What Is the Difference Between Standard Linux LazPaint Downloads and Qt5 Versions?

The standard Linux downloads and the Qt5 downloads on the LazPaint download page are two build variants of the same application, split by which widget toolkit they rely on. Both are listed for 32-bit and 64-bit systems, and both come as Deb packages or no-install archives. Pick the Qt5 build when your desktop environment is already Qt-based or when you specifically want LazPaint to use Qt5; otherwise the standard Linux build is the default choice.

How the download page splits Linux

The page groups Linux downloads into three headings, and the split matters more than the version number:

The standard Linux section is the broader one: it adds an AppImage 64-bit option that the Qt5 section does not list. The Qt5 section mirrors the standard section's Deb and archive formats but offers no AppImage.

What "Qt5" actually changes

Qt5 is a widget toolkit — the library that draws windows, buttons, dialogs, and menus. A Qt5 build of LazPaint links against Qt5 instead of whatever toolkit the standard build uses. The application itself, its editing features, and its file formats are the same; the difference is the interface layer and the set of system libraries it expects to find.

That has two practical consequences:

• Dependencies. A Qt5 build needs Qt5 libraries present on your system. If they are not installed, the Deb package should pull them in, but a no-install archive will not — you would need to provide them yourself.
• Look and integration. On a Qt-based desktop, a Qt5 build tends to match the surrounding theme and file dialogs more closely than a build using a different toolkit.

How to choose

Work through these conditions in order:

1. Are you on a Qt-based desktop environment? If so, the Qt5 build is the natural fit for visual consistency.
2. Do you already have Qt5 installed? If yes, the Qt5 archive is a reasonable no-install option. If no, prefer the Deb package so dependencies are handled, or stay with the standard build.
3. Do you want the AppImage? The AppImage exists only in the standard Linux section, so choosing it means choosing the non-Qt5 build.
4. Are you on ARM? Neither the standard nor the Qt5 section applies — use the Linux ARM archives instead.

If none of the Qt5 conditions apply to you, the standard Linux downloads remain available and are the safer default. Nothing on the page indicates that the standard builds are being withdrawn in favor of Qt5.

Installer vs archive, in both variants

The format choice is independent of the Qt5 choice, and the same logic applies in both sections:

• Deb package — for Debian-based distributions, installed through the system package manager, with dependency handling.
• Archive (no install) — unpack and run; no system-level installation, but you manage dependencies yourself.

So the Qt5 64-bit Deb package and the standard 64-bit Deb package differ only in toolkit; the Qt5 64-bit archive and the standard 64-bit archive differ in the same way. You are making two separate decisions — toolkit and format — not choosing between unrelated products.

A concrete example

Suppose you run a 64-bit Debian-based system with a Qt-based desktop and want LazPaint installed system-wide. The Qt5 64-bit Deb package is the match: it installs through the package manager and links against the Qt5 libraries your desktop already uses. If you instead wanted a single file you could carry between machines without installing, the AppImage 64-bit from the standard Linux section would be the option — but that means accepting the non-Qt5 build.