Best Cinnamon distros in 2026
Cinnamon is Linux Mint’s traditional desktop with a bottom panel, start menu, and system tray, familiar to Windows users. Below: our top pick for each need, the full ranking of distributions that ship Cinnamon as a default or official edition, and a guide to choosing one.
Top picks at a glance
| Best for | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | Linux Mint | #1 Cinnamon distro in the live ranking |
| Beginners | Linux Mint | Highest-ranked Cinnamon distro on our list of Linux distros for beginners |
| Gaming | CachyOS | Highest-ranked Cinnamon distro on our list of Linux distros for gaming |
| Rolling release | CachyOS | Highest-ranked Cinnamon distro on our list of rolling release Linux distros |
Full ranking
- 1
Linux Mint22.3
A familiar desktop. A comfortable place to start.
Ubuntu LTSCinnamon, MATE, XfceStableBeginner4 GB+ RAM
Familiar desktop layout with useful defaults
#2 overallProfile - 2
Debian13.7
A dependable foundation that takes its time.
IndependentGNOME, KDE Plasma, Xfce, moreStableIntermediate2 GB+ RAM
Conservative and predictable updates
#3 overallProfile - 3
CachyOS
An Arch-based system tuned for speed.
Arch LinuxKDE Plasma, GNOME, COSMIC, Hyprland, niri, moreRollingIntermediate4 GB+ RAM
Optimized package builds for newer CPUs
#4 overallProfile - 4
EndeavourOS
An approachable installer for an Arch-based system.
Arch LinuxKDE Plasma, moreRollingIntermediate4 GB+ RAM
Accessible setup for an Arch-based environment
#17 overallProfile - 5
Garuda Linux
A striking Arch-based desktop with snapshots.
Arch LinuxKDE Plasma (Dr460nized, Mokka), moreRollingIntermediate8 GB+ RAM
Btrfs snapshots before system updates
#19 overallProfile - 6
Artix Linux
Arch Linux without systemd.
Arch LinuxKDE Plasma, Xfce, moreRollingAdvanced2 GB+ RAM
Choice of four init systems
#29 overallProfile - 7
Devuan
Debian without systemd, with a choice of init.
DebianXfce, KDE Plasma, moreStableIntermediate2 GB+ RAM
Choice of init system
#37 overallProfile - 8
Linux Mint Debian Editionlmde7
Linux Mint’s desktop on a pure Debian base.
Debian StableCinnamonStableBeginner4 GB+ RAM
Mint tools and Cinnamon on Debian
UnrankedProfile
Order follows the live popularity ranking, which measures attention, not suitability. Test your own hardware with a live USB before installing.
How to choose a Cinnamon distro
Why Cinnamon
Cinnamon is developed by the Linux Mint team. It has a bottom panel, a start menu, and a system tray, so it feels familiar to Windows users without any setup, and it is more polished than the lightweight desktops while using less memory than GNOME.
How to choose
Linux Mint Cinnamon is the reference version and the best start for most people. LMDE offers the same desktop on a Debian base instead of Ubuntu. Debian, Fedora, and several Arch-based distros also package Cinnamon.
Cinnamon distros: common questions
What is the best Cinnamon distro?
Linux Mint, whose team develops Cinnamon. LMDE is the Debian-based alternative with the same desktop.
Is Cinnamon like Windows?
Yes. Its default layout, with a bottom taskbar, start menu, and system tray, closely resembles Windows.