Alternatives to Ubuntu Core
An immutable, snap-based version of Ubuntu for IoT and embedded devices with over-the-air updates. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Ubuntu Core
An immutable, snap-based version of Ubuntu for IoT and embedded devices with over-the-air updates.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Ubuntu Core.
Raspberry Pi OS Lite
Official Raspberry Pi operating system without a desktop, based on Debian Trixie, for headless use.
Raspberry Pi OS Lite is a headless Debian 13 based system that runs only on Raspberry Pi hardware and uses traditional packages rather than immutable snap-based updates.
Armbian
Debian and Ubuntu images with board-specific patched kernels for ARM single-board computers.
Armbian provides Debian and Ubuntu images with board-specific kernels for over 300 ARM boards, using standard repositories instead of snaps, with support quality varying by board.
Alpine Linux
A small, security-oriented Linux distribution built on musl libc and BusyBox.
Alpine Linux is a small musl and BusyBox based distribution with frequent point releases, without Ubuntu Core's transactional updates, and musl can cause compatibility issues with some software.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
openFyde
The open-source base of FydeOS, a ChromiumOS-based system for PCs and ARM boards.
PureOS
Purism's free-software Linux operating system that converges between desktop computers and phones.
Void Linux
An independent rolling-release Linux distribution with its own XBPS package manager and the runit init system.
NetBSD
A free, highly portable Unix-like operating system that runs on dozens of hardware platforms.
FreeBSD
An open source Unix-like operating system with native ZFS, jails and the bhyve hypervisor.
