A field guide, with its workings visible.
distro.watch helps people choose, compare, and keep up with Linux distributions. Every ranking shows its method, and every fact links to its source.
An independent project
distro.watch is independent. It is not affiliated with DistroWatch.com or with any distribution listed here. Names and logos identify their projects and do not imply endorsement.
What we publish
- Rankings of how much attention each distribution is getting right now.
- Distribution profiles, side-by-side comparisons, and “best for” lists by use case and desktop.
- Release and end-of-life tracking for every version we cover.
- News and guides that explain what changed and what to do about it.
How the rankings work
The rankings measure attention, not quality or market share. When a Google Trends comparison is available, the most-searched distributions are ordered by Google Trends search interest. The rest are ordered by reader interest, meaning how many people look each distribution up on English Wikipedia, and by momentum, meaning whether that interest is growing or shrinking. An editor’s assessment of current popularity is published as its own, clearly labeled signal, and it cannot rank a distribution on its own. Distributions without a comparable data source are shown as not ranked instead of being given a guessed score.
The exact weights and sources are listed in the ranking methodology, next to the rankings themselves.
Sources and freshness
Version and support dates come from endoflife.date, a community-maintained reference; each distribution’s own support policy remains authoritative. Project news comes from the official Linux Mint, Fedora Magazine, and Arch Linux feeds, and repository activity from the GitHub API. Package versions come from Repology.
Data is refreshed at least weekly and whenever the site is republished, and each snapshot records when it was fetched. A fetch time means the source was retrieved, not that every linked claim was independently reviewed.
Editorial standards
News posts and guides link their sources, state dates explicitly, and separate facts from opinion. We do not claim hands-on testing, benchmarks, or experience we do not have. When we get something wrong, we fix it and note significant corrections on the page. Send corrections to contact@distro.watch.
Advertising and independence
distro.watch may show ads served by Google AdSense to cover its running costs. Advertisers have no influence on rankings, recommendations, comparisons, or articles, and there are no sponsored placements or paid rankings. See the privacy policy for how advertising cookies work and how to opt out.
Recommendations with reasons
The distro finder uses an explicit set of rules. Your main use case carries the most weight, and experience, memory, desktop preference, and release model refine the order. Every result explains its strengths and tradeoffs.
Visitor poll
The visitor poll on the rankings page is a self-reported sample from distro.watch readers. Each participant is signed in anonymously, and a browser marker makes repeat votes less likely, but clearing the browser removes it. Treat the poll as a community pulse, not a census: it does not represent all Linux users. Each chart shows its response count.
Hardware reports
Community hardware reports name the exact device, graphics, Wi-Fi chip, distribution version, kernel, and test date. Reports stay private until an administrator reviews them for relevance and detail. Review is not laboratory certification, and account identifiers are removed from the public copy.
Contact
Questions, tips, and corrections are welcome at contact@distro.watch, or see the contact page.