Best Pop!_OS Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from operating systems ranked against Pop!_OS on the same published basis.
- 1Pop!_OS vs pfSense
- 2Pop!_OS vs Ubuntu Server
- 3Pop!_OS vs Rocky Linux
- 4Pop!_OS vs HPE Morpheus VM Essentials Software
- 5Pop!_OS vs Kali Linux
- 6Pop!_OS vs Manjaro Linux
- 7Pop!_OS vs Nix
- 8Pop!_OS vs MX Linux
- 9Pop!_OS vs AlmaLinux OS
- 10Pop!_OS vs Debian
- 11Pop!_OS vs OPNsense
- 12Pop!_OS vs CentOS Stream
- 13Pop!_OS vs Fedora Linux
- 14Pop!_OS vs Kubuntu
- 16Pop!_OS vs Qubes OS
- 17Pop!_OS vs SUSE Multi-Linux Manager
- 18Pop!_OS vs Wind River Conductor
- 19Pop!_OS vs OmniOS
- 20Pop!_OS vs postmarketOS
- 21Pop!_OS vs Raspberry Pi Imager
Pop!_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 | Kali Linux | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 6 | Manjaro Linux | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 7 | Nix | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 8 | MX Linux | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 9 | AlmaLinux OS | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 10 | Debian | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 11 | OPNsense | 6.7 | Free plan | — | API, self-hosted, Web |
| 12 | CentOS Stream | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 13 | Fedora Linux | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 14 | Kubuntu | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 16 | Qubes OS | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 17 | SUSE Multi-Linux Manager | 6.4 | No | — | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 18 | Wind River Conductor | 6.4 | No | — | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 19 | OmniOS | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 20 | postmarketOS | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 21 | Raspberry Pi Imager | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
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Questions about Pop!_OS alternatives
What is the best alternative to Pop!_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 Pop!_OS?
pfSense is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 14 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.