When comparing XBPS (X Binary Package System) vs Conda, the Slant community recommends XBPS (X Binary Package System) for most people. In the question“What are the best Linux package managers?” XBPS (X Binary Package System) is ranked 4th while Conda is ranked 16th.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Extremely fast
Pro Can detect incompatibilities
XBPS can detect incompatible shared libraries or dependencies and gives you options before installing.
Pro Can install binaries or build from source
When installing software you can choose to install binaries or build it from source (natively or cross-compiled).
Pro Lots of features
XBPS can not only be used for installing/removing packages, but it can query for package info (such as version, dependencies, size etc), reconfigure packages, report and fix issues by modifying the package database, search for alternatives, manage local repositories and various other useful tools.
Pro Allows partial updates
Pro Written from scratch
Pro Binary installs
They are fast and reliable as they do not need to compile before installation.
Pro Allows for multiple environments
It is great for developers since you can easily switch between complete environments with different versions of packages, for testing and development.
Pro Open source
Conda is open source and on Github, so if you see something wrong you can fix it and submit a patch.
Cons
Con Not just one command to run
It's not a very big drawback, just not as convenient as one command with multiple options to remove and search for apps.
Con Unable to create packages under a non-xbps distribution
Makes maintaining packages a hassle.
Con Doesn't have everything
Conda is relatively new and has a smaller user-base, so the set of packages available is limited.
Con No way to resume downloads
Any download that is canceled or interrupted will have to be started over from the beginning as there is no built in solution for resuming downloads.