I think it is the hard work of the maintainers to ensure quality that makes .deb stand out.
Re:Snaps are universal Linux packages
by matthewbauer on Friday February 03, 2017 @12:32AM
(#13557937)
What makes things a little easier is they can be installed along with your standard package manager.
I love apt, but the release policy isn't at all suitable for desktop use. You get stuck with the same bugs for at least 6 months, even if the developer has released a fix.
that's not a flaw of apt, it's just a policy of the distros that use apt. Even on ubuntu, some apt packages (notably chrome and firefox) release major updates independent of the distro's release cycle.
apt packages are so stable because it takes so much effort and time to make them. For example, a new apt package may be pending just because enough time has not passed since it was created.
This is why Debian has dominated Linux distros for decades. Debian's apt-get is a good package management system. Not perfect, not the best, but good. But, no one can compete with Debian for quality and quantity of well maintained packages.
Only time will tell if any of these next-gen package managers will succeed.