Bazaar 0.9.1 drops with "similar apps" discovery and accessibility tweaks
The Flatpak-focused app store Bazaar is shipping version 0.9.1 today. It's a stable release that arrives just five days after the v0.9.0 feature dump, packing in a new discovery tool, accessibility improvements, and a few UX polish passes.
If you skipped the major update last week, v0.9.0 introduced markdown rendering for curated sections and a complete rework of how distributors configure content. This new version builds on that foundation. It's not trying to break new ground with core functionality. Instead, it's refining the experience for people who already use it.
What's actually new
The headline addition is a "similar apps" section on the full app view. It surfaces related software based on tag matching. You'll see it when you're already browsing an application's details page. It's a decent way to find alternatives without jumping back to the search bar.
The accessibility work here is substantive. The screenshot page now includes a reduced-motion animation alternative that respects system preferences. Search bars have been refactored for better keyboard navigation and focus management. Screen readers get clearer announcements in the full view too.
There are also a few fixes for UI flicker. The add-ons dialog skips an initial resize animation, and the avatar menu button no longer flashes on load. Placeholder sizing for unloaded screenshots prevents layout shifts while images load. These are the small things that make an app feel polished over time.
Translation updates for Indonesian, Czech, and French round out the list. Search text no longer auto-clears with a timeout, which was a minor annoyance for some users. The search delay reverted to 300ms from a previous change, balancing speed with usability.
Built for GNOME, adopted by immutable distros
Bazaar is written in C with GTK4 and libadwaita. It runs as a background service, so downloads and installs persist even when you close the window. The UI is fully decoupled from Flatpak operations, meaning browsing Flathub doesn't freeze during downloads.
It has found a home on several immutable Linux distributions. Bluefin, Aurora, and Bazzite all ship Bazaar as the default app store. That's significant. It's effectively the first third-party app store adopted as the default by multiple immutable distributions.
The project was created by Jorge Kolunmi, with Alexander Vanhee credited as the primary contributor for this cycle. Vanhee handled the "similar apps" feature and most of the UX polish. You can check out the full changelog on GitHub if you want to dig into the specific pull requests.
Why it matters
The Linux desktop has had app store problems for years. GNOME Software is often slow. KDE Discover tries to manage everything and ends up doing it poorly. Bazaar focuses deep on Flatpak with a focus on developer support and distributor-customized curation.
It's fast. The multi-threaded downloads let you queue unlimited installs while you keep browsing. The background service means state persists across reboots. These are practical advantages over the alternatives.
The donation system for developers is still in early stages. Bazaar plans to work with Flathub on a broader model to help independent Linux developers get paid. That's a long-standing ecosystem challenge. It's not solved yet, but the architecture is there to support it.
If you're on Bluefin, Aurora, or Bazzite, you probably already have it. Otherwise, you can grab it from Flathub or build it from source. The project ships releases frequently. v0.9.0 was a major feature drop. This is the follow-up that smooths out the rough edges.
Head here to read the full changelog.
