When comparing FreeBSD vs Devuan GNU+Linux, the Slant community recommends Devuan GNU+Linux for most people. In the question“What are the best Linux distributions for misanthropes?” Devuan GNU+Linux is ranked 1st while FreeBSD is ranked 16th. The most important reason people chose Devuan GNU+Linux is:
It is stable like Debian.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Secure and stable
Pro Large repository of precompiled packages and highly customizable ports
Pro BSD license
Pro Easy to install
Pro Good documentation via the FreeBSD handbook
Pro Customizable
You can customize EVERYTHING as its an UNIX OS!
Pro Stability
It is stable like Debian.
Pro It's Debian
Devuan is Debian just without systemd, it just mirrors the the Debian archive and repacks packages that have hard dependencies on systemd.
Pro Excellent for normal people
It is easy to use and is a good choice for beginners.
Pro No Systemd
Pro Most decent look amongst other XFCE distros
Default XFCE theme is unique of all the XFCE distos including MXLinux, Xubuntu etc.
Cons
Con Hardware support is lagging
Con Installing with "software source code ports" and software packages can not be mixed
Con Too much hardware is not supported
Con Not for everyday use as a Desktop
Con Difficult to install on non-free hardware
Unlike Debian, Devuan offers no unfree netinstall media, so if your system needs unfree drivers (e.g a laptop or a tablet), you'll have to download the Debian firmware on a separate USB.
Con No systemd
Con Fragmentation
Forked distributions like Devuan and Artix fragment the Linux community and hurt the original project. Debian users who do not want systemd should use Slackware or BSD instead.