I put it first in this ranking because it has many advantages, such as compatibility, reliability, and adaptability to most beginner projects. Raspberry Pi OS works well on any Raspberry Pi model. Show Raspberry Pi OS is available on the official website. Raspberry Pi OS now has a 64-bit version, you may want to try it if you are looking for a nice increase in performance. You can read my comparison between 64-bit and 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS here, and learn what you can really expect of these two versions. 2 – UbuntuA few months ago, installing Ubuntu on a Raspberry Pi was an adventure. Ubuntu quickly became the most used Linux distribution in the world. If you’re used to Ubuntu and are looking for an alternative to Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu for Raspberry Pi is probably a good choice! Behind a more modern interface, you will find the same basic packages as on Raspberry Pi OS: LibreOffice, Minecraft PI, Scratch, … I put this distribution in second because it offers a work environment that is more attractive and more up-to-date than Raspberry Pi OS. You can download Ubuntu for Raspberry Pi on this page. If you are interested, I explain everything here on how to install Ubuntu on Raspberry Pi. You’ll get tips that will help you save time and avoid the most common issues while installing this operating system. Download the Pi Glossary! Note: Using Armbian on Raspberry Pi can be a lighter option to consider if you want to run Ubuntu. Check the link for more details. 3 – BatoceraBatocera is currently my favorite app for retro-gaming on a Raspberry Pi. It’s pretty new, so it might not be one you’ve heard a lot of, but I think it deserves this place on the podium. Batocera is inspired from Recalbox, another solution that I’ll discuss a bit later. It takes all the good stuff from Recalbox and adds another layer with great features (like the built-in content downloader) and optimized performance. The best way to show you is through a video, so here is the Batocera trailer: https://youtu.be/GK4OtN_gYNIVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Batocera Trailer (https://youtu.be/GK4OtN_gYNI) And as for all the distributions in this list, you can also read my related content about Batocera, especially if you want to give it a try:
4 – ManjaroManjaro is a distribution I discovered recently on Raspberry Pi. It works well and I like it. Manjaro is based on Arch Linux, a rare system on Raspberry Pi. Manjaro is available in various flavors with the most known desktop environments (XFCE, GNOME, KDE, Cinnamon, LXDE, Mate, …). Manjaro is available on Raspberry Pi 4, and I highly recommend using it to enjoy this system in graphic mode. You can download the system images here. https://youtu.be/l9ky_cAy-dQVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Manjaro 21 Review: Installation and first steps on a Raspberry Pi 4 (https://youtu.be/l9ky_cAy-dQ) If you like Arch Linux, EndeavourOS can be an alternative to consider, even if for the moment I don’t think it deserves a place on this list. 5 – LibreELECOn the screenshot, it doesn’t seem very different from any other distribution running Kodi. But it’s different, everything is different, it’s LibreELEC. LibreELEC is a fork of OpenELEC, a system built from scratch to run Kodi and only Kodi. So, it’s not based on Raspberry Pi OS or any other operating system, it’s something different. If you are interested, you can read the entire story here, or download the image on this page. 6 – RetropieRetropie is a well-known distribution, which allows you to turn your Raspberry Pi into a retro-gaming console. Built on Raspberry Pi OS, it gives you the ability to play old games from classic PC to N64 games. Retropie provides an easy setup and a user-friendly interface to start and play your favorite games. For a better experience, you can even add a controller like on SNES and enjoy a game as if you were back in your childhood! Pre-made images for the Raspberry Pi are available here, but you can also get a pre-installed SD card with a thousand of games on Amazon. It’s surprisingly cheap to purchase, given the time it saves you from spending hours finding games on various websites.
You don’t even need a Raspberry Pi to try Retropie, you can simply install it on Ubuntu, as explained in this tutorial. 7 – DietPiDietPi is my favorite minimal distribution on Raspberry Pi. DietPi is a recent distribution (created in 2015 I think) with an image size under 1G (1.8G for Raspberry Pi OS Lite) and half of the Raspberry Pi OS Lite packages are installed by default. You can find all the details about the DietPi installation in my guide here, including the detailed comparison with Raspberry Pi OS Lite. 8 – Kano OSAs you can see in the picture, Kano OS is a distribution dedicated to kids. After the installation, a funny wizard will help you create a user account, which becomes a real character in the adventure. Download the Pi Glossary! By the way, kids can start really young on Raspberry Pi, probably sooner than you’d expect (I explain here). There are many projects that are suitable for them at a young age, as listed in this blog post, where I identified the best ones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5H1A7-6E_UVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: How To Make A Computer | Kano (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5H1A7-6E_U) The Kano website provides many resources to help you start with this distribution. If you are interested in the proposed kits, you will find them on Amazon (check the Kano computer kit here for example). This kit includes everything you need to build your computer (Pi 3, case, wireless keyboard, etc.). Once assembled, you have the best toy for any kid (6 years old and more). Note: It looks like Kano is moving away from Raspberry Pi with their latest products. You can still test it, but I think they are no longer doing any update to their system. 9 – GentooGentoo is a lightweight distribution that you can build as you want, to install any package you need. Gentoo is not a beginner in the Linux world. The first version was released in 2000. The big difference between Gentoo and other distributions is that packages are compiled locally on your computer. For this distribution, the easiest option is to check my Gentoo tutorial for Raspberry Pi to get the full installation procedure, including downloads. 10 – RecalBoxRecalbox is the last Retro gaming system I want to recommend in this list. Here is a short video overview of this system (not the latest version, but you will understand the concept): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7bDGqJn31sVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: RECALBOX 4 0 0 Final (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7bDGqJn31s) RecalBox is a younger system than Retropie, but with different features. You can read my complete beginner’s guide for Recalbox here. The ROMs you can use on Recalbox are the same as on Retropie, so you can follow the same tips to easily find ROMs online. 11 – Kali LinuxDo you know Mr. Robot?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6ydHiwG8l8Video can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Windows 10 on Raspberry Pi? No, but Kali Linux 2020.4 is available #Shorts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6ydHiwG8l8) Behind Kali Linux, we find Offensive Security, a major security trainer and pen-testing provider. If you want to go deeper, you can read my post about 15 steps to start with Kali Linux on Raspberry Pi. I not only show you how to install it but also introduce all the fantastic tools you can use on this distribution. As almost everything is pre-installed it will be a shame to miss them. The download image is available here. 12 – OSMCOSMC (Open Source Media Center) is one of the best media center solutions built for Raspberry Pi. I chose to put it in this list because it has a significant use for the Raspberry Pi, as you can set up your media center for $50 with OSMC. You can Download OSMC from the official website. 13 – FedoraFedora is a popular Linux distribution, based on RedHat, with approximately 1.5 million users today. If you are new to Fedora, you’ll get something similar to other distributions like Debian or Ubuntu in terms of software and usage, as you can run most of the desktop environment on Fedora, with any popular software. If you want to give it a try, you can read my step-by-step installation guide here (or watch the video here). Note: you can also try OpenSUSE instead of Fedora, both are derived from Red Hat, so they have many similarities. 14 – OpenMediaVaultIf you want to create a network drive easily and at a low cost, OpenMediaVault is probably a good choice. OpenMediaVault is an easy-to-use, out-of-the-box solution that everyone can install at home or in a small office. Another thing you have to know is that you can install many plugins to improve OpenMediaVault. I included it in this list for two reasons:
The OpenMediaVault image for Raspberry Pi is available on Sourceforge (the latest system images are compatible with Raspberry Pi 4). I have a complete guide about OpenMediaVault on this website. Note: if you want to use SATA drives to build your NAS with your Raspberry Pi, you can use a NAS kit like this one. It works on any Raspberry Pi model and supports any SATA disk you already have. Much cheaper than a real NAS device. 15 – Pop!_OSPop!_OS is a new distribution in the Linux world, based on Ubuntu and using GNOME as a desktop environment. Its release on PC caused a stir, and it’s now available for Raspberry Pi. I have tested it for you, and I chose to add it to the end of this ranking. As a whole, the Pop!_OS distribution is promising. Based on Ubuntu 64 bits for the latest applications and decent performances, using GNOME for a modern-looking desktop, and with several optimizations that might make it even better than the original Ubuntu for our Raspberry Pi. The default desktop environment is GNOME, so I would recommend a Raspberry Pi 4 or 400 with enough RAM to use it, but in fact, I find it was working even better than with Ubuntu. The dock, launcher and app store make it a nice distribution for desktop usage. Want to give it a try? Read my full setup guide of Pop!_OS there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAXsM4zfJFwVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Raspberry Pi OS vs Pop!_OS: Which one is best for desktop usage? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAXsM4zfJFw) Recommended hardware to test these distributions
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ConclusionThis is the end of this ranking, which was intended to help you discover the 15 operating systems that are worth using on Raspberry Pi. If I had to do a synthesis, I would say that for beginners and for most small projects, Raspberry Pi OS is the best choice. And then the other distributions are typically chosen for a specific purpose. Want to see the best ones in video? Watch this comparison on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdM3N1Ja1-cVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Raspberry Pi OS Comparison: Ubuntu vs Manjaro vs Twister OS vs Raspberry Pi OS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdM3N1Ja1-c) If I forgot some that you think should be here, feel free to use the report link at the end of this page to contact me, and I’ll take a look. I know that Linux Mint on Raspberry Pi is asked a lot, but it’s not yet supported (check the link for a workaround). |