Rovant / Comparisons / Manual ROS 2 setup
Rovant vs installing ROS 2 on Windows yourself
There are two honest ways to get ROS 2 running on a Windows machine. You can install WSL2, add the ROS 2 apt repository and configure the environment by hand — which is free, fully documented and gives you complete control. Or you can let Rovant detect what is missing and install it. This page is about which one to pick.
If you want a specific ROS 2 distribution, a custom build, or you simply want to understand every layer you are standing on, do it manually — the official documentation is good and you will learn more. If you want a robot model on screen and a topic list responding this afternoon, Rovant removes about a dozen steps that have nothing to do with robotics.
The two paths, side by side
WSL2 + ROS 2 by hand
- Enable WSL2 with
wsl --install, reboot - Install Ubuntu 22.04 as a distribution
- Set the locale so ROS 2 tools do not warn
- Install
curl,gnupgandlsb-release - Add the ROS 2 GPG key and apt source
apt install ros-humble-desktop- Source
/opt/ros/humble/setup.bash - Add that source line to
.bashrc - Install
rosbridge-suiteif you want live topics - Install
colconand any language servers - Verify with
ros2 topic list
One installer
- Run the Rovant installer
- Open the ROS 2 Toolchain panel — it reports what is present and what is missing
- Press Install / repair and watch the log
Rovant performs the same steps under the hood, inside WSL2. It does not hide them — the install log streams every command.
What each approach gives you
| Consideration | Manual | Rovant |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free, Apache 2.0 |
| Full control over the ROS 2 distribution | ✓ | Humble only |
| Works with a custom or source build | ✓ | ✗ |
Time to first ros2 topic list | 1–3 hours first time | ~15 minutes |
| Knows what is missing and why | by reading docs | ✓ reports each tool |
| URDF / Xacro 3D preview | ✗ needs RViz or Gazebo | ✓ built in |
| Live topics without extra setup | install rosbridge yourself | ✓ built in |
| Teaches you how ROS 2 is put together | ✓ | less so |
| Works on macOS | Docker only | ✗ |
When to do it manually
You need ROS 2 Iron, Jazzy or Rolling rather than Humble. You are building ROS 2 from source or using a custom middleware. You are on a machine where WSL2 is restricted by policy. You want to understand the environment because you will be maintaining it, teaching it, or debugging it at the shell. Or you simply prefer to own the setup — that is a legitimate reason and the official documentation supports it well.
When to use Rovant
You are on Windows and want to look at a robot description as a 3D model without installing RViz. You are learning ROS 2 and the environment is getting in the way of the actual concepts. You want colcon builds, topic inspection and your code in one window. You are demoing or teaching and cannot afford a setup session.
What Rovant does not replace
It is worth being direct: Rovant does not remove the need to understand ROS 2. It automates the installation, not the concepts. Nodes, topics, launch files and packages still have to be learned, and the official ROS 2 tutorials remain the right place to do that. Rovant is also Humble-specific today, so if your team standardises on a newer distribution you will want the manual path.
Rovant is a free, Apache 2.0 public beta for Windows and Linux.
Download for Windows