Alternatives to Linux Mint
A desktop Linux operating system designed to work out of the box, with a lightweight Xfce edition. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Linux Mint
A desktop Linux operating system designed to work out of the box, with a lightweight Xfce edition.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Linux Mint.
Pop!_OS
An Ubuntu-based Linux desktop operating system from System76, focused on productivity and customization.
Pop!_OS is an Ubuntu-based desktop from System76 with full-disk encryption and NVIDIA and hybrid graphics support, best tuned for System76 hardware.
Zorin OS Lite
An Xfce-based edition of the Zorin OS Linux distribution intended for older and lower-powered PCs.
Zorin OS Lite gives older PCs a familiar Xfce desktop with Zorin-specific features, but the Lite edition is planned to end from Zorin OS 19.
Linux Lite
A lightweight, beginner-friendly Linux distribution for older computers and people moving from Windows.
Linux Lite targets beginners and Windows switchers on older hardware with a built-in help manual, but offers fewer desktop choices.
Xubuntu
A community-developed Ubuntu flavour with the lightweight Xfce desktop for everyday use.
Xubuntu is an Ubuntu flavour with the Xfce desktop and long-term support until 2029, without Mint's Cinnamon edition.
MX Linux
A midweight desktop Linux distribution based on Debian Stable, built with antiX components and MX tools.
MX Linux is built on Debian Stable with antiX components and MX tools, so software versions can lag behind rolling distributions.
Manjaro Linux
An Arch-based rolling-release Linux distribution that aims to make Arch easier to install and use.
Manjaro Linux is Arch-based with rolling releases and staged update branches, giving newer software but needing more attention than fixed releases.
Lubuntu
An official Ubuntu flavour with the LXQt desktop, designed to be fast and lightweight.
Lubuntu uses the lightweight LXQt desktop on an Ubuntu base, suited to modest computers but with fewer built-in features.
Garuda Linux
An Arch-based Linux distribution with a gaming edition, performance tweaks and the Chaotic-AUR repository.
Garuda Linux is Arch-based with a gaming edition, Chaotic-AUR and performance tweaks, with rolling updates and a heavier default desktop.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Linux Mint as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
ChromeOS Flex
Google's free cloud-focused operating system for installing on existing PCs and Macs.
Linux Mint is a free, open-source desktop Linux system with local apps preinstalled and a lightweight Xfce edition, instead of a browser and cloud focused design.
Emmabuntüs
A Debian-based Linux distribution designed for refurbishing and reusing older computers.
Linux Mint moves you to a widely used system that works out of the box with a familiar layout, plus a lightweight Xfce edition for older hardware.
Peppermint OS
A minimal Xfce Linux distribution based on Debian or Devuan that lets you choose your own applications.
Linux Mint ships common apps preinstalled and offers an Xfce edition, so you get a fuller out-of-the-box setup instead of Peppermint's minimal package set.
SparkyLinux
A fast, customizable Debian-based Linux distribution offered in several versions for different uses.
Linux Mint is aimed at beginners from Windows, works out of the box with a Cinnamon or lighter Xfce edition, and offers a Debian-based LMDE variant.
Void Linux
An independent rolling-release Linux distribution with its own XBPS package manager and the runit init system.
Linux Mint replaces Void's minimal rolling setup with a beginner-friendly fixed-release desktop that works out of the box, carrying older software versions.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Q4OS
A lightweight Debian-based desktop Linux distribution aimed at ease of use and less powerful hardware.
Bodhi Linux
A lightweight Ubuntu-based Linux distribution with the Moksha desktop, derived from Enlightenment.
