Photon OS vs postmarketOS
| Photon OS | postmarketOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Paid from | — | — |
| Open source | No | No |
| Platforms | Linux | Linux |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Device types | Bare-metal systems, virtual machines, Raspberry Pi, cloud instances | phones, tablets, laptops, Chromebooks, single-board computers, x86_64 EFI systems |
| CPU architectures | x86_64, ARM64/aarch64 | aarch64, armv7, x86_64, riscv64 |
| Support lifecycle | Security updates as needed; non-security package updates described in legacy FAQ as quarterly; no fixed duration verified | No fixed duration stated; stable kernel packages are kept up to date while the release is supported; device support depends on category and maintainers. |
| Built-in management | tdnf package manager; Photon Management Daemon; RPM OSTree; Network Configuration Manager | Stable and edge release channels; kernel and system package upgrades; automatic kernel upgrades required for community-category devices |
| App compatibility | Docker and other container formats; Kubernetes; RPM packages via tdnf; RPM OSTree | Alpine apk packages; Flatpak is primary application distribution for Duranium |
| Deployment models | Bare metal; VMware hypervisors; ISO installation; OVA appliance; AWS AMI; Google GCE image; Azure VHD; Raspberry Pi image | Physical device installation; Duranium also uses standard GPT partitions on compatible laptops |
Both are listed in Best Operating Systems. On The Geeks Club, postmarketOS scores higher on our published basis.