When comparing PureOS vs Xubuntu, the Slant community recommends PureOS for most people. In the question“What are the best Debian-based Linux distributions?” PureOS is ranked 19th while Xubuntu is ranked 52nd. The most important reason people chose PureOS is:
PureBrowser is a modified version of Firefox that comes with security focused plugins. There is also a copy of TOR installed in the OS by default.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro PureBrowser and TOR
PureBrowser is a modified version of Firefox that comes with security focused plugins. There is also a copy of TOR installed in the OS by default.
Pro You can download and install it, without the need to purchase their laptop
PureOS is available from their site for free for anyone to use, no need to purchase any of their laptops in order to check out the OS which is a tweaked build of the Trisquel distro.
Pro Default install on a free, open source laptop
PureOS is the default OS installed on the Purism Librem laptops.
Pro Great performance
Xubuntu is very fast and makes good use of resources.
Pro Quick boot time
Boots at about double the speed of most distributions.
Pro Comes with lightweight applications
Xubuntu is designed as a lightweight operating system and Linux distro. It uses XFCE by default and comes packed with XFCE applications which are generally pretty lightweight.
Pro Conservative, yet modern
It comes with all Ubuntu goodness but without bloat, a perfect mix between new ideas and usability.
Pro Customizable
Official distro of XFCE, one of the most customizable desktop environments. In XFCE you can create as many tasks bars as you need and configure every one of their elements and behaviours. You can also change any icon, font, color... etc. Literally there's nothing you can't change in GUI.
Cons
Con No mobile installation
You cant install pure os on a android phone.
Con Slower updates
Updates are slower than an unmodified Debian.
Con XFCE development is slow
The desktop environment used in Xubuntu has not been updated in over two years and is developed at a snail's pace.
Con UI is pretty generic without customization
The default XFCE UI is pretty generic and sometimes ugly unless customized to suit the user's needs and liking. Customization in XFCE is easier than on Unity, but still hard for beginners.
Con Redundant
There is absolutely no reason to install it, since it uses the same package repositories as Ubuntu and you can transform any Ubuntu install into a Xubuntu install.