GNU ELPA
GNU ELPA is the default package repository for GNU Emacs.
What GNU ELPA is
GNU ELPA is the default package repository for GNU Emacs. Users can browse its archive on the web or open the package list in Emacs with `M-x list-packages`; packages can be installed with `package-install` or from that list. The archive lists package versions and descriptions, and accepted packages can have pages with descriptions, recent releases, changelog previews, and rendered manuals. GNU ELPA is free, with a listed plan of no cost, and has no free trial. Submissions must use a GPL-compatible license, ideally GPLv3 or later, and core functionality must work using only free software, subject to case-by-case exceptions. Significant past and present contributors must sign the FSF copyright assignment. Submissions are emailed to emacs-devel with a description, public Git repository link, and preferred archive. A build server synchronizes package repositories and releases a new version when a commit changes a package’s Version header. The site directs bug reports to `M-x report-emacs-bug` and points users to the help-gnu-emacs mailing list for assistance. Contribution guidance warns that compromised maintainer repository access can create a security risk.
Good
- Browse package versions and descriptions.
- Install packages through Emacs.
- Accepted packages may include manuals and changelog previews.
- Free plan listed as free.
Watch out
- No free trial is listed.
- Package submissions require an FSF copyright assignment from significant contributors.
- Compromised maintainer repository access can pose a security risk.
Who it suits
GNU ELPA suits GNU Emacs users looking to browse and install packages, and contributors whose packages meet its licensing and free-software requirements.
Verdict
GNU ELPA provides a direct route to browse and install packages for GNU Emacs. Its submission requirements and security warning are important considerations for package contributors and users.
Plans and prices
From GNU ELPA's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| GNU ELPA | Free | GNU Emacs packages · GPL-compatible licensing · FSF copyright assignment for significant contributors · Free |
The facts
Each one read from GNU ELPA's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Archive format
- An archive is a web-accessible directory containing single-file Lisp packages or tar files with multiple files.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Build and releases
- The build server regularly synchronizes package repositories and releases a new version when a commit changes the package’s Version header.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Build extensibility
- Package specifications support custom documentation files, NEWS files, build targets, shell commands, version maps and branch selection.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Completion integrations
- The cape package provides completion-at-point backends and adapters for Company, Corfu and Emacs's default completion UI.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Contribution channel
- Prospective contributors are asked to email emacs-devel with a package description, public repository link and preferred GNU or NonGNU archive.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Contributor requirement
- All significant past and present contributors to GNU ELPA packages must sign the FSF copyright assignment.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Copyright assignment
- Significant past and present contributors to GNU ELPA packages must assign copyright to the Free Software Foundation.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Dependency handling
- Emacs automatically downloads required dependencies when installing a package, stopping if a required dependency is unavailable.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Development archive
- GNU ELPA publishes a separate GNU-devel ELPA archive for development or bleeding-edge package versions.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent praise: built-in ecosystem
- Emacs Redux highlights that GNU ELPA packages such as cl-lib, eldoc and xref originated with Emacs development and integrate closely with the editor.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent praise: official status
- Emacs Redux describes GNU ELPA as the official Emacs package repository and notes that some packages are bundled with Emacs.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent security observation
- The Emacs manual says archive packages should be trusted because installing them can run code with the user's permissions, and recommends cryptographic signing to improve security.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Installation command
- Users can browse and install packages from inside Emacs with M-x list-packages.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Install location
- Installed packages are placed under the package-user-dir directory, which defaults to ~/.emacs.d/elpa/.checked 15 Oct 2026
- License policy
- Submitted packages must use a GPL-compatible license, with GPLv3 or later preferred.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: contributor burden
- Emacs Redux reports that copyright paperwork, the ELPA repository workflow and the Emacs bug tracker discourage many outside contributors.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: outages
- Reddit users reported GNU ELPA and related GNU sites being unreachable for hours during a June 2024 incident, with packet loss and 443 errors.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: package freshness complaint
- A Reddit user reported that an older Magit package in ELPA caused compatibility problems and that switching to MELPA resolved the installation issue.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: refresh hangs
- A Reddit report describes package-refresh-contents hanging indefinitely on Debian 11 while accessing GNU and NonGNU ELPA, with IPv6 or site connectivity suspected.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: smaller catalog
- Emacs Redux reported GNU ELPA hosting about 280 packages at the time, far fewer than MELPA's roughly 5,000 packages.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Local hosting
- The repository documentation describes deploying a locally hosted archive by generating archive files and serving the archive directory over HTTP.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Maintainer compromise risk
- GNU ELPA's contribution page states that a compromised package maintainer repository can create a security risk for users.checked 15 Oct 2026
Money
- Free software criterion
- A package’s core functionality must work on a system using only free software, subject to case-by-case exceptions.checked 4 Oct 2026
The company
- Maker headquarters
- The Free Software Foundation lists its mailing address in Boston, Massachusetts 02196.checked 15 Oct 2026
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