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Ubuntu on WSL vs Cygwin: catalog facts
Ubuntu on WSL	Cygwin
Free Free to download and use.	Free Free and open source.
Windows	Windows, Command line
Full Ubuntu userland and package repositories on Windows GPU and CUDA support through native Windows NVIDIA drivers	Large package collection of GNU and Unix tools POSIX API layer for porting Unix software to Windows
Requires Windows and WSL; not a standalone operating system Mainly a terminal environment rather than a full Linux desktop	Cannot run native Linux binaries; software must be rebuilt Requires Windows 8.1 or later for current versions
Downloadable app, Operating system	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: Mixed open-source licenses	License: GPL and LGPL (varies by package)
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

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