What are the best Linux distributions that run on ARM architecture?

Question

15

Options
Considered

523

User
Recs.

6 hrs

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

The Best 1 of 14 OptionsWhy?

Best Linux distributions that run on ARM architecture	Price	Based On	Package Manager
93 Arch Linux ARM	-	Arch Linux	Pacman
79 Debian ARM	-	-	-
-- Void Linux	-	Independent	XBPS XBPS-Src
-- Manjaro ARM	-	Archlinux ARM	-
-- OpenSUSE LEAP	Free	Jurix>SUSE	RPM Package Manager

See Full List

13 Other Options Considered

Debian ARM

Top Pro

Most mature port available

Debian's ARM port has been around a very long time, and as a result, it's quite mature and the porting team is very experienced. Few distributions can make similar claims. See More

DecentNapkiraly's Experience

Installed on a wide range of server and personal computers. Absolute winner for am64 installs., See More

Top Pro

Handles most package managers well and makes getting those annoying OEM drivers working as easy as it's gonna be

Best for working with non-oem drivers that need some specific distribution installed on a Friday before 4 PM after a satanic ritual. Handles most package managers well and with a bit of work you can get their DKMS module installing on you favorite up to date kernel. Also easy to undo after you discover the OEM driver was actually better. See More

SuccessfulKopala's Experience

Rock solid and stable. Simple package manager. Fully customizable. Very mature. See More

Top Pro

Most trustworthy and stable Linux distro

ReceptivePolyphemus's Experience

good See More

See All

Void Linux

Top Pro

xbps (X Binary Package System)

A brand new package manager that is fast, full-featured, and tailored specifically for Void Linux. See More

Top Con

Not suitable for those new to Linux

Documentation is scarce, NTFS partitions aren't automatically mounted, etc. See More

Specs

Based On:Independent

Package Manager:XBPS XBPS-Src

Default Desktop Environment:GNOME, KDE, XFCE, Cinnamon, Enlightenment, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, CLI

Init-System:runit

See All Specs

Top Pro

Runit is fast and easy to configure

Runit init system is incredibly fast to boot and very simple to use. See More

Top Pro

Multiple Architectures

One of the few distros that supports multiple architectures using the same source repo. Can support aarch64, armv6, armv7, x86/x86_64 and i686. See More

Top Pro

Uses LibreSSL

One of the few distros that uses LibreSSL instead of OpenSSL due to OpenSSL's heartbleed vulnerability. See More

Top Pro

Rolling release

Top Pro

BSD-like improvements with Linux

Full support for LibreSSL, an OpenSSL fork focused on maximizing security. The xbps-src package builder works in a similar manner to BSD's ports collection. See More

Top Pro

Different DE's live ISO's are available

Arch Linux doesn't make ISO's with different DE's. One need to manually install it through CLI version. But Void which is competitor of Arch, provides a wide range of DE's ISOs. See More

Top Pro

Very lightweight

Base installation can idle at less than 250 megabytes of RAM. See More

Top Pro

Easy to use installer

Unlike it's closest competitor, Arch, Void includes a very user-friendly and simple installer in the ISO. See More

Top Pro

Friendly Forum

Unlike the Arch Forum, it is a friendly forum (although small). See More

Top Pro

Many packages

There are some packages in official repos, than may be found only in AUR See More

Top Pro

Xbps-src

Xbps-src is a source packages collection which is pretty similar to FreeBSD's ports and may replace AUR for Void users. See More

Top Pro

Musl image available

Musl libc is lighter and faster than bloated glibc. Musl has been argued to be more secure overall than glibc also. See More

See All

Manjaro ARM

Top Pro

Large number of software available either in the repository or the AUR

Top Con

is kinda slow to flash

ConscientiousTuireann's Experience

excellant See More

Specs

Based On:Archlinux ARM

Top Pro

Rolling Release, always up to date

Top Pro

64bit

See All

OpenSUSE LEAP

Top Pro

Easy installation and administration

openSUSE makes use of a GUI tool called YaST to install and setup an openSUSE system. YaST is very easy to use and makes the process of installing and maintaining an openSUSE installation a breeze. See More

Specs

Based On:Jurix>SUSE

Package Manager:RPM Package Manager

Default Desktop Environment:Plasma, GNOME, Xfce, LXQT

Init-System:Systemd

See All Specs

Top Pro

Extremely reliable

The packaging team is dependable resulting in system updates that come in a timely fashion and systems which rarely, if ever, break due to packaging. The versions of software that are selected and the configuration of them is typically extremely high quality. See More

See All

Ubuntu Server ARM

Top Pro

Can be used without root supports easy proot and chroot mode lts support

The ubuntu system on arm devices is quite stable on android phones, works well if cpu is 64-bit ARMv8-A similar to raspberry pi. By default it has a gui gnome3 supports, also kde plasma 5 and kde plasma neon (wayland) for better use on touch screens. See More

Gentoo Linux

Top Pro

A very large collection of software is available

There are more than 19.000 packages available in the official repository. And even more with overlays. See More

Top Pro

Full control of the software

You build the package from a source you can see and read. You decide which features you want to build in and which aren't needed. You can choose build options, optimisation and whatever else fancy stuff you want modified. With a binary distribution this simply isn't possible. See More

Top Pro

Portage's emerge is powerful

Portage is a package management system with a huge amount of options and features. See More

Top Pro

Can by optimized to any given CPU by using proper compile flags

Since everything is being built on your PC you can fine-tune the code to make use of your CPU. And all it requires is two lines of string variables in a global config. See More

Top Pro

Portability

There are many architectures available for Gentoo : i386, x86-64, PowerPC, PowerPC 64, sparc, DEC Alpha, ARM, MIPS, PA-RISC, S390, IA-64, sh, m68k. See More

Top Pro

Documentation and community are second to none

Provides a whole handbook to refer to during setup and usage. See More

Top Pro

Great for anyone who is serious about learning the intricacies of Linux

It's useful for both beginners and professionals. For the installation, Gentoo offers various types, which are referred to as stages. Basically meaning how in depth you would want to go into the process of installation. For beginners it's useful to choose for a starting distro due to its various stages that can be very time consuming but beneficial as you learn the composition in general of Linux. See More

Top Pro

Gentoo does not impose a standard look-and-feel

Top Pro

Freedom

You are free to do whatever you want with it. As a result, its configuration reflects your unique taste and personality. See More

Top Pro

Can be officially systemd-free

Gentoo's default init system is OpenRC. Gentoo also officially supports systemd-free Gnome and udev. Users are free to choose any init system they want. See More

Top Pro

Fully customizable

The usage of advanced features like USE flags makes it more customizable than any binary distribution. See More

See All

openSUSE Tumbleweed

Top Pro

Tumbleweed + OpenSUSE Build Service

Specs

Based On:Jurix>SUSE

Init-System:Systemd

Release Schedule:Rolling

Origin:Germany

See All Specs

Alpine Linux

Top Pro

Small in size

Specs

Based On:LEAF Project

Package Manager:Alpine Package Keeper

Default Desktop Environment:N/A

Init-System:OpenRC

See All Specs

FreeBSD

Based On:Research Unix>Berkeley Software Distribution>

Package Manager:Ports

Default Desktop Environment:N/A

Init-System:BSDinit

See All Specs

Fedora ARM

TrustworthyDione's Experience

Ran it through termu x and anlinux. Fast on a 64bit phone aarch64 not so good on arm7 See More

Boston.rb

See flagged products

I Recommend...

Built By the Slant team

Find the best product instantly.

Lustre recommends the best products at their lowest prices – right on Amazon.

4.7 star rating

Try it now - it's free

score 179 · Accepted Answer

Built by Slant

Find the best product
instantly.

Stop wasting time searching endlessly. Lustre recommends the best products at their lowest prices – right on Amazon.

4.7 star rating

Add to Chrome - It's Free

Add to Edge - It's Free

Add to Firefox - It's Free

Add to Opera - It's Free

Add to Brave - It's Free

Add to Safari - It's Free

Try now - it's free

The Best 1 of 14 OptionsWhy?

My Recommendation for Arch Linux ARM

My Recommendation for Arch Linux ARM

Simple to use

Unstable

Spotty package ports

13 Other Options Considered

My Recommendation for Debian ARM

My Recommendation for Debian ARM

Most mature port available

Handles most package managers well and makes getting those annoying OEM drivers working as easy as it's gonna be

Most trustworthy and stable Linux distro

My Recommendation for Void Linux

My Recommendation for Void Linux

xbps (X Binary Package System)

Not suitable for those new to Linux

Runit is fast and easy to configure

Multiple Architectures

Uses LibreSSL

Rolling release

BSD-like improvements with Linux

Different DE's live ISO's are available

Very lightweight

Easy to use installer

Friendly Forum

Many packages

Xbps-src

Musl image available

My Recommendation for Manjaro ARM

My Recommendation for Manjaro ARM

Large number of software available either in the repository or the AUR

is kinda slow to flash

Rolling Release, always up to date

64bit

My Recommendation for OpenSUSE LEAP

My Recommendation for OpenSUSE LEAP

Easy installation and administration

Extremely reliable

My Recommendation for armbian

My Recommendation for armbian

Lots of available packages

There are some issues with installing packages

Tailor made for specific ARM mini computers

My Recommendation for Ubuntu Server ARM

My Recommendation for Ubuntu Server ARM

Can be used without root supports easy proot and chroot mode lts support

My Recommendation for Gentoo Linux

My Recommendation for Gentoo Linux

A very large collection of software is available

Full control of the software

Portage's emerge is powerful

Can by optimized to any given CPU by using proper compile flags

Portability

Documentation and community are second to none

Great for anyone who is serious about learning the intricacies of Linux

Gentoo does not impose a standard look-and-feel

Freedom

Can be officially systemd-free

Fully customizable

My Recommendation for openSUSE Tumbleweed

My Recommendation for openSUSE Tumbleweed

Tumbleweed + OpenSUSE Build Service

My Recommendation for Alpine Linux

My Recommendation for Alpine Linux

Small in size

My Recommendation for FreeBSD

My Recommendation for FreeBSD

My Recommendation for Fedora ARM

My Recommendation for Fedora ARM

My Recommendation for SliTaz

My Recommendation for SliTaz

One of the smallest distributions with desktop GUI

Not much variety as to available applications

Very fast

Can add desktop effects

My Recommendation for postmarketOS

My Recommendation for postmarketOS

Suited for smartphone hardware

Not ready for end-users

Don't see your favorite option? Add it.