Best Photon OS Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from operating systems ranked against Photon OS on the same published basis.
- 1Photon OS vs pfSense
- 2Photon OS vs Ubuntu Server
- 3Photon OS vs Rocky Linux
- 4Photon OS vs HPE Morpheus VM Essentials Software
- 5Photon OS vs Manjaro Linux
- 6Photon OS vs Nix
- 7Photon OS vs AlmaLinux OS
- 8Photon OS vs Debian
- 9Photon OS vs OPNsense
- 10Photon OS vs CentOS Stream
- 11Photon OS vs Fedora Linux
- 12Photon OS vs Kubuntu
- 13Photon OS vs MX Linux
- 14Photon OS vs SUSE Multi-Linux Manager
- 15Photon OS vs OmniOS
- 16Photon OS vs Pop!_OS
- 17Photon OS vs postmarketOS
- 18Photon OS vs Raspberry Pi Imager
- 19Photon OS vs Wind River Conductor
- 20Photon OS vs Amazon Linux
Photon OS alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | pfSense | 7.6 | Free plan | — | Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 2 | Ubuntu Server | 7.6 | Free plan | $2.08/mo | Linux, self-hosted |
| 3 | Rocky Linux | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 4 | HPE Morpheus VM Essentials Software | 6.9 | No | $50/mo | Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 5 | Manjaro Linux | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 6 | Nix | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 7 | AlmaLinux OS | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 8 | Debian | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 9 | OPNsense | 6.7 | Free plan | — | API, self-hosted, Web |
| 10 | CentOS Stream | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 11 | Fedora Linux | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 12 | Kubuntu | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 13 | MX Linux | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 14 | SUSE Multi-Linux Manager | 6.1 | No | — | Linux |
| 15 | OmniOS | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 16 | Pop!_OS | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 17 | postmarketOS | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 18 | Raspberry Pi Imager | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 19 | Wind River Conductor | 5.9 | No | — | Windows, Linux |
| 20 | Amazon Linux | 5.8 | No | — | Linux |
Make your platform an alternative to Photon OS
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled and never changes the order above.
Questions about Photon OS alternatives
What is the best alternative to Photon OS?
pfSense, number 1 in operating systems with a score of 7.6 out of 10. The others here: Ubuntu Server, Rocky Linux, HPE Morpheus VM Essentials Software and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Photon OS?
pfSense is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 13 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.