Best COSMIC distros in 2026
COSMIC is System76’s new desktop, written in Rust. It pairs a familiar panel and dock with optional built-in window tiling, and is the default on Pop!_OS. Below: our top pick for each need, the full ranking of distributions that ship COSMIC as a default or official edition, and a guide to choosing one.
Top picks at a glance
| Best for | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | CachyOS | #1 COSMIC distro in the live ranking |
| Beginners | Pop!_OS | Highest-ranked COSMIC distro on our list of Linux distros for beginners |
| Gaming | CachyOS | Highest-ranked COSMIC distro on our list of Linux distros for gaming |
| Rolling release | CachyOS | Highest-ranked COSMIC distro on our list of rolling release Linux distros |
| Immutable / atomic | RakuOS | Highest-ranked COSMIC distro on our list of immutable and atomic Linux distros |
Full ranking
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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 - 2
Pop!_OS24.04
A developer-friendly desktop with built-in tiling.
Ubuntu LTSCOSMICStableBeginner4 GB+ RAM
NVIDIA image with the proprietary driver preinstalled
#13 overallProfile - 3
Garuda Linux
A striking Arch-based desktop with snapshots.
Arch LinuxKDE Plasma (Dr460nized, Mokka), moreRollingIntermediate8 GB+ RAM
Btrfs snapshots before system updates
#19 overallProfile - 4
RakuOS
Atomic Fedora that still lets you install native packages.
FedoraKDE Plasma, GNOME, COSMIC, niriAtomicIntermediate4 GB+ RAM
Atomic image updates with instant rollback
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 COSMIC distro
What COSMIC is
COSMIC is a desktop environment built from scratch by System76, the company behind Pop!_OS, and written in Rust. Its first stable release shipped as the default desktop of Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS in December 2025. It runs only on Wayland.
The layout is familiar: a top panel and a dock. What sets COSMIC apart is window tiling built into the desktop. You can switch between classic floating windows and automatic tiling per workspace, without installing a separate window manager.
Where to get COSMIC
Pop!_OS is the reference version, developed by the same team, with a dedicated image for NVIDIA graphics. Fedora offers COSMIC as an official Spin and as Fedora COSMIC Atomic, an image-based edition updated like Silverblue. CachyOS lists COSMIC in its installer, Garuda Linux has a stock COSMIC edition, and the Fedora-based atomic distro RakuOS offers a COSMIC edition in beta.
Is COSMIC ready?
COSMIC is young compared with GNOME or KDE Plasma. Expect fast improvement between releases, some missing settings, and fewer third-party extensions and themes. Pop!_OS gets fixes first; on other distributions, how quickly updates arrive depends on the packagers.
How to choose
Most people should start with Pop!_OS. For the newest COSMIC on a Fedora base, use the Fedora COSMIC Spin, or Fedora COSMIC Atomic if you want atomic updates. For an Arch-based rolling system, use CachyOS.
COSMIC distros: common questions
What is the best COSMIC distro?
Pop!_OS, because System76 develops both. Fedora’s COSMIC Spin and COSMIC Atomic are the main alternatives, and CachyOS offers COSMIC on Arch.
Is COSMIC based on GNOME?
No. Earlier Pop!_OS releases used a customized GNOME, but the current COSMIC desktop is a new desktop written in Rust by System76.
Does COSMIC have tiling?
Yes. Automatic window tiling is built in and can be turned on or off per workspace.