Ranking of the best GNU / Linux distributions of 2015

Selected Tuxs

In LxA we have wanted To repeat la comparison of GNU / Linux distributions for this 2015, with some very interesting news due to the rise of very promising new projects that we wanted to add to the list. So you can have a list that will help you choose your distro from the huge variety that exists.

Although the best distro That you can choose is the one that you feel most comfortable with, this is only a list for the doubtful or those who have just arrived in the Linux world. To taste the colors ... Also, they are not all, far from it and you should not pay too much attention to the order of the list. Which one do you choose? Here we include some cataloged in sections according to your preferences.

Off-road distributions:

Ubuntu

  1. Ubuntu: Canonical has created one of the best Linux distributions out there, or at least the most popular and widespread of all. Of course they have made mistakes and not everyone likes Ubuntu, or rather Ubuntu is not the best distro across the board. But it is certainly a formidable project that can satisfy most users. Of course you can choose between different desktop environments: Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, ... or stay with Ubuntu and its Unity. openSUSE
  2. openSuSE: It is another of the great and historical ones, and for that reason it must appear in all comparisons. It is a pretty good distribution, very stable and like Ubuntu, it has a lot of support. SuSE and AMD are behind its development and maintenance, which is supported by these industry heavyweights. elementaryOS
  3. elementary OS: It is based on Ubuntu and therefore inherits some of its features, but stands out for its Pantheon desktop environment, which tries to copy the appearance and simplicity of Apple's Mac OS X operating system. It is currently the 8th most used distribution. Debian
  4. debbian: It is one of the great ones without a doubt, and on which many others are based, such as Ubuntu. After the development of this distribution there is a huge community, so you will always find solutions and documentation on the net to solve problems. It deserves a special mention, for its importance. Arch
  5. ArchLinux: It sure sounds like you too, since it is another of the most famous. Each and every one of them has advantages and disadvantages, and Arch is no exception. Simplicity, code coherence and minimalism are some of the pillars on which they are based for their development philosophy. Its stability, freedom of choice and the possibilities to personalize it can be an attraction. Against it has that together with Gentoo or Slackware, it is a distro not suitable for newbies because it is difficult to use. chrome os
  6. ChromiumOS: It is Google's distro, very simple, light, elegant, safe and very well received, since Chromebook is a star product that has reached high sales positions on sites like Amazon and has been sold out numerous times due to its demand . It is an operating system designed for the cloud, with a large app store and based on the Google Chrome browser, as we can imagine. Linux Mint
  7. Linux Mint: It is a distro based on Debian and its creators have placed emphasis on simplicity of use (usability) and ease of installation, which makes it a good distribution if you still do not have a very high knowledge of the world. You will find a multitude of packages for this distribution and you will find a stable system in which you can enjoy and work without problems.
  8. evolveOS: is a new distribution whose creators have wanted to focus on the design and minimalism of their desktop environment, as it seems to be the fashion today. Ikey Doherty is behind this project, a project created from scratch with a simple graphical interface. EvolveOS is opening a gap among others, such as Linux Deepin and elementaryOS thanks to its design ... fedora
  9. fedora: It is another of the classics, although others have been gradually displacing it, we must not forget this project comes from Red Hat, like openSUSE from SUSE. Also, for those who love RPM packages, like openSUSE and unlike all those based on Debian or Ubuntu, they don't use DEB packages. I repeat, this is just a matter of taste ... Korora
  10. Korra: It is a distribution based on Fedora, but it has some additions that many users can appreciate. It can be a good distro for newbies, and it has a large number of tools, proprietary drivers and multimedia codecs so that you do not have a problem in this regard. Shirt
  11. KaOS: aesthetics, elegance and ease are three qualifiers that describe KaOS well. It was born from the developer Anke Boersma, one of the Chakra Linux programmers, another distro that we talked about on our blog. It is based on KDE and is optimized for applications that are based on Qt, this can be an advantage or a great disadvantage when not being able to install certain software packages that are based on Gtk. MANJARO
  12. manjaro: It is based on Arch Linux and uses Xfce as its desktop environment, making it a fairly lightweight distro. Although it is based on Arch, Manjaro has its own software repositories and its developers have thought more about making it a more user-friendly environment and have made things much easier for it. magic
  13. Magic: It was born as a fork of Mandriva, and the developers are former workers who were in the development group of this famous distro. Mandriva as you know is currently an abandoned project, it has been discontinued, so Mageia can be a good alternative.

Light distributions:

Lubuntu

  1. Lubuntu: it is one of the official editions of Ubuntu with an LXDE desktop environment, therefore it is quite light. However, light is not a negative appellation, since with it you can do everything that Ubuntu allows you to do, but that yes, unlike the latter, you can install it on a computer with fewer resources and that it runs smoothly. sparky
  2. Sparky: It is based on Debian and is a fast and lightweight distro that can be installed on computers with little resources, old or portable. It is available with different lightweight desktop environments to consume little resources, such as: Enlightenment, JWM, KDE, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, Openbox and Xfce.Bodhi
  3. Bodhi: It is based on Ubuntu and uses a lightweight Enlightenment desktop environment. It also has drivers for older hardware and can be a good ally to revive one of those old computers that you have at home or to install it in any other that has limited resources.

For more information on lightweight distributions, you can consult our article on this topic.

Distributions for companies:

sled

  1. SLES (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server): SUSE puts a lot of resources to develop a very stable environment with a multitude of innovations designed for companies. SLES together with RHEL, are the two most important distributions for business servers or supercomputers that you can find on the market. In return, you have to pay money for them, since they are not free. But they are very complete and it is definitely worth it ...rhel
  2. RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux): RHEL is the toughest competitor of SLES or SLES is the toughest of RHEL depending on how you look at it. Both distributions are designed for the same sector, the business sector. In addition, both are based on RPM packages and are extremely stable and have a multitude of solutions for companies, such as an emphasis on virtualization and other interesting tools.

If you work with a Linux-based system or intend to do so, you can consult our article on distributions according to your profession.

Distributions for your privacy:

tails

  1. Whonix: It is for those obsessed with security and privacy, with this distribution you should not have too many problems in this regard, since it has mechanisms based on virtual machines so that the applications do not pose a problem or your internet browsing is as safe as possible .
  2. Tails: It is a well known distro that we have already talked about on the blog. Its main philosophy is to be a distro that respects your privacy and anonymity on the networks, since it is quite safe and if you have it updated, you will be able to count on a very safe environment and free from many attacks.

Distributions for security:

Kali linux

  1. Kali Linux: If you are dedicated to computer security, Kali Linux is a great distribution, with endless tools for hacking and security audits. It is without a doubt the most famous and the best. sanku linux
  2. Santoko: But if you want a somewhat more specialized distribution in security audits focused on mobile devices, you can count on it to have a wide range of tools, many also available in Kali, but the Santoku list is specific for this type of device and tests. DEFTLinux
  3. DEFT: together with Santoku and Kali Linux it can be an ideal complement for security. It is a distribution that, like the previous ones, has many programs for forensic analysis.

Distributions for games:

we steamos

  1. Steam OS: Valve has been a video game company that has done a lot for the entertainment world on GNU / Linux, and has even given us some great projects that use Linux as a base. We also know him well from the Steam store. But lately we must add to the list of feats that of creating a distribution oriented to video games, with which you can enjoy its optimization for modern graphics cards and their tools. Ozones
  2. Ozone OS: Although it may seem like a generic distro and similar to others previously analyzed, which pampered the design and minimalism of its interface, it can also be seen as a good distro for those who like video games. The developers have optimized this distro for games, adding graphics controllers and platforms for video games.

Distributions for the disabled:

Sonar Linux apps

  1. DREAM: Based on Manjaro, it is a disabled-oriented distro, with tools for those with vision and other problems. For example, it has a screen reader, a magnifying glass to enlarge areas of the screen, an on-screen keyboard for those with mobility problems, special fonts for people with dyslexia, etc.
  2. vinux: based on Ubuntu and specially optimized for the blind or visually impaired of any kind. In addition to magnifying glasses and text readers, VInux also has some useful options, such as support for Braille displays.

Distributions for children:

SugarLinux

  1.  Sugar: a distro for kids to learn. As with the distributions for the elderly, there are many others for children. The best known are Edubuntu, Qimo, Linux Kidx, DouDouLinux, etc. But we have selected this as a new, less popular discovery that deserves to be known.

Distributions for Raspberry Pi:

Raspbian OS

  1. Snappy Ubuntu Core: Canonical's new distro has carved out a big hole for itself even though it's fairly new. So Snappy will be a good friend for your Raspberry Pi, with both you can create a multitude of projects and learn a lot.
  2. Raspberry OS: Raspbian OS is the Raspi distro par excellence, so it cannot be left out. It is based on Debian for ARM and is one of the most promising and supported projects for the successful SBC board.
  3. OSMC: If what you want is to transform your Raspberry Pi into a true multimedia center, you have many options, such as OpenElec among others, but our chosen one is OSMC. With it you will have a great platform for photos, videos, music, and network content on your TV or wherever you want.

Do not doubt leave your comments (criticism, thanks or suggestions) ...


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  1.   victor john said

    phenomenal, spectacular !! Although I am short with words, the truth is very good post !! the only thing that is silly but hey they skipped the debian image, put the arch image in its place and then the following images were all wrong xD

    enjoy reading it and a lot!

  2.   Javier said

    I think slackware should be on that list over some others that were mentioned

    1.    Roberto Ramirez said

      I also love Slackware, the only problem is that it is not updated, there was a time when after version 14 they were going to cancel it due to Patrick Volkerding's health, but they released 14.1 but it has not been updated for more than 2 years. move and that affects the popularity of a distro.

  3.   Francisco Rojas Jorquera said

    Spectacular your publication and the characteristics so well mentioned by each of the distros, congratulations, greetings.

  4.   Aleph said

    Well, I have tried many of the ones you have selected but I prefer PCLinuxOS and antiX.
    Salix also seems exceptional to me.
    Sorry not to agree with you.
    If you do not know them, you must try them.
    Greetings.

    1.    krigga said

      I agree with you…. I have tried some of the mentioned ones, but I stick with PCLinuxOS. Which I have used for many years.
      regards

    2.    Victor said

      Previously I have been recommended to try AntiX, let's say that I am a user with little experience I have used Fedora, Debian and Ubuntu. What characteristics or virtues can I find in AntiX?

      Thank you

  5.   Sergio said

    Thank you very much for this contribution. I was looking for a distro for an old laptop with Windows XP and here I found Sparky, I loved it. Greetings from Guatemala!!!

  6.   Luis said

    Korora, is something like the "Linux Mint" of Fedora, with many improvements and additions, even with several corrected bugs; It is a recognized distro for its excellent performance. Thank you people for this interesting post.

  7.   azpe said

    Good article companion, but the truth that in security would have put Wifislax in the position 2 in security

  8.   Raspbian + KODI recipe said

    Raspbian can be used as a multimedia center by installing kodi and so you have a raspberry pi with the flexibility to behave as a multimedia center or a computer to navigate according to the convenience of the moment, it can even be programmed so that it comes out to kodi if we do not say anything to it in a while .

  9.   Alfred said

    Very interesting, the information is quite good, I am a mathematics teacher and I am interested in switching to Linux, but there are so many options. Could you suggest any distribution that can be useful to me with ease of use?
    Thank you very much for your attention and the help you can give me.

    1.    erian said

      Hi Alfredo! If you want to switch to linux, for ease and elegance, I recommend linux mint, the community is very open to questions and you can ask either on the forum or on IRC. But since it is also a teacher, I recommend that you review UberStudent, by default it comes with many tools to learn and support to teach, in addition to being very easy to use.

      1.    Alfred said

        Thank you very much Erian, downloading….

        1.    jonathan posada said

          You can start with ubuntu (y)

    2.    Math Programs said

      More than a distro, it would be worth any of the simple ones: Lubuntu, Mint, etc ... or those focused on education or your field such as Guadalinex Edu citizen edition or Scientific Linux I would advise you programs like octave, PSPP, LO math, LO calc , etc…

      1.    Alfred said

        Thank you very much for your suggestions, I am going to investigate about it, it brings me excited to venture into this new operating system and above all to use new and alternative tools to those of Windows.

  10.   Ignacio Agullo said

    The article provides useful information, but contains a clear error: Chrome OS is not "Google's distro", because it is not among the "GNU / Linux distributions" that this article tries to cover. Chrome OS is a different operating system from GNU / Linux.

    1.    Isaac PE said

      Hey.

      Thank you first. The second, the operating system vs distro is another issue that creates controversy. But I invite you to read the definition of distribution and then tell me if I am right or not:

      https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribución_Linux

      Greetings.

  11.   Luis Gomez said

    Hello, excellent article, but I think I should change "DISABLED" to "DIFFERENT CAPABILITIES", this so as not to hurt sensitivities.

    1.    Isaac PE said

      Hey.

      If I have offended someone, I apologize. The intention is not that, but quite the opposite. Offer these people the knowledge that there are systems designed for them.

      I know that the terms handicapped, disabled and handicapped are not the same and create controversies… But I believe that blindness, for example, is a disability.

      However, after reading this it is not clear and in any case it is a document that affects only Mexico:

      http://www.libreacceso.org/biblioteca-articulos-discapacidad.html

      Greetings.

      PS: I think a blind man would be more excited to have a battalion of scientists investigating how to restore his sight than a legion of theoretical defenders of adequate terms.

      1.    ant said

        I do not think you should apologize for anything, if someone thinks that comment may offend, the offense is in him, not in your comment

    2.    ant said

      different capacities? go silly

  12.   ulices said

    Hello I would like to know what Linux distribution I can install since I do not dominate any linux environment, only windows do you recommend?

    1.    Mario dannan said

      Hello Ulices! I'm Mario Dannan, I'm also a Linux newbie; I invite you to read my comment below.
      Welcome and success in everything.

      1.    tatatitan said

        Hello Mario. My experience says that the friendliest of the distros is LINUX MINT or UBUNTU.
        Luck !!

  13.   jonathan posada said

    Centos and Elastix are missing :)
    For some VoIP telephony

  14.   Canseco said

    Good article, although for my taste another category is missing:

    10 Multimedia Distributions

    KXStudio, AVLinux or Musix are some examples of distributions that are configured to work with audio in real time, as well as video and image programs.

    In the distros for Rasberry Pi, OpenElec (Boots with Kodi directly) and Lakka for lovers of emulators and retro.

  15.   Wilmer medina said

    Your list is interesting, I think it needs to include a light distribution of New Zealand origin, based on Ubuntu LTS and with an Xfce desktop environment, very good for simple computers, it is called linux Lite https://www.linuxliteos.com/. Currently I use it in an acer aspire one mini notebook, with 1 Gb of RAM. This distribution has allowed me to give a real use to my laptop since the different distributions that I have tried were very heavy or heavy.

  16.   Roger reynoso said

    I see that in this ranking they forgot Deepin, the Chinese distro that I am currently using and that it should not envy any of the distros mentioned here. If you want to know what I mean, give it a try and you will tell us what you think about it. Something important, even though it is China, it can be used in Spanish or English, if you prefer.

    1.    lordmiaux said

      I'm with Roger, I missed Deepin. I am using it and it is magnificent. I'm an advanced Linux user but it just seems like a delight in terms of security, robustness and ease. I work as a programmer and he gives me the tools, and I want to play and he gives me the full version of CrossOver for free, I can't ask for more.

  17.   Raphael Linux said

    Thanks for the post, I'm using an even lighter version than Lubuntu, it's LXLE, I like it a lot because I can use it with a laptop from which I removed the XP and it works great for me. Greetings!

    1.    Andry said

      HELLO Rafael, Lubuntu is not lighter?

  18.   Mario dannan said

    Health family !!! I'm a Linux novice: with solid knowledge in massage therapy but just a few notions of "install-crack-hack", two years ago I moved to OpenSource.
    I started with Ubuntu; in a couple of months I took a chance on Linux Mint Qiana with KDE and I was already feeling James Bond: then I tried Chakra Linux, Kaos, OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, Fedora, Arquetype, Netrunner… and I returned to Linux Mint, finally decided on the Cinnamon desktop.
    Forced any fight, so I learned some commands, install tar.gz packages and others…. and when I managed to get my Epson xp211 to work I even cried excitedly!
    Well, my idea with this comment is to share with the newcomers my base experiences: Start with Ubuntu or Linux Mint, they are the kindest to start with in all aspects: intuitive, stable, well cared for, the peripherals are easy to install and, In my experience they coexist quite well with Windows (which I keep on a laptop because yes or yes I need to work with autocad, but even MS Office I left for LibreOffice).
    Regards,
    Mario

  19.   Julian said

    Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, not Debian. I have understood. Very good articles! the one from 2014 served me a lot
    http://www.linuxadictos.com/comparativa-las-mejores-distribuciones-linux-de-2014.html

  20.   cqxtwjxbjy said

    Since 2010 on Ubuntu now and migrated to debian and I am super happy and surprised by its speed unlike Ubuntu

  21.   Ale said

    Hi, I loved the customization that Linux Mint has. Can someone help me customize mine like this? What things do you have installed?

  22.   rigo3000 said

    I have been using Linux Debian for 8 years, although I have tried many distros, because it is a very supportive distro I married Debian for all uses ... no matter which distro you like the most, the fact is that you have many options in the world

  23.   Janio Carvajal said

    Hello everybody. I have not seen the Zorin distribution here, of which in my city (Maturín and its surroundings in Venezuela) I have done more than 2500 installations with my team. We are currently installing Zorin 8.1 Lite for computers with 512 MB of RAM and for those with 1024 MB or more with a 64-bit Zorin 9.1 Core processor. As we do not have Internet, we use the packets by manually passing them through the Network with an APT server or through USB drives. I don't want to be boring but we installed Virtualbox with Windows XP for all these computers for an easy migration of new users and because of that we have reached so many users and companies. As an office suite we use WPS Office, office 2010 and Libre Office 5, it has English Spanish encyclopedias among others, 300 or more games, three Internet browsers, several audio and video editors, sftp server to share files from Linux to Linux, samba to Linux to Windows, and a long list of programs for editing everything known through AutoCAD files, PhotoShop files and Uff, stop counting, I think you can name something and we have it in our modified Distro, as well as a similar to Windows 10 and up to 40 current HD movies for a total of 300 GB Installation with ONE (01) year warranty. Everything costs 1000 bolivars in national currency, something like two (02) US dollars. Greetings from Venezuela :-)

  24.   Pedro Perez said

    Janio Carvajal, your marginality and lack of professionalism makes everyone who reads you believe that Venezuela is a third world country, I clarify to them: Venezuela is not like that. Here mediocre like him are the minority. In this country and in the Monagas state, if we have Internet, it will not be the best in the world, but it is something (the government has hijacked investments in IT). You don't have to sell your quasi-intellect in the post, this is just to comment on the distros. If you use Zorin for your business we congratulate you, if the mountain where you are from does not have Internet and the updates are done through a USB we also congratulate you. That you boast of your mediocrity when you talk about all the pirated content that you install and your lack of mathematical knowledge (you are not going to tell me that with the almost two dollars that you indicate that you charge they pay for all the proprietary software and the movies that you install). You are a person who does not represent the Linux community that is growing in our country.

    By the way, what you charge to distribute or install your device with copyrighted material does not make you more linux, it makes you a mediocre man who regulates his work, steals that of others and damages the labor market by showing that computer workers must earn salaries of slaves.

  25.   Emmanuel said

    Hello good. I have tried different distros but my big problem is that I need the damn Photoshop, that's why I never finish moving. I remember trying with Linux Mint 12 and it seemed very complete but I did not like the design, then I found Crunchbang I liked the design but when it was installed on the disk it was much slower than what it ran from the usb. I'm definitely trying to move to Linux but I've been working on Photoshop for many years now and I don't know if I have the patience to replace it with another. My question is easy: Will there be any distro or system that can be compatible with Photoshop or am I delusional? (pc: amd athlon 7750 dual core 2.71ghz, 2gb ram)

    1.    azpe said

      With wine you can easily run it on anyone. Have you tried gimp?

  26.   Halcyon said

    I have three partitions on my PC, one with WinDios (I have cut off the network, I don't enter the web, for safety), another with Linux and another with Warehouse (to keep my little things).
    In Linux, I add the security extensions to the browser: Ghostery (must be configured) and HTTPS Everywhere.

    I'm doing great, I can choose any of the systems, depending on whether I have to work with one or the other programs.

    UUmate, Rosa and Mangaka (Japanese), I just used them are very good.

  27.   edgar said

    many years ago (12 years approx) I tried to try linux and it was very hard for me to learn commands and things like that. Thank God GNU / linux today is more flexible and functional, I tried linux a little more than a year ago, and I already became a linuxer, I tried several distros Opensuse, zorin, linux mint, korora, etc ... for a long time I have been with elementary freya for almost a year - perfect- (it does not screw for ANYTHING) my suggestions for those who come from windows, they can start with zorin 9 or 10, it is very similar to windows, also linux mint with cinnamont desktop, linux deepin is beautiful and Simple, kubuntu has its appeal, also in another laptop that I have it worked with xubuntu, I recommend it, and finally elementary freya.

    Of course, depending on the capabilities of your computer, some linux distributions may be slow, for this, lubuntu is recommended for computers with few resources.

    lose your fear and start now, as you get to know it you become familiar, and the forums will help you discover more, in terms of office automation, Linux has LibreOffice 5 and it is great, I already got used to it and I will not change it for anything , and likewise there are many alternative programs and similar to those found in windows, it is more in greater number of options and with very good results

  28.   Diego said

    I am a community manager and I also carry out digital campaigns, I want to try Linux since I think I can get important tools that can be used for my work such as creating a database and extracting emails and telephone numbers for propaganda purposes. WHAT DO YOU RECOMEND ME??

  29.   angel said

    the correct thing is to say people with disabilities, and believe me they live happily without the need for doctors to give them back their sight, on the other hand Chrome OS is not a distro…. for the all very good

  30.   Angelo said

    Very Good Article, Especially On Security and Anonymity,

    1. Kali Is Too Much For Computer Security And Hacking

    2. Santoku Linux Also Because You Added A Word "Mobile" Then Also That Distro For Phreaking :)

    And in the 3rd you need to put XiaoPan OS or Wifislax, the truth is I have not tried Wifislax but with XiaoPan it works for me.

    One Thing When You Put Disabled I Thought Another Thing, You Would Have Put "Vision Problems" But Well The Article Is Excellent

    There Was No Hate Neither Santoky Nor Wifislax Salud0s!

    Atte: Angelo.

  31.   Daniel Villalobos said

    Very good post and useful. I am new to Linux and I came here precisely looking for information about it. I will start by trying the recommended ones for beginners, although curiosity encourages me to try all the right-handers! Hahaha. Thanks for the post