Top Ten Linux Distros

This page details the top ten Linux distributions ("distros") on DistroWatch as of April 13, 2026. I'll write about what these distros are, and my experience with using them.

First off… what even is a distro?! A distro is a distrubution of Linux. By itself, Linux is just a kernel, and isn't usable on its own. Distributions add software on top like desktop environments, core utilities, and GUI applications to make it usable as a stable, fully functional operating system.

1. CachyOS

   

   Cachy is not only number one on DistroWatch, but it is also my daily driver. What makes Cachy special is its heavily optimized kernel, meant to prioritize performance for the snappiest Linux experience. I have used it for the most amount of time. I switched to it at the very beginning of October, and with the exception of daily-driving Fedora for a month, it has been my main OS ever since.

2. Mint

   

   Mint was the first Linux distro I've actually installed on my PC. I first tried Mint I dualbooted it alongside Windows, and used it as my daily driver. I experimented with using it on a live USB in 2023. On February 13, 2025, I was reading a research paper published by Mozilla about how Microsoft uses manipulative tactics in Windows to get users to switch to their browser. After reading this, I decided, enough was enough. I was going to actually install Linux on my machine. I started daily-driving Mint, and slowly eased my way into Linux. I kept Windows dualbooted as an option in case I needed to boot into it.

3. MX Linux

   

   MX Linux is a collaboration between antiX, a very lightweight Linux distribution which runs great on older hardware, and MEPIS Linux communities. It comes packed with the Xfce desktop by default, but also comes with KDE Plasma and Fluxbox editions available separately. It combines the powers of both into a simple, efficient, and mid-weight desktop with high stability and performance. I've personally never used this distro, but it looks cool from my tests in VirtualBox.

4. Pop!_OS

   

   Developed by System76, famous creator of laptops and desktops, this Linux distribution features the custom Cosmic desktop. It contains several custom Cosmic utilities as well. It's nice for a unique, branded distro. Personally, I haven't used it myself, but I remember watching Mental Outlaw's review video on it. I was especially interested in it because it was made by System76, who have famously been advocates for privacy in Linux.

5. Debian

   

   Debian is a great 'base' distribution to build off of. In fact, Ubuntu is based on Debian. Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu. So, I have actually used Debian without really even thinking about it. Conveniently. Debian-based distributions can natively open .deb files, which are one of the most common binary executable formats, which are really just compressed archives. You can open .deb files on non-Debian systems, you just need to extract the files.

6. Zorin

   

   Zorin OS is a great distribution for those who are coming from Windows to Linux. It's meant to be as user-friendly as possible, and meant for Windows users who aren't very familiar with the inner workings of Linux. A common annoyance of those who are trying Linux is that you need the terminal for almost anything. Nowadays, that's hardly the case, especially with Zorin. It contains GUIs for mostly everything you can think of, allowing power users to automate their usual workflows without opening a terminal. Personally, I haven't used this OS, but I have to give them credit for making it look very polished and professional. I decided to go with Mint as a beginner, as I heard at the time that it had the best software support.

7. EndeavourOS

   

   EndeavourOS (yes, spelled with a u), is an Arch-based operating system. It aims to be a successor to Antergos, which was an operating system that made Arch Linux easy for newcomers, similar to Manjaro and CachyOS. It provides a fully usable, beginner-friendly setup for Arch Linux out of the box. Its offline installer comes bundled with KDE, with other desktop options available if you connect the installer to the internet.

8. Fedora

   

   I had actually daily-driven Fedora for about a month, purely out of curiousity and the desire for experimentation. I was curious how Fedora worked, and I decided to spice things up by installing Hyprland, a tiling window manager. I had previously tried i3, but didn't like it too much. It was too far out of my comfort zone. I thought Hyprland would be a good alternative. Eventually, I would end up going back to CachyOS, because I didn't like how Fedora handled its own RPM (Red Hat Package Manager) package format. Plus, I'm not too much of a fan of Red Hat as of recent controversies.

9. Manjaro

   

   Manjaro Linux is a user-friendly way to experience Arch Linux. Arch Linux typically requires some level of technical familiarity, especially installing it manually (although nowadays, archinstall makes it easy). I have previously used Manjaro Linux on Live USB for a day just to mess around and experiment with it, but didn't really do any deep digging into it.

10. Ubuntu

    

    Ubuntu is actually the first Linux distro I've messed with, all the way back in 2020. When I was curious about Linux, I heard Ubuntu was what all the 'cool kids' were using, so I decided to try it in VirtualBox on top of Windows. It was quite a pleasant first experience with Linux as a whole. I was just slightly annoyed with Ubuntu's default placement of the applications bar on the left. I messed around with installing apps like Discord, Chromium, and Opera, which worked surprisingly well.