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Distrod vs Ubuntu on WSL: catalog facts
Distrod	Ubuntu on WSL
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.	Free Free to download and use.
Windows	Windows
Many distributions to choose from, including Arch and Gentoo Systemd working inside WSL 2	Full Ubuntu userland and package repositories on Windows GPU and CUDA support through native Windows NVIDIA drivers
Requires WSL 2 on Windows Infrequent updates	Requires Windows and WSL; not a standalone operating system Mainly a terminal environment rather than a full Linux desktop
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Operating system
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: Mixed open-source licenses
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.