I don't think there is anything in life for which "one clear, right way" ever works.

For software at least I have very different requirements for

- the kernel on my work machine, coreutils, base system, etc (I want system updates and good stability and one single version installed on my system in a central location, can be read-only)

- development toolchains (I want multiple versions side by side in standard folders, e.g. multiple ABIs, cross toolchains, etc.)

- productivity apps (calendar, mail, etc). (I want one version in a central location with possibility of rollback)

- end-user apps, video, drawing & music apps, etc. (I want multiple version side by side installed in local folders as a very basic practice when doing some artistic work in a computer is to pin the artwork to a specific version of the software)

I must be missing your point. Isn't Apt the one clear right way to install on Debian derivatives?

They are on Ubuntu, and Apt gets overriden by Snap.

That's of course if it's available via snap, it might only be supported via Flatpak.

Yeah, as the other poster said, there are actually a couple alternative methods of installation, most notably the Snap store.

I think I should probably stick to installing via apt wherever possible.