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Raspberry Pi OS Lite vs Ubuntu Core: catalog facts
Raspberry Pi OS Lite	Ubuntu Core
Free Free to download and use on Raspberry Pi hardware.	Freemium Free to download and try; Canonical sells commercial support and device services.
Linux	Linux
Official, supported OS for Raspberry Pi boards Current Debian 13 base with a recent kernel	Immutable system with transactional updates Strict confinement of applications through snaps
No graphical desktop; setup is done from the command line Only runs on Raspberry Pi hardware	Built around snaps; traditional packages are not the model Aimed at device makers rather than desktop users
Downloadable app, Operating system	Operating system
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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