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Linuxoperating systems

What are the best Linux distributions for Cinnamon?

14

Options
Considered

524

User
Recs.

Nov 25, 2023

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

The Best 1 of 12 OptionsWhy?

Best Linux distributions for Cinnamon	Price	Based On	Default Desktop Environment
90 Linux Mint	Free	Debian>Ubuntu LTS	Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce
88 Artix Linux	-	Arch Linux	Bash (Unix shell), Cinnamon, KDE Plasma, LXDE, LXQt, MATE and XFCE
-- feren OS Classic	free	Debian>Ubuntu>Linux Mint	KDE
-- Manjaro Linux	Free	Arch Linux	XFCE, KDE Plasma, GNOME
75 Debian GNU/Linux	Free	-	-

Linux Mint

Top Pro

The OS is great for both beginners and advanced users

The OS has different update settings for different users and has easy manual within the OS. See More

Top Con

They are to close to Microsoft Communists and they are too much politically involved

Clement Lefebvre, the lead developer of Linux Mint, a variant of Ubuntu, doesn’t want support from Israel or of those who back the Israeli government. Lefebvre said so on the official blog of Linux Mint this weekend. That message was removed, but I found it in Google cache (emphasis mine): “I don’t want any money or help coming from people who support the actions of the Israeli government.” SO HE THINK HE IS LINUX, RIGHT? One commenter on his personal blog asked: “Do you still not want support for Mint from supporters of Israel’s government?” Lefebvre’s reply: “If I supported terrorists would you accept me to help you, to finance you and to interact with you?” Lefebvre does admit to the existence of Palestinian terrorism, but doesn’t reject the support of pro-Palestinians, because “one is significantly more empowered to reach a solution to the problem than the other one.” See More

C. Kennedy's Experience

The best Linux distributions ever! See More

Specs

Based On:Debian>Ubuntu LTS

Default Desktop Environment:Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce

Release Schedule:Point( 2 Year LTS / 6 Month)

Package Manager:Debian Package Manager

Top Pro

Already functional out-of-the-box

Mint comes bundled with software for browsing the web, editing pictures, browsing files, watching videos and even a full office suite (LibreOffice). An average user can use Mint right away after a fresh install, using all the software that comes with the distribution to complete most of their daily tasks. See More

Top Con

Mint 19 forces unwanted updates

Since version 19 Mint adopted Windows 10's policy to force the user to install unwanted updates and even if the user deselects them and marks them not to be installed, they're still being installed. See More

BrilliantNabia's Experience

trustable! See More

Top Pro

Easy installation and configuration

Linux Mint uses the same installer as Ubuntu. It is very easy to use for beginners, and also allows more advanced users to choose their own partitions. Linux Mint's Cinnamon desktop is highly customizable and can be made to look however preferred. See More

Top Con

The Update doesn't work sometimes

Sometimes the update fails to configure a package. See More

CromulentPicumnus's Experience

I have tried Ubuntu (Unity), Ubuntu (Cinnamon remix), Kubuntu, RoboLinux, Linuxfx (KDE Plasma ) & Linux Mint (Cinnamon). Linux Mint to me is more stable and more user-friendly, and I much prefer its start menu and taskbar. See More

Top Pro

Complete and stable

Top Con

System updates can lead the system to being unstable

While a new installed system is stable, after an update, there is a slight chance of something not working. See More

ResourcefulGeras's Experience

I've used this system for 2 years, and put it on about 15 other seniors computers, and we are all up and running well; right out of the box. It's a truly smooth and reliable system, with all the software we need. I recommend it to all new users, as the most complete system available, particularly for users switching from Windows. Linux Mint just works. See More

Top Pro

Familiar user interface

Mint is highly recommended for both users coming from Windows, as well as users coming from Ubuntu, but unhappy with Ubuntu's recent, rather dramatic interface changes. Mint provides an updated interface with a look and feel similar to Gnome 2, with an application menu reminiscent of the Windows 7 Start Menu, with categorization and search. See More

AgreeableNyame's Experience

Linux Mint is amazing out the box. With a few simple tweaks it can run faster on an older machine. Use software render mode, disbale effects and viola! See More

Top Pro

Good community support

There are several different ways to get support for this distribution, including the forums, their IRC channel, or their github repositories if you think their software isn't behaving as it should. See More

SociableHasameli's Experience

I had installed Linux Mint Cinnamon edition 20.1 Ulyssa on my Dell laptop alongside Windows 10. It was pretty good for everything and I often use it instead of Windows. Fast enough for me. See More

Top Pro

Provides LTS (long term support) versions

Long Term Support versions are versions of software that are continuously updated for an extended period of time, even after newer versions are launched. LTS versions will typically get feature additions and enhancements for an extended period of time, then security updates up until its End of Life. An LTS release should typically be considered good for at least 5 years. See More

GraciousMalakbel's Experience

Best replacement for windows users See More

Top Pro

Compatibility with Debian and Ubuntu software builds and repositories

Mint gains a very strong package ecosystem and software manager of Debian, including more than 30,000 packages available from the Debian repositories. See More

LoyalEnki's Experience

Just works quick and good and looks fabilous See More

Top Pro

The easiest option ever

The distro is the easiest operating system to run ever. See More

ReflectiveEnnugi's Experience

Clam invented Cinnamon. Nobody does it better See More

Top Pro

Pretty desktop

Linux Mint has a quite pretty default desktop. Cinnamon is adopted by other distros also. See More

HilariousZislbog's Experience

Easy to install See More

Top Pro

Low learning curve to go from installation to advanced configuration

Mint is extremely easy to install, and with community support, easy to move onto adjusting the OS to meet your specific needs. The vast majority of instructions for undertaking configuration work and are easy to understand. See More

Top Pro

Mint 20 will actively avoid Snap

A landmine planted by Canonical in Ubuntu 20.04. See More

Top Pro

Highly customizable

In the Cinnamon version you can easily change fonts, themes, folder colours, scrollbar width, icon size in the menu (main app launcher), icon spacing and direction on the desktop, panel has several options (left and right side panel icons can have different sizes) etc. In the Nemo file app you can even customize context menus and the toolbar. So, Mint Cinnamon resembles KDE Plasma but does not overwhelm. See More

Top Pro

Dedicated upgrade process

The Linux Mint team is very dedicated to upgrading and improving Mint, to the point where the releases are fairly predictable. They are also dedicated to their users, meaning that they are responsive to critiques, suggestions, etc. See More

Top Pro

Popular

Linux Mint is currently the second most hit page on DistroWatch. Because of its popularity, long-term support is pretty guaranteed. See More

Top Pro

Supports proprietary software

Linux Mint does maintain a free software environment, however, it does offer full support to proprietary software (Chrome, Skype, Teamviewer). See More

Top Pro

There is a "system restore" tool to restore the OS if something breaks

This tool backs up the core OS files to an external drive with an option for full encryption. See More

Top Pro

Not from a big company

Linux Mint is not Canonical, while based upon Ubuntu. See More

Top Pro

Has more desktop options

You can choose between Cinnamon, MATE and XFCE. See More

Top Pro

The 2016 hack was very quickly dealt with and is a non-issue over 4 years later

Top Pro

Windows like experience

Linux Mint provides a very Windows-like user interface especially for those who are coming from Windows. It is similar to Windows Aero theme. See More

11 Other Options Considered

Artix Linux

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Top Pro

Rolling distro

Top Con

There is NO Libre Office there and you cannot even install it

Specs

Based On:Arch Linux

Default Desktop Environment:Bash (Unix shell), Cinnamon, KDE Plasma, LXDE, LXQt, MATE and XFCE

Release Schedule:Rolling release

Package Manager:Pacman

Top Pro

Runit

Artix actively supports the runit init system known from Void Linux. (Equally besides the OpenRC init system known from Gentoo.) See More

Top Pro

Close to bare Arch Linux

No learning curve if you're coming from Arch or any of its derivatives. See More

Top Pro

Flexibility

You can have a functional system in less than 10 mins using GUI installer OR you can do it "the Arch way". See More

Top Pro

Lightweight

Only the software you would need like Terminal emulator, file manager, media player and a browser. See More

Top Pro

No systemd

feren OS Classic

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ConvivialInuus's Experience

Replaced Win10 on an old Latitude. Tried Manjaro (both Plasma and Cinnamon), PopOS, MInt. Settled for FerenOS. Very close to being perfect. See More

Specs

Based On:Debian>Ubuntu>Linux Mint

Default Desktop Environment:KDE

Package Manager:Debian Package Manager

Init-System:systemd

Manjaro Linux

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Top Pro

Arch User Repository access

Manjaro allows the user to access of the Arch User Repository, a very large user-maintained repository of packages for Arch Linux and derivatives. See More

Top Con

Imcompatible with Arch User Repository and archlinuxcn

Because Manjaro packages are not synced with Arch, using AUR or archlinuxcn could break dependencies. See More

Specs

Based On:Arch Linux

Default Desktop Environment:XFCE, KDE Plasma, GNOME

Release Schedule:rolling

Package Manager:pamac

Top Pro

Stable and consistently up to date

Manjaro receives regular updates, but more importantly these updates are stable. The updates are rolled out, which means you can easily update the software without needing to re-install. See More

Top Con

New packages and security updates are held for testing longer

Packages are usually about two weeks behind Arch's stable repository. While some urgent security updates are released as soon as they become available, other security updates are held for testing longer. See More

Top Pro

Excellent graphical package manager (Pamac)

Features include: providing notifications of available updates; mirror management; Snap support, Flatpak support and AUR support (with the option to suppress unnecessary confirmations during the install process); update settings (frequency, whether to check for updates from the AUR, packages to ignore updates for); and a history of packages installed, updated, or removed (from the official repositories - AUR packages are not currently tracked). See More

Top Con

Can still be unstable

Here are the details of it. See More

Top Pro

Improved stability due to a longer testing period for new packages

Packages from Arch's repositories are tested (about two weeks) longer for stability and compatibility issues. Patches are applied, when necessary, before being made available in the stable repositories. See More

Top Con

Slightly bloated

Top Pro

Steam installed by default

Top Pro

Easy installation of Arch

You might not understand the original but this one is easy See More

Top Pro

Full access to AUR

Top Pro

Installation is a breeze

Calamares installer and MHWD is the reason why this distribution is good for desktop user- friendliness! Audio codecs, latest packages,latest kernel and easy upgrade to the latest build makes it the best choice for new users. See More

Top Pro

Friendly community

If you ask questions of users in their forums or on other platforms, they are willing to help you. Also according to the developers, they are open to new ideas in order to make the distro better. See More

Top Pro

Manjaro provides its own distribution-specific tools such as the Manjaro Hardware Detection (mhwd) utility, and the Manjaro Settings Manager (msm)

Run automatically during the installation process, it allows for Manjaro to work fully on your system 'straight out of the box', without the need to manually identify and install the necessary drivers or to manually edit the appropriate configuration files. Also usable via the terminal after installation, the features of the mhwd command include: The choice of free (i.e. open-source) or non-free (i.e. proprietary) drivers Identification and listing (general or detailed) of your system's hardware Identification and listing (general or detailed) of installed drivers Listing of available drivers for installation (free and proprietary) Support of hybrid graphics cards (e.g. Nvidia Optimus) Easy removal and installation of drivers (selected automatically, or you can identify and choose your own) See More

Top Pro

Based on Arch and user friendly

Manjaro is an Arch-based distribution with all the benefits of the Arch ecosystem and community but with the added benefit of being much more user-friendly than Arch.The overall features it provides is hard to beat. Arguably be the best desktop distro with lts kernel. Consumes very less ram. See More

Top Pro

Very good looking desktops

All desktops look good by default. See More

Top Pro

Deepin desktop environment is worthy attraction

Top Pro

All major desktops and even less common ones like Budgie, Lumina, LXQT, Deepin, Enlightenment, etc. can be directly installed from official repositories

Also available as independent variants. See More

Top Pro

Uses low memory

By using Xfce or Plasma (or LXDE, Fluxbox, supported by community) as default desktop environments, Manjaro is able to have a low memory footprint. See More

Top Pro

Good documentation and forum

The Manjaro community is very helpful, and there are lots of tutorials. See More

Top Pro

A rolling-release distribution

Manjaro uses a rolling release method for all updates, so once a system is installed, as long as the user regularly updates there is no need to re-install. See More

Top Pro

an Nvidia ISO version with drivers pre-installed.

Works perfectly. See More

Top Pro

Support for multiple kernels

Manjaro has built-in support for multiple kernels as well as a way to easily install them. Using LTS kernel makes this distro stable and less buggy. See More

Top Pro

Different editions to select from + Manjaro community

You can choose between different Manjaro editions which have their own change in features, and there is also Manjaro community editions where the community can make their own changes. See More

Debian GNU/Linux

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Top Pro

Strict seperation of non-free software

Debian is one of the few distros that let the user choose if he wants a free system or not. See More

Top Con

Stable release contains extremely outdated packages

If you want the newest packages, you'll have to do a minimal installation of Debian stable then upgrade to testing or unstable by editing the repositories. Save yourself time and install a distro that is rolling release by default. See More

Specs

Release Schedule:approximately every 24 months

Package Manager:dpkg (Debian Package Manager)

Official Supported Architectures:amd64 (x86_64), arm64 (aarch64), armel, armhf, i386, mipsel, mips64el, ppc64el, s390x

OS Family:GNU/Linux

Top Pro

Great choise for returning Linux users

If you haven't use Linux for a long time, say 5-10 years, it's a great distro in which you can quickly get in the boat again. You don't have to worry about falling back. Everything is in its place. See More

Top Pro

Highly secure system

Known for being consistent in maintaining a highly secure system. Several other popular distros use Debian as a base or core for their own Linux OS, the security being one of the main factors why it's so commonly used. See More

Top Pro

The Debian Social Contract

Guaranteed commitment to adherence to values, principles, priorities, requirements and guidelines by the Debian project See More

Top Pro

Widely supported

Almost any software that is available for Linux provides a Debian package. See More

Top Pro

Debconf

Depending how it is configured debconf does the most of the hard work for you and only asks you with configuration /file conflicts. See More

Top Pro

Supports SecureBoot

You don't have to disable SecureBoot if you use it, which is useful for LiveUSB or dualboot setups. See More

Top Pro

Apt-build

It is possible to rebuild the entire system and optimize it for your hardware.(of course it is not detailed as Gentoo's USE flags) See More

Top Pro

Standard vanilla Linux desktop

Debian runs standard Gnome, XFCE, KDE - it doesn't use its own special desktop environment, which means that users benefit from the work of the whole Linux community, Debian developers can focus on the distribution itself, and any support for your desktop environment on other distributions should work on Debian as well. See More

Top Pro

Wide choice of hardware platforms

Debian has the widest choice of hardware platforms, including: amd64, armel, armhf, i386, ia64, kfreebsd-i386, kfreebsd-amd64, mips, mipsel, powerpc, sparc, s390, s390x, source, multi-arch. See More

Top Pro

Wide choice in desktop environments

Debian offers stable and testing CD images specifically built for GNOME (the default), KDE Plasma Workspaces, Xfce and LXDE. Less common window managers such as Enlightenment, Openbox, Fluxbox, GNUstep, IceWM, Window Maker and others can also be installed. See More

Top Pro

Very stable

Debian has a Stable branch, where packages are thoroughly tested before release. Furthermore Debian is know to be the definition of stable when it comes to production systems. See More

Top Pro

Install and forget

Once installed you can almost forget about it and start to use your desktop for your daily tasks. See More

Top Pro

Comes with over 55.500 packages

Because of its popularity, Debian has a lot of applications available which range from productivity programs to business software, games and development tools. It comes with over 55.500 packages (software that is precompiled and ready to be installed on a local machine) -- all of them for free. See More

Top Pro

Easy to find help with any problem

Debian is one of the oldest and most popular distros out there. Debian's popularity means that you will always be able to find a solution for your problem just by searching on Google, or if by chance nobody has had the problem you are having it's very easy to ask the community and quickly get a solution. See More

Top Pro

A lot of ways to install software

You can either use aptitude, apt or apt-build to install software from the Debian package archives. See More

Top Pro

Great for gaming

As Debian is the base for SteamOS and because Ubuntu is based on it, it's almost certain that all Linux games will run properly and require no hacks like creating symbolic links because of some hardcoded paths. See More

Top Pro

Big open-source project

The Debian project is the biggest open source project with over 5000 active contributors. See More

Top Pro

Well-working team

The developer works very well so the the code is one of the best written out there. See More

Top Pro

Rolling or Release based

Every Debian Release can either use a Rolling or Release based model. See More

Fedora Cinnamon

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Top Pro

Pseudo rolling release model

Bleeding edge software, but some parts will upgrade on the next release. See More

Top Con

Slightly technical

Having Red Hat Entrepise Linux as background means some parts of it are a bit technical compared to other distros. See More

MasterGeek.MX's Experience

I love the cinnamon desktop and having it on top of a reiable distro as Fedora comes with a great experience See More

Specs

Based On:Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Default Desktop Environment:GNOME / KDE Plasma / XFCE / Cinnamon / LXDE / LXQT / MATE /Sugar

Top Pro

Stable

ConsiderateManawydan's Experience

Fedora <3 im not a fanboy but Fedora make a great work all run great See More

Ubuntu LTS

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Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition

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Top Pro

Requires zero configuration out of the box, just works

Top Con

Requires a lot of resources

For slow CPU's, it is better to choose Linux Mint XFCE Edition. It consumes pretty nothing of CPU resources for Desktop Environment. But looks good enough too. See More

ReverentCymopoleia's Experience

I've been using Linux Mint for some years, but Mint cinnamon 20 is a thing of beauty. The team deserves a massive thanks for making a no-nonsense masterpiece. Brilliant O/S. See More

Specs

Based On:Ubuntu

Default Desktop Environment:Cinnamon

Release Schedule:Release Every 6 months.

Top Pro

Great user experience, especially convenient for Windows users

Top Pro

Great user experience convenient for Windows users

Top Pro

Great look & feel, polished like Mac OS X

Top Pro

There is a very sexy dark theme

Top Pro

There is very sexy dark theme

Top Pro

Requires zero configuration out of the box, just works.

Gentoo Linux

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Top Pro

Live USB installation

Installation via a Live USB allows you to go back and fix mistakes from it without having to restart the whole installation process. See More

Top Con

Not beginner-friendly

You have to read a lot of instructions to start, even if you are familiar with Linux. Furthermore, as you have to configure the kernel and init system, expect some boot failures at beginning. See More

LogicalNehmetawy's Experience

no experience has been achieved nor ever boot on yet, ... and here we go on our own say a system of the state. full dark force ahead to seek the lights. Because Either Everything is Already Dead at this Stage but What we know is there are a parallel world between flat earth which is actually a living purpose by unknown says and secondary most important the devil doesn't see the colour 'green' by default seeing already multi-color visionary species. we are going directly to the top of the world because he's from the outside in a real world at this time which his eastern canada, 14:54 on laptop and physical circular clock powered by double-a battery + it's telling the real universal local time at 10:54 AM or morning... we are entering the system... cyou. See More

Porteus

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LoveableSummanus's Experience

Using Porteus64 5 Cinnamon desktop. Only 359Mb. Basic desktop version boots quickly. See More

Specs

Based On:Slackware linux

Cinnamon

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Specs

Programming Language:mostly C

Widget Toolkit:GTK+

Endeavour OS

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Top Pro

Cutting edge rolling release

Exactly as Arch - allows users to stay on the most up-to-date versions of the software they are using. See More

EmpatheticAlcyone's Experience

I really like what Endeavour OS did to Cinnamon Desktop, it looks great. See More

Specs

Based On:Arch Linux

Default Desktop Environment:Budgie, Cinnamon, Deepin, GNOME, i3, KDE Plasma, LXQt, MATE, Xfce

Release Schedule:Rolling

Package Manager:pacman

Top Pro

Good overall system quality and performance

Lean, fast and surprisingly stable. See More

Top Pro

As slim as you want it

Based on Arch, Endevour OS keeps its core repositories slim and free of unnecessary dependencies. The distro comes with no bloatware, only the necessary packages. The repositories are nearly as full as those of Ubuntu, while they are often more up to date. See More

Top Pro

Not based on Ubuntu

Top Pro

Arch Linux Wiki

Being an "easy to install version of Arch" means it is exactly easy to use the famous Arch Wiki! See More

Top Pro

Helpful community

Great team of developers and excellent forum support on their official website. See More

Top Pro

Great for low performance hardware

Easy on the specs and still blazingly fast. See More

Top Pro

Easy installer

Antergos

Manjaro

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