Linux distro map
Every ranked Linux distribution on one screen. Bigger tiles have more readers; green ones are gaining attention, red ones are losing it. Switch the period to see what is moving this week, this month, or over two years.
Hover a tile for details, click to open it. On a phone, tap once for details and again to open.
Gaining readers
- Omarchy+182%
- NixOS+81%
- KaOS+20%
- Peppermint OS+17%
- Devuan+16%
Losing readers
- EndeavourOS−29%
- Fedora Asahi Remix−24%
- Mageia−16%
- Artix Linux−14%
- SteamOS−14%
Linux distro families at a glance
Share of all Wikipedia readers on the map over the last 30 days, by the project each distro is built on.
Arch family28%
8 distros, 131.2K readers. Led by Omarchy, then Arch Linux, SteamOS, CachyOS.
Ubuntu family19%
10 distros, 88.2K readers. Led by Ubuntu, then Linux Mint, Zorin OS, Pop!_OS.
Independent18%
12 distros, 84.7K readers. Led by NixOS, then Gentoo Linux, Slackware, Alpine Linux.
Debian family17%
12 distros, 81.1K readers. Led by Debian, then Kali Linux, Tails, Raspberry Pi OS.
Fedora family8%
4 distros, 37.9K readers. Led by Fedora Workstation, then Bazzite, Fedora Asahi Remix, Nobara Project.
Red Hat family6%
4 distros, 25.8K readers. Led by Red Hat Enterprise Linux, then Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, CentOS Stream.
openSUSE family3%
1 distro, 14.3K readers. Led by openSUSE Tumbleweed.
Best Linux distros by use in 2026
The map shows attention. For a ranked shortlist with the reasons behind each pick, open a guide.
How to read the map
Size is the number of times the distro’s English Wikipedia article was read in the period, so it measures how many people are looking into it. Color compares that with the previous period of the same length: bright green is +20% or more, bright red is −20% or less. Switch the color to rank change to see who climbed or fell in the ranking; the all-time view compares with a week earlier.
Distros without their own Wikipedia article are not on the map, for the same reason they are not ranked: there is no fair measure for them. Popularity is not quality. A small tile can be the right choice for your hardware, which the distro finder can help with.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Linux distro map?
A heat map of 51 ranked Linux distributions, in the style of a stock market map. Each tile is one distro: its size is how many people read its Wikipedia article over the period, and its color shows whether that readership grew (green) or shrank (red) compared with the previous period. Tiles are grouped by family, so you can see at a glance which parts of the Linux world are growing.
Which Linux distro family is the most popular?
Over the last 30 days the Arch family drew the most readers, 28% of everything on the map, led by Omarchy. The Ubuntu family is second with 19%, led by Ubuntu.
Which Linux distros are growing fastest right now?
Over the last 30 days, Omarchy (+182%), NixOS (+81%) and KaOS (+20%) gained the most Wikipedia readers compared with the 30 days before. Switch the map to 7 days to see the most recent movement.
Why is a tile bigger than a distro ranked above it?
Tile size shows Wikipedia readers only, while the ranking also uses Google search interest for the top distros and the editor’s assessment. A distro can attract many readers after news coverage without being searched as much, so the rank number on each tile (shown on hover or tap) follows the full ranking.
Can I use the map to pick the best Linux distro for gaming or for beginners?
The map shows popularity across every distro, not suitability. For a ranked shortlist with the reasons behind each pick, read the matching guide, such as the best Linux distros for gaming or for beginners; each guide also has a map of just its distros.
How often is the map updated?
The map uses the same data as the rankings. Wikipedia readership is refreshed weekly and currently runs to Oct 5, 2026.