GHCup

Overview

GHCup is a free installer and version manager for Haskell’s core toolchain. It is best suited to developers who need to install or maintain GHC, cabal-install, HLS and Stack across supported environments. Its focused scope is useful, but its Windows and ARM caveats matter when choosing a tool for a specific machine.

Key features

GHCup installs and manages versions of GHC, cabal-install, Haskell Language Server (HLS) and Stack, bringing the main Haskell components together in one tool. Stack can be configured to use GHCup-managed GHC versions, which is useful for developers who want Stack in the same managed toolchain. Shell integration and CI/CD usage are supported, but there is no project version pinning or automatic switching; teams seeking per-project version selection should look elsewhere or account for that gap.

The FAQ also identifies a text-based user interface and GHC cross-compilation among GHCup’s functionality. Its configuration can be stored in ~/.ghcup/config.yaml, while command-line options take precedence. These options give users ways to manage setup, but do not fill the missing automatic project-level switching.

Pricing

GHCup is open source and costs nothing. The free plan covers Haskell toolchain installation and management, with no trial required. There are no paid tiers, seat limits or plan quotas to weigh against a cheaper option.

Platforms

Installation instructions cover Linux, macOS, FreeBSD and WSL2 through terminal commands, plus Windows through PowerShell. On Unix-like systems, the installer should be run as a non-root user; on Windows, use a non-admin account. macOS setup may prompt for command line tools, and Windows installation should set up msys2.

There are real compatibility boundaries. WSL1 and macOS versions earlier than 10.13 are unsupported. Windows support is described as early-stage, and GHCup uses a shim wrapper because Windows does not properly support symbolic links. The project supports GNU/Linux distributions compatible with upstream GHC binaries, but precompiled binaries can fail on distribution-specific dependencies such as libtinfo. HLS bindists on macOS aarch64 and Stack and HLS binaries on Linux ARM are experimental, so those environments are a less dependable fit.

Stack setup-info metadata brings a further HLS caveat: compatible HLS binaries are not guaranteed, and the latest or recommended shortcuts do not work in that configuration.

Who it's for

GHCup is a strong fit for Haskell developers who want one free utility to install and manage the main toolchain, including in shell-based workflows and CI/CD. It is less suitable when a project requires automatic per-project version changes, or when Windows, ARM, or a Linux distribution’s binary compatibility is central to the environment.

Pros and cons

• Pros: One tool manages GHC, cabal-install, HLS and Stack, and Stack can use GHCup-managed GHC versions.
• Pros: Free and open source, with shell integration, CI/CD use, a text interface and cross-compilation functionality.
• Cons: No project version pinning or automatic switching, limiting hands-off per-project toolchain selection.
• Cons: Early-stage Windows support, unsupported WSL1, and experimental binaries for some ARM and macOS aarch64 use cases narrow the dependable platform range.
• Cons: Precompiled binaries may encounter distribution compatibility problems, including missing libtinfo.

Alternatives

For broader development-environment management, browse Development Environment Managers or Runtime Version Managers. ActiveState Platform is another option if a freemium platform with public projects on its free organization plan and a free trial suits your needs. Choose devenv if you want a free, MIT-licensed option and are prepared to use Nix. FVM is a free open-source Flutter SDK version manager, while frum focuses on Ruby version management.

Flox offers a freemium personal plan with its CLI, catalog access and public and private FloxHub environments. Nix is a free open-source package manager, and nvm is a free open-source Node.js version manager. PortBay has a free Community plan for users who need its project and sandbox allowances.

Verdict

Choose GHCup if you want a free, Haskell-focused manager for installing and maintaining the core toolchain, with shell integration and CI/CD support. Its main advantage is keeping GHC and the surrounding Haskell tools in one place; look elsewhere if automatic project-level switching is essential or your environment depends on its less mature Windows and experimental ARM support.