Linux Distros reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 278 Reddit reviews across 20 subreddits and 43 posts to rank the best Linux Distros brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/linux4noobs, r/linuxquestions, r/DistroHopping, r/linux_gaming, r/linux. Top-rated brands include Linux Mint (4.2/5), Fedora (4.0/5), Ubuntu (4.0/5).
Stats
Reviews278
Subreddits20
Posts43
Brands69
Products25
278 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Linux Mint
4.2
(39)
"Absolutely cannot go wrong with Mint. Rock solid, stable, everything you could want that runs on Linux will probably run on that."
"Mint would be my number 1 suggestion for any new user."
"Mint, for sure. It's where I started."
"Mint all the way."
"Linux Mint The distro with the greatest reliability The distro with the most support Simple Choice."
"If you're coming over from Windows, Linux Mint Cinnamon is probably the easiest transition."
"I have been using Linux Mint for years, I recommend it."
"Mint was originally designed to be a clone of Windows-7, so if this is your first Linux install it will be the easiest for you to navigate."
"Almost all games have more fps than Windows 11."
"Linux Mint is my go-to. Mint with Cinnamon makes transitioning from Windows a piece of cake."
#2
Fedora
4.0
(24)
"Fedora, beginner to expert, bleeding edge, stable, and a pure GNOME or KDE environment."
"Personally i use fedora and I love it"
"Fedora taking the lead in simplicity."
"Fedora would be a great choice. It offers up-to-date drivers."
"Now I’m using Fedora KDE primarily, but I like Pop!OS and Tuxedo OS a lot and both are Ubuntu based."
"If you want stability and newer-ish packages go with Fedora."
"For someone not totally new, Fedora would probably be my next recommendation."
"If you want something newer feeling with lots of options Fedora is a good bet."
"I think Fedora is a great choice, many supported DEs, a lot of available packages, community managed and keeps its stuff up to date without breaking your system."
"Fedora is a solid distro and they have a Budgie spin. Maybe it’s worth a shot."
#3
Ubuntu
4.0
(24)
"Ubuntu or fedora if you like the mac feel. Mint or kubuntu or kde fedora if you like windows feel"
"Ubuntu, mint, Pop fedora"
"Ubuntu is a basic easy go to. Definitely can’t go wrong with it. I’d recommend openSUSE"
"At that point, go to the opposite side of things and hit up Ubuntu or Debian and try to break them."
"Then there is Lubuntu, which uses LXQT, which is even lighter."
"And as for the Ubuntu flavor that has XFCE, it is Xubuntu."
"I recommend trying Lubuntu or Xubuntu. Both use lightweight de."
"I recommend trying Lubuntu or Xubuntu. Both use lightweight de."
"Ubuntu is by far the most stable while being up to date Linux I've tried. I just really don't like Gnome and Canonical's interpretation of it, so I use Kubuntu."
"Kubuntu is missing from the list and it should be right at that top or near it."
#4
Debian
4.1
(17)
"Debian LxQT"
"Debian."
"Debian stable"
"Debian is a great option for stability, but everything is pretty dated out of the box."
"N00b-friendly...virtually anything based on Ubuntu or Debian, as well as Manjaro"
"Personally, I like Debian because its pretty vanilla. Fedora looks nice."
"From my experience with old atom computers, Debian or strictly Debian based are best, especially if you need 32 bit."
"Debian"
"I've been developing games with Godot on Debian for years, works a treat."
"Debain lxde"
#5
Linux
4.1
(16)
"Arch Linux is the best, did I say that I use Arch Linux?"
"Nobara all day long."
"Nobara os was the best one i tried none others worked"
"I have also dual-booted machines for years before leaving Windows entirely behind some time ago."
"Fedora"
"Ubuntu"
"My favorite linux distro is either Illumos or Haiku"
"I use Manjaro and just about everything but older games works out of the box."
"Apparently Cachy OS is the latest holy grail of Linux for gaming."
"So for the operating system I'd recommend Fedora."
#6
Pop!_OS
4.5
(13)
"I use Linux (Pop Os), cant really complain about anything."
"Pop OS! or Ubuntu."
"I daily drive PopOs cus im a developer."
"PopOS and Manjaro 1 and 2."
"I recommend using pop os if you're new to Linux."
"I would say than Pop OS is best option on the list, especially for new users."
"PopOS would be interesting, also based on Ubuntu but they have a bit of driver work I hear Nvidia users seem to like."
"Linux Mint or Pop!_OS would be fine for a beginner imo"
"PopOS has a vested interest in providing a stable environment for desktop users."
"Pop!_OS and Manjaro strike a good balance between privacy and gaming performance."
#7
EndeavourOS
3.9
(12)
"Endeavour is a great distro to start with, it's really intuitive and I love how much you can customise it."
"Kinda thinking about throwing in Endeavour and/or Cachy bc yeah it's arch but also they're pretty plug and play too imo"
"Great for long-term use (best balance of new software yet stable)...Fedora or Endeavour/Arch"
"I always recommend EndeavourOS, though"
"Go with Endeavour if you dont want to set Arch up from scratch."
"Just pick Endeavour OS. It's a better comparison against Manjaro than vanilla Arch."
"Endeavour OS. It switched away from Xfce as default DE some time ago and now it uses KDE instead."
"EndeavourOS"
"I'd recommend EndeavourOS with a light desktop environment like XFCE or LXQT."
"I've settled with EndeavourOS."
#8
Arch Linux
4.2
(11)
"If you want the best, and you're willing to learn properly, try Arch."
"Im using arch but when you learn how to use one, and get comfortable with basic terminal commands you can switch distributions and its not gonna be a problem."
"Arch-based distros are probably the best due to always having the latest drivers."
"Arch is the best but not for beginners like yourself"
"Depends, do you know how to fix your system if it breaks? Then it is Arch."
"Out of those two I would stick with Arch."
"Personally I'd choose vanilla arch. Easy to install and with the install script it's your choice on what desktop environment you want to go for."
"If you’re experienced with linux just install arch with kde, if not, use manjaro with kde."
"I have zero issues with ArchLinux, so it shouldn't be a problem with Garuda."
"You should branch out with Arch and try ArcoLinux or SalientOS."
#9
antiX
4.2
(10)
"I would try Antix, as its latest version has the kernel up to 6.1.60. That ought to work well. Antix will make that system fly."
"For me, Antix is the best flash drive Linux."
"Antix, based on Debian, gives you a choice of WMs but no full-blown DE, so it would smoke on your device."
"For older Laptop/PC U can use the little sister to MX, antix. I has several Windowmanager instaed Desktopmanager, this means, it use less CPU Cycles = faster."
"First recommendation would be Antix and next alternative MX Linux Fluxbox."
"Puppy linux, antix, void, alpine."
"AntiX"
"AntiX works well for my MacBook 2007."
"The winner in the heavyweight category is either Anti-X or Q4OS."
"You could try AntiX, MX or Q4OS Linux."
#10
Manjaro
3.7
(11)
"I have manjaro in a laptop and I certainly appreciate not having to do all the hardware configuration myself like I would in arch."
"I use Manjaro."
"Manjaro is an excellent distribution."
"Manjaro. Or else EndeavourOS."
"Go with manjaro, i'm sure you will have a better time."
"I think im gonna wait til kernel 6.2 before i pick one up for my Manjaro install."
"If you don't want to install Arch from a command line, something like Manjaro would work."
"I moved to Manjaro (and other Arch-likes) years ago and haven't looked back."
"N00b-friendly...virtually anything based on Ubuntu or Debian, as well as Manjaro"
"I wouldn't recommend Manjaro specifically"
#11
Zorin OS
4.2
(6)
"I found Zorin. Love this distro, took my time and customized it to my likes and needs."
"Well, there is Zorin Lite, which is XFCE DE, so lighter."
"Im using Zorin for several years now, because of the design."
"My opinion. Go zorin os. If your machine is good or Mint if it is reasonable."
"I’m currently experimenting with Linux Mint and Zorin. There has been less headaches with Zorin but I like them both."
"Zorin is my go to for the time being."
#12
Bazzite
4.2
(5)
"I highly recommend bazzite"
"Gaming...Garuda or Bazzite"
"I would give Bazzite a look, they have an iso for ASUS laptops, preinstall Nvidia driver, and have an option fir kde (my personal favourite) and GNOME."
"I would suggest Bazzite: This is a Fedora atomic image with a lot of add-ons for gaming."
"Try out Bazzite, its a Fedora Atomic distro that's gaming centric."
#13
CachyOS
4.0
(5)
"I recently setup CachyOS and so far it works pretty well"
"Do not exclude CachyOS for gamins."
"CachyOS has been really friendly or the wiki has."
"CachyOS supposed to be better than both in term of speed and performance."
"As an alternative, take a look at CachyOS."
#14
Puppy Linux
4.0
(5)
"Puppy linux, antix, void, alpine."
"You can use puppy linux"
"With 3GB RAM I would try Puppy Linux or Alpine with IceWM"
"Though u can try puppy linux and add another gig of ram."
"Puppy Linux maybe? Test it id say."
#15
MX Linux
4.0
(5)
"#Welcome to MX. Normally use XFCE for older. For newer (2018/2020) above use AHS."
"First recommendation would be Antix and next alternative MX Linux Fluxbox."
"Mepis evolved into MX. It's a fine starting place."
"I have found MXlinux and its extra tools to be the best for most of my use cases."
"I have always imagined MX Linux as a mid tier linux distro."
#16
Pop! OS
4.3
(4)
"I only have good experience using Rhel 8/9 and Pop! OS on thinkpads or other lenovo hardware without a hitch."
"Pop!OS is pretty solid in my eyes."
"I enjoy Pop!_OS quite a bit."
"Best one for beginners with gnome is POP OS."
#17
Garuda Linux
4.0
(4)
"Gaming...Garuda or Bazzite"
"Garuda works pretty good."
"I need to try Garuda. It looks really good."
"Garuda"
#18
Bodhi Linux
4.3
(3)
"[Bodhi Linux] should be on your to try list. It is such a joy for even old hardware."
"Bodhi Linux 7.0 HWE."
"Bodhi Linux 7 Debian Edition (Bodhi 7.0 Legacy)."
#19
Q4OS
4.3
(3)
"Q4OS, the best one for old / slow hardware."
"The winner in the heavyweight category is either Anti-X or Q4OS."
"Rocking Q4OS because not many distros support its CPU architecture anymore."
#20
Nobara
4.3
(3)
"Made for gaming by glorious egg rolls who does proton-ge for gaming on steam etc"
"Nobara / fedora"
"I think Fedora might be good, perhaps Nobara."
#21
Kubuntu
4.3
(3)
"I recommend Kubuntu LTS or Fedora with KDE Plasma."
"KDE tends to be the most friendly to newcomers."
"Maybe kubuntu might be a good starting distro for you if you're new to Linux."
#22
Termux
4.0
(3)
"I am using this: https://github.com/phoenixbyrd/Termux_XFCE"
"Termux Andronix with Ubuntu (paid distro). Though might look at some specialised stuff too on getting x86 Windows emulation going."
"Stick to termux app from github or fdroid store."
#23
Gentoo
3.3
(3)
"I would suggest gentoo with compiling offloaded to a more powerful pc."
"Install Gentoo"
"Gentoo, NixOS or Arch (minimal) just to get used to the terminal."
#24
Arch
4.0
(2)
"Arch. And install only minimum shit you need."
"[ArchLinux] (2022) For "Power Users"."
#25
Linux Lite
4.0
(2)
"Linux Lite ✅"
"I have similar specs and linux lite solved the problem."
#26
Lubuntu
3.5
(2)
"Lubuntu is what I use for my old laptop that is on the PC equivalent of a ventilator, it runs a Plex server now and gets to play with the grandkids just like he used to"
"Lubuntu is for literal potatoes."
#27
Azure Linux
5.0
(1)
"Azure linux is the best linux"
#28
Cachy OS
5.0
(1)
"Apparently Cachy OS is the latest holy grail of Linux for gaming."
#29
Debian 12
5.0
(1)
"Debian is however very lightweight, especially compared to Ubuntu. Perhaps can try that."
#30
RHEL 8/9
5.0
(1)
"I only have good experience using Rhel 8/9 and Pop! OS on thinkpads or other lenovo hardware without a hitch."
#31
Big Linux
5.0
(1)
"I am extremely pleased with it and everything that's been implemented."
#32
Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS
5.0
(1)
"Ubuntu 22.04.4LTS using docker is the sweet spot for reliability and compatibility."
#33
Rocky Linux
5.0
(1)
"Rocky Linux and Alma Linux (REL based) ( Fedora is also a option if you need newer pkgs.) are with Debian or Ubuntu (Debian based) the way to go for a server (stable and often used)."
#34
MATE Desktop
5.0
(1)
"MATE is the only distro that performs well on raspberry pi others just lag a lot."
#35
Clear Linux
5.0
(1)
"Intel makes their own distro called Clear Linux. It's pretty light and it pretty much stomps other distro's in performance."
#36
openSUSE Tumbleweed KDE
5.0
(1)
"Stable, fast, modern looking, easy to use..."
#37
Linux Mint Cinnamon
5.0
(1)
"If you want an OS that just works, that's your pick."
#38
Fedora 39
5.0
(1)
"I'm using Fedora 39 with GNOME 45. Works well."
#39
Zeal OS
4.0
(1)
"Would recommend ZealOS instead. It's a fork of TempleOS with a very active community"
#40
Graphene OS
4.0
(1)
"The best idea for now is to either have a Google Pixel with Graphene OS"
#41
Postmarket OS
4.0
(1)
"PostmarketOS! I'm currently testing it on an old Xiaomi Redmi Note 4"
#42
Mobian
4.0
(1)
"You could also try Mobian with either the default Phosh desktop, or Plasma-mobile."
#43
Universal Blue
4.0
(1)
"Any distro should do, I like Universal Blue Fedora Atomic images for their reliability, and up-to-date model."
#44
NOMone
4.0
(1)
"I am currently using NOMone."
#45
Emmabuntüs
4.0
(1)
"Emmabuntus, which is based on Debian, gives you a choice between light XFCE and even lighter LXQT."
#46
Budgie
4.0
(1)
"Have you considered Budgie? I’ve never used it myself but I’ve heard nice things about it and looks really pretty."
#47
KDE neon
4.0
(1)
"KDE Neon"
#48
Sparky Linux
4.0
(1)
"Sparky Linux has ~30 desktop environments and window managers preinstalled."
#49
Linux Mint Debian Edition
4.0
(1)
"LMDE 6 (Linux Mint Debian Edition 6) Bodhi Linux 7 Debian Edition."
#50
Linux Distros
4.0
(1)
"All distros should work, there's not one that can be said to be better in general or for the x280 specifically."
#51
GNOME
4.0
(1)
"The GNOME desktop is probably best-optimized for touch."
#52
Endless OS
4.0
(1)
"Probably the most smartphone-like version of GNOME is the one on EndlessOS."
#53
Void
4.0
(1)
"I use Void for my main gaming rig."
#54
Endeavour
4.0
(1)
"I personally use Endeavour. I find it has fewer issues with games."
#55
illumos
4.0
(1)
"I'd choose illumos. Closest to Linux (as close as FreeBSD or MacOS X)."
#56
LineageOS
4.0
(1)
"Whats wrong with LineageOS?"
#57
Chrome OS
4.0
(1)
"Chrome OS is technically Linux too."
#58
Bodhi
4.0
(1)
"Bodhi, Sparky, and Mint Debian edition all run fairly smooth."
#59
Yellow Dog
4.0
(1)
"You may be able to find versions of Yellow Dog that run on PPC Macs."
#60
LXLE
4.0
(1)
"I’ve got LXLE, which is built off Lubuntu with the LXDE environment."
#61
BunsenLabs Linux
3.0
(1)
"You can just go for Bunsenlab Linux or Chruchbang++."
#62
Gentoo Linux
3.0
(1)
"Gentoo Linux runs on a lot of architectures, but it’s notorious for being hard to install"
#63
postmarketOS
3.0
(1)
"We already have smth like that in the form of postmarketos, the problem is that it is a huge pain to port it to like a million different android devices"
#64
Void Linux
3.0
(1)
"Puppy linux, antix, void, alpine."
#65
Alpine Linux
3.0
(1)
"Puppy linux, antix, void, alpine."
#66
Ubuntu MATE
3.0
(1)
"If you want an Ubuntu you opt for one like the good Ubuntu Mate."
#67
DuckDuckGo
3.0
(1)
"Duckduckgo or Google distro."
#68
Divest OS
3.0
(1)
"Divest OS"
#69
Android-x86
3.0
(1)
"You could install Android on it https://www.android-x86.org/ tried this once years ago, not sure what it's like now."
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