likely broken.
- Environments requiring strict security compliance and verified software sources, since Pi-Apps scripts download from various external locations without centralized vetting.
- Projects needing seamless dependency management and automatic updates for installed apps, as Pi-Apps relies on manual script updates and may not handle complex dependencies as well as apt.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Uses bash scripts to install apps from their original sources, bypassing limitations of standard packaging formats, as highlighted in the philosophy section.
Hosts over 200 applications curated for ARM Linux, serving over a million users, making it a go-to resource for hard-to-find software.
Provides an intuitive interface with search, categories, and installation queues, simplifying software management for non-technical users, as shown in the screenshots.
Fully supports Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu on Pi, Nintendo Switch, and Nvidia Jetson, with compatibility for many other ARM devices like Pine64 and Orange Pi.
Cons
Explicitly unsupported on non-Debian/Ubuntu systems and 32-bit ARM OSes (except Bookworm until EOL), restricting its use to specific distributions and hardware.
Community-maintained shell scripts may break if external sources change, and lack the rigorous testing of official packages, as indicated by bug reports and 'not actively tested' warnings in the README.
While Pi-Apps itself can be updated, there's no mention of automatic updates for installed apps, requiring manual reinstallation for newer versions, which could lead to outdated software.
Frequently Asked Questions
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