PickYourLinux

Linux comes in hundreds of versions. Let's find yours.

Linux is a free alternative to Windows and macOS. It comes in many versions, called distributions, each made by a different team. This site explains how they're related and helps you choose one, whether you've never used Linux or you've run it for years.

Take the quiz See the family tree

Linux in two minutes

Linux is the core, not the whole thing

Linux is a kernel: the part of an operating system that talks to your hardware. Linus Torvalds started it in 1991, and it's free and open source, so anyone can use it, study it and build on it. It already runs most of the world's servers, every Android phone and the Steam Deck.

A distro makes it usable

On its own, a kernel isn't something you can sit down and use. A distribution, or distro, wraps it in everything else: a desktop, apps, a way to install software, and decisions about how it all fits together. Ubuntu, Fedora and Linux Mint are all distros. They run the same kinds of apps, but they look, feel and update differently.

Most distros are built on another one

Because Linux is open, anyone can take an existing distro and change it. That's how most distros began: as Debian, Fedora or Arch with different choices on top. So they form a family tree, and where a distro sits in it tells you a lot about how it will behave day to day.

AppsFirefox, LibreOffice, Steam, GIMP
Desktop environmentGNOME, KDE Plasma, Cinnamon, Xfce
Package manager and system toolsapt, dnf, pacman, zypper
Linux kernelDrivers, memory, processes
Your computer
Each distro picks and configures these
Shared by every distro
What you're choosing when you choose a distro. The kernel is common to all of them; the layers above it are where they differ.

The family tree

Start at one of the three roots at the top and follow its branches down. Select any distro to see what it is and how it relates to its parent. Not sure where to look? The quiz can point you to the right branch.

Uses the parent's packages Rebuilt in its own repositories

Hover to trace a lineage. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom.

Three roots, and a few loners

A distro's family decides a lot about daily life: which package manager you use, which guides apply to you, and how quickly new software arrives.

Try a distro without installing it

Almost every distro can run straight from a USB stick, so you can test it on your own computer before changing anything.

  1. Pick a distro

    Take the quiz or browse the catalog, then download the ISO file from the distro's official site.

  2. Write it to a USB stick

    Use Fedora Media Writer, balenaEtcher or Ventoy. Ventoy lets you keep several ISOs on one stick. Writing erases whatever is on the stick.

  3. Boot it live

    Restart, open your PC's boot menu (often F12, F10 or Esc) and choose the USB. Nothing is installed until you run the installer.

Not sure where to start?

Questions that adapt to what you do, the hardware you have and your dealbreakers. You get a top match, the reasons it fits, honest caveats, what to sort out before switching and close alternatives. There’s a two-minute quick version too.

Start the quiz