KaiOS vs postmarketOS
| KaiOS | postmarketOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Paid from | — | — |
| Open source | No | No |
| Platforms | Linux | Linux |
| Device types | Smart feature phones; non-touch mobile phones | phones, tablets, laptops, Chromebooks, single-board computers, x86_64 EFI systems |
| Support lifecycle | Published active baselines include KaiOS 2.5.3 and 3.1 through June 30, 2027, and 2.6 and 4.0 through June 30, 2029. KaiOS separately describes at least three years of support for versions 2.6.x and 4.x. | No fixed duration stated; stable kernel packages are kept up to date while the release is supported; device support depends on category and maintainers. |
| App compatibility | HTML5/web apps; packaged apps can use privileged APIs; hosted apps run content from a web server; app updates/distribution through KaiStore | Alpine apk packages; Flatpak is primary application distribution for Duranium |
| Deployment models | Installed on OEM/ODM smart feature phones | Physical device installation; Duranium also uses standard GPT partitions on compatible laptops |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| CPU architectures | — | aarch64, armv7, x86_64, riscv64 |
| Built-in management | — | Stable and edge release channels; kernel and system package upgrades; automatic kernel upgrades required for community-category devices |
Both are listed in Best Operating Systems. On The Geeks Club, postmarketOS scores higher on our published basis.