What linux distro do you use

Best Linux Distributions That are Most Suitable for Beginners

Last updated March 25, 2021 By Aquil Roshan 326 Comments

Brief: It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the list of Linux distributions available. In this article, we will mention the best Linux distros for beginners.

Let’s face it, Linux can pose an overwhelming complexity to new users. But then, it’s not Linux itself that brings this complexity. Rather, it’s the “newness” factor that causes this. Not getting nostalgic, but remembering my first time with Linux, I didn’t even know what to expect. I liked it. But it was an upstream swim for me initially.

Not knowing where to start can be a downer. Especially for someone who does not have the concept of something else running on their PC in place of Windows.

The first thing that confuses a newcomer is that Linux is not a single operating system. There are hundreds of Linux distributions. We have covered why there are so many Linux in detail, so I am not going to discuss it again.

Here are a few lists of Linux distributions based on different criteria:

In addition to that, there are distributions that cater to the needs of newcomers especially. So, here, we shall focus on those options.

Best Linux Distros for Beginners

Please remember that this list is no particular order. The main criteria for compiling this list is the ease of installation, out of the box hardware support, ease of use, and availability of software packages.

1. Ubuntu

• Easy to use
• Unique user experience
• Huge collection of software applications available through the software center
• Essential tools pre-installed

You must have heard about Ubuntu — no matter what. It is the most popular Linux distribution overall. Not just limited to servers, but also the most popular choice for Linux desktops.

It is easy to use, offers a good user experience, and comes pre-installed with essential tools to get a head start. Of course, Ubuntu managed to “simplify” the Linux experience years back and that is the reason why it is still so popular even with several impressive Linux distributions available right now.

Ubuntu offers a very convenient installation procedure and ensures best hardware compatibility when compared to some other non-Ubuntu based Linux distributions.

The original Ubuntu relies on GNOME desktop. Even though it is easy to use, it may not prove to be a familiar user interface if you’re coming from the Windows platform. In that case, you can try out some official flavors of Ubuntu like Kubuntu, Lubuntu to get a Windows-like user interface.

Ubuntu has a great documentation and community support. Ubuntu forums and Ask Ubuntu provide an appreciable quality support in almost all aspects regarding Ubuntu. You should easily find answers to common issues and even if you notice something new, the community will help you out troubleshooting.

2. Linux Mint

• Familiar user interface with Windows
• Performs great with older hardware
• Some improvements over Ubuntu

Linux Mint is arguably the best Ubuntu-based Linux distribution suitable for beginners. Yes, it is based on Ubuntu, so you should expect the same advantages of using Ubuntu. However, instead of GNOME desktop, it offers different desktop environments like Cinnamon, Xfce, and MATE. In fact, Linux Mint does a few things better than Ubuntu.

Not just limited to the familiar user interface, which will be a bonus for Windows users. It provides an impressive performance with minimal hardware requirements, especially with Xfce or MATE desktop environment.

It also uses the same software repository as Ubuntu. You don’t have to worry about the availability of software to install.

Linux Mint is a fantastic Windows-like distribution. So, if you do not want a unique user interface (like Ubuntu), Linux Mint should be the perfect choice.

The most popular suggestion would be to go with Linux Mint Cinnamon edition. But, you can explore whatever you want. Also, you might want to look at our tutorial to install Linux Mint 20 from USB.

3. Zorin OS

• Windows-like user interface
• Intuitive user experience
• Easy to use
• Ultimate edition available with a lot of pre-installed goodies and Lite edition for older computers

Zorin OS is yet another impressive Linux distribution that offers a similar user interface to Windows. It may not be the most popular choice but being an Ubuntu-based distribution, it is perfectly suitable for beginners while offering many cool features as well.

Zorin OS is an Ubuntu-based distribution but feels highly polished. In my opinion, it is perfectly tailored for former Windows users who want a similar look and feel but something beautiful.

No wonder why Zorin OS is one of the most beautiful Linux distros out there.

The ultimate edition of Zorin OS is worth spending if you need all the pre-installed goodies (fun games, office suite, and some additional features). But, the free edition works like a charm as well.

You will also find a “Lite” edition which is suitable for old hardware that needs to be revived.

4. Elementary OS

Now that I mentioned a beautiful Linux distribution above, elementary OS is actually the most popular good-looking Linux distribution that takes inspiration from macOS.

Even though it is not a “macOS clone” in any aspect, it tries to focus on the user experience similar to how macOS does (or should). If you are coming from the Apple ecosystem, you would love to try elementary OS for sure.

Again, it is based on Ubuntu, so you get all the benefits of it along with a rich user experience.

Elementary OS features the Pantheon desktop environment. You can immediately notice the resemblance to macOS desktop.

The operating system is zero intrusive so you can really focus on your work. It comes with a very small number of pre-installed software. So, any new user will not be repulsed by huge bloat. But it’s got everything you need out of the box. The App Center is also unique when compared to other Linux distributions.

You will find some elementary OS tailored applications and can choose to pay the developer through the software store as well.

Experience wise, Elementary OS is really a great piece of software.

5. Linux Lite

Linux Lite is yet another Ubuntu-based distribution that is easy to use. It is specifically tailored as a lightweight distribution with some pre-installed applications that are not resource-heavy.

Linux Lite is perfectly suitable for Windows users with a similar user interface featuring the Xfce desktop environment. Compared to its previous iterations, Linux Lite has improved the user experience. Even though it isn’t meant to provide you the most modern experience, it still looks great as a desktop OS.

6. Manjaro Linux

• Not an Ubuntu-based distribution
• Arch-based Linux distribution
• Presents a learning curve

If you want to take up a challenge with a learning curve and want to try something else other than a distribution based on Ubuntu, Manjaro Linux is the best bet.

It is based on Arch Linux but tailored as a beginner-friendly distribution. Of course, considering that it follows a rolling release update cycle, you might end up with a broken system (even though that does not happen all the time). But, you have to compromise on the reliability when compared to any Ubuntu based Linux distribution mentioned in this list.

You also get a wide range of choice to install a variety of software tools. There’s also AUR, which is a community-maintained repository for software that may not be available for Manjaro officially.

If you want to know more about it, you may want to check out our detailed review of Manjaro Linux.

Manjaro Linux offers different desktop environments like XFCE, KDE, Gnome, Cinnamon and a host of more desktop environments. So, you get a lot of choices.

7. Pop!_OS

• Improved user experience when compared to Ubuntu
• Extra out-of-the-box features like Auto window tiling to help with fast multi-tasking

Pop OS is probably the best Ubuntu-based Linux distribution if you’re not looking for a lightweight Linux distribution.

It provides a polished and snappy experience when compared to Ubuntu GNOME edition. You also get some interesting features like automatic window tiling, window stacking, and a few more with Pop OS.

You also get a vanilla GNOME experience on Pop OS when compared to Ubuntu. However, unlike some other options, it does not officially support other desktop environments out of the box. So, if you do not like GNOME, you may have to manually try other desktop environments as an experiment. You might find the review of Pop OS 20.04 useful to explore more about it.

8. Peppermint OS

Peppermint Linux is an interesting choice for beginners who prefer to use web applications as local applications using the out-of-the-box integration with Ice.

It is based on Ubuntu, so along with all the goodies of Ubuntu it features a few extra options to give you a head start. It isn’t pitched as a lightweight distro, but it works quite well with older hardware as well.

9. Deepin

If performance or hardware requirement does not bother you, Deepin OS will be an interesting pick. It is known for its eye-candy user interface that is one of the most gorgeous Linux distributions out there.

Of course, it suffers from performance issues if you do not have a decent modern hardware configuration. But, if it works well on your system, it is easy to use and offers plenty of software tools to get started.

Some might mention that just because it is a project with based out of Mainland China, you need to avoid it. So, if you have an issue with that, you might take a look at UbuntuDDE (which is basically Ubuntu + eye-candy visuals of Deepin)

Your choice for the best Linux distro for beginners?

Linux might come with a tiny learning curve, but that’s not something anybody ever regretted. Go ahead, you will love it like I do!

To give you a head start, I would recommend you to follow Ubuntu 20.04 installation guide and refer how to install a distro from USB.

If you are already a Linux user, do share this article and help someone fall in love with Linux. What do you think about the distributions tailored for beginners mentioned above? Do you have a suggestion? Let me know in the comments below!

Like what you read? Please share it with others.

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Which Distribution of Linux Should I Use?

Jeremy Morgan

Feb 20, 2018 — clock

Tags: | #linux| #review

I’m often asked: “hey, you’re a Linux guy right? What Linux should I use? I have this friend who recommends _____ and I want to know what you think?” I usually reply with the same question: what do you want to do? So I decided to make a blog post about it that I can send people instead.

My History with Linux

I should probably preface this article with a little bit of my history with Linux, in case you’re reading this and you don’t know me (very likely). You can probably skip this if you don’t care.

I started out using Linux around 1996. My first Linux was Slackware 4, a set of CDs I purchased at Egghead Software (yep, I’m old). A friend of mine told me about this Unix like thing that was so great and I just had to try it and he thought I would love it.

I read a lot about Unix, and was very curious about it. I had a shell account at my internet provider and I’d tinkered around, yet at first I was a bit hesitant. “Why would I need this?” His reply was simply: “Because you hate Windows 95 so much and love DOS, you’ll love this”. So I bought it. He was right.

I took an old hard drive I had and installed it. I fought with it for hours, then days. I finally got a desktop up and running. I have no idea what drove me in this time, but I had to figure out how to make this system work, and it was difficult. I had to know so much about my hardware! Simple things were suddenly hard again. But I pushed through, and I got my desktop up. And I started building some silly scripts for fun. The system was fast, and I could change nearly everything about it.

It had a built in C compiler? I just bought some really expensive Borland package for this I could barely figure out. But this OS had a compiler built in? A free Image editor? I was hooked!

For years after that, I experimented with tons of Distributions. Even BSD Unix ones. My “main computer” was always a dual boot, and some of them were pure Linux. Most of the early 2000s, I avoided Windows completely. So by year, I can break it down to my “main machine”, it would be:

• 1996-1999: Slackware
• 1999-2002: Redhat (and FreeBSD)
• 2003-2005: FreeBSD / Knoppix
• 2005-2009: Gentoo
• 2009-2011: Linux Mint
• 2011-2018: Arch Linux / Debian

So of course I used probably 50 or more distributions in my time, but this was what was running on my “main machine” I used for work, or browsing, or development or whatever. Obviously Arch had the longest run so far, mainly because I could just configure it and forget about it for long periods of time.

But the main distro for my “real work” the last few years has been Debian.

Enough about me though, let’s talk about what you should use.

So What Do You Want to Do?

I’m going to put these in categories based on common needs. There is some overlap here, and with enough work any of these Linux distributions will work for your desired needs. One of the great things about Linux is you can make it whatever you want. But some distributions do a lot of that work for you, or have a design that works better towards certain goals. I’ll present these in categories based on the easiest path to reach your goals.

I’m a Linux Newbie Just Getting Started

For a long time I recommended Ubuntu for this. As far as ease of use and compatibility it was great. But I pretty much hate Ubuntu now. I still use it for demos in my courses and articles because so many people use it, but I am not a fan of the way they run this distribution, the built in Amazon adware, and Unity is annoying.

So if you’re just starting out I recommend:

It’s kind of a cheat because Linux Mint is built off Debian, but Mint looks prettier and has some nice cross platform stuff.

Use these distributions if you want:

• A Windows-like experience
• Something simple to install
• Something reliable
• Something “Linux like” that doesn’t deviate from the norm
• Something that “just works”

Ok so that last one is really important. It just works. Either of these distributions are plug and play. Set them up, and forget about it. I have become increasingly reliant on Debian for my development machines because at times I don’t care about the OS and I don’t want it to get in my way. When I’m in a mood where I just want to build things, it can’t be beat.

I Want to Learn More About Linux/Unix and My Hardware

Maybe you’re in the mood to play and experiment. You want to challenge yourself and force yourself to learn by doing. That’s great, it’s exactly what I did.

If you want to challenge yourself and learn I recommend:

Each of these distributions requires a lot of configuration, hardware discovery, and compiling of source. With Gentoo you have to compile everything. It’s a great way to have absolute full control over your operating system.

Use these distributions if you want:

• Full control of your computer and OS
• To learn about Linux internals
• A lean and mean optimized system

This comes at a cost: mainly your time. A full install of these can take hours. On the plus side, they tend to run forever.

I had an Arch Install on a Lenovo that took the better part of a Saturday to configure, and let’s say another 10 hours or more spread out after that. It ran nearly effortlessly for 5 years (till the laptop hardware died). I only had to do a few updates once in a while, but I used it reliably every day for 5. Long. Years. So in a way you can look at it as investment.

I want Cutting Edge Stuff

Ok maybe you want the latest greatest software and you don’t care how stable it is. You want to do some kernel hacking or some other cool thing that some coder committed yesterday.

To hell with stability and security you want the newest thing now.

Use these distributions if you want:

• To trade risk for the newest stuff
• The latest and greatest features always
• Fun configuring things to work with breaking changes

To be fair I’ve personally used Arch and Gentoo without significant stability problems, but I am taking a risk using the bleeding edge stuff on rolling releases.

I Just Want to Get Some Work Done

Ok maybe you don’t really care about the OS particulars and just want to GSD (Get Stuff Done). Maybe you have some Node or GoLang apps you want to build and heard Linux is the best for it.

These are great for getting work done:

Use these distributions if you want:

• Smooth operation with low maintenance
• Minimal configuration
• Things that just work mostly automatically
• Compatibility with hardware and software

As I said I often use Debian these days as I’m usually just making something and don’t really feel like tinkering around and optimizing. It’s stable, fast, and stays out of my way. I’m writing this article in Debian 9 right now.

I Want to Set Up a Server

Maybe you want to set up a web server or virtual host and don’t know what to use. The first one on this list is the dominant distribution for web hosting, so if you want something that mimics the site that’s hosting your software try CentOS (or learn Docker!)

These are solid and reliable for web hosting:

Use these distributions if you want:

• Stability
• Security
• Support from other people using it for the same reason

I believe any Linux distribution can be used for web hosting effectively, but some take more work than others.

I Want the Most Performance Possible

So if you’re one of those types who wants to squeeze out every ounce of performance (I’ve been there) these are great for you. Some of these require compiling all the source code to produce binaries optimized for your processor(s). Fun stuff!

Use these distributions if you want:

• Fast performance
• High Load Computing

Keep in mind that hardware has reached a performance point where these don’t matter quite as much as they used to. 15 years ago you could hack a kernel and dial in your services and see a big boost. These days, the difference is negligible. Any Linux will be pretty snappy.

I Want a Secure Desktop

Maybe you want to set up a system that’s hard to break into, for whatever reason. There are a couple distributions with security as a top focus. If you’re really concerned about locking down your main machine, these are great ones to look at.

Use these distributions if you want:

I Want a Minimal Computer System

Ok sometimes you just want something lean and mean that gets a certain job done. I definitely understand this. Maybe you have an old Pentium you want to re-purpose. Sometimes the OS is just a small part of your goal and you want the bare minimum.

Use these distributions if you want:

• Something that will run on old hardware
• Something minimal as possible

Conclusion

I hate to sound like a broken record, but you could just pick out one of these Linux distributions and make it whatever you want. That’s the nature of Linux, its customizable to the furthest degree. But these are great distributions for getting started fast. If you think I’ve missed the mark or left out a distribution feel free to leave me a message in the comments, or Yell at me on Twitter.

And whatever you do, if you reached this page because you’re curious about Linux, try it out!! Now! These days you can download something like VirtualBox (free of charge) and try it out before really committing to anything. It’s definitely worth your time to check it out!

Want to learn more about Linux? Of course you do. Check out this Linux Fundamentals course. You can sign up for a free trial here and take it today!

Published: Feb 20, 2018 by Jeremy Morgan. Contact me before republishing this content.

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