Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

elementary OS VS NixOS

Compare elementary OS VS NixOS and see what are their differences

elementary OS logo elementary OS

A fast and open replacement for Windows and macOS. Pay what you want or download for free.

NixOS logo NixOS

25 Jun 2014 . All software components in NixOS are installed using the Nix package manager. Packages in Nix are defined using the nix language to create nix expressions.
  • elementary OS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17
  • NixOS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12

elementary OS videos

elementary OS 5.1 Hera Updates - Linux Distro Reviews

More videos:

  • Review - elementary OS 5.1 Hera | Review and Final Thoughts
  • Review - Distro Review : Elementary OS 5.1 "Hera" : GLAM UP YOUR DESKTOP!

NixOS videos

First Impression of the NixOS Installation Procedure

More videos:

  • Review - Introduction to NixOS - Brownbag by Geoffrey Huntley
  • Review - NixOS 18.03 - A Configuration-focused GNU+Linux Distro

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to elementary OS and NixOS)
Linux
85 85%
15% 15
Front End Package Manager
Operating Systems
100 100%
0% 0
Package Manager
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare elementary OS and NixOS

elementary OS Reviews

12 Best Linux Distros You Should Use
Elementary OS has a few great homemade apps that look great and work well. In fact, distros such as Pop!_OS use Elementary’s store, and that’s a testament to the effort the Elementary team puts into developing one of these best Linux distros. Overall, Elementary OS is a user-friendly and good-looking distribution that gets most things right.
Source: beebom.com
The best Linux distributions (operating systems)
Elementary OS is the ideal operating system for former Mac users. Usage and interfaces are reminiscent of the well-known Apple products. Elementary OS also prides itself on simple operation. It comes with pre-installed programs and an app store to add software to. Besides the desktop environment Pantheon, the team behind Elementary OS provides numerous other programs and...
Source: www.ionos.com
Best Top 20 Ubuntu Linux Alternatives (Pros and Cons)
Elementary OS is based on Ubuntu LTS and it calls itself as a thoughtful, capable, and ethical alternative to macOS and Windows and the added benefit that it is free. Elementary, Inc. develops and maintains the operating system, desktop environment and it’s applications.
6 Best Linux Distributions That are Not Based on Ubuntu or Debian
I have been asked this question a number of times by our readers. I often answer to this question with Ubuntu, Linux Mint, elementary OS or something similar from the list of our best Linux distributions.
Source: itsfoss.com

NixOS Reviews

The 10 Best Immutable Linux Distributions in 2024
Why it’s on the list: NixOS uses the Nix package manager, which treats packages as isolated from each other. This unique approach to package management virtually eliminates “dependency hell”.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, NixOS should be more popular than elementary OS. It has been mentiond 246 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

elementary OS mentions (143)

  • Microsoft Edge ignores user wishes, slurps tabs from Chrome without permission
    I hear you, but they've all moved along in leaps and bounds. Some options if you ever look again - * ElementaryOS(https://elementary.io/). - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Linux distributions for beginners in 2024: Expert tested and reviewed
    I’ve seen Raycast adjacent apps for Linux, but I don’t know what the current go-to all the kids are using these days. I used Quicksilver on OS X back in the day, which kind of defined the category I think. But these days I try to keep it simple. Elementary OS seems to be trying to solve for the design issue, but it’s not as polished as macOS and there are still all the 3rd party apps to contend with. I’ve tried... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Linux Lite: Easy to Use Free Linux Operating System
    I thought ElementaryOS was dead due to infighting between the two cofounders, but it still seems to be going: https://elementary.io/ (I installed it on one box a few years ago and liked it, but moved back to Ubuntu once I learned about its conflict in the team.). - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Recommend me a distro for my stepdad
    As an alternative to the other (great) suggestions, check out ElementaryOS. Source: 11 months ago
  • How many of you are still using mullvad?
    But get an old laptop, download and install on it https://elementary.io/, or PopOS or Debian (they all resemble macOS) or whatever distro you like the most. And start tinkering. Source: 11 months ago
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NixOS mentions (246)

  • I use NixOS for my home-server, and you should too!
    As we covered in my last post, NixOS is a amazing Linux distribution for creating stable and declared environments. Now while this is amazing for a desktop setup, it is also perfect for a home-server or home-lab. - Source: dev.to / 30 days ago
  • Colima k8s nix setup
    Nix is a cross-platform package manager. It uses the nix programming language. Nix and NixOs are often used in the same context, but while the first is a package manager, the latter is a linux distribution based on nix. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • NixOs - Your portable dev enviroment
    Today I want to talk to you about Nixos. What is it? Nixos is a declarative and reproducible OS, partly taking the words used on their own page. What does that mean? - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Nix – A One Pager
    Software developers often want to customize: 1. Their home environments: for packages (some reach for brew on MacOS) and configurations (dotfiles, and some reach for stow). 2. Their development shells: for build dependencies (compilers, SDKs, libraries), tools (LSP, linters, formatters, debuggers), and services (runtime, database). Some reach for devcontainers here. 3. Or even their operating systems: for... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Tools for Linux Distro Hoppers
    Hopping from one distro to another with a different package manager might require some time to adapt. Using a package manager that can be installed on most distro is one way to help you get to work faster. Flatpak is one of them; other alternative are Snap, Nix or Homebrew. Flatpak is a good starter, and if you have a bunch of free time, I suggest trying Nix. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing elementary OS and NixOS, you can also consider the following products

Linux Mint - Linux Mint is one of the most popular desktop Linux distributions and used by millions of people.

GNU Guix - Like Nix but GNU.

Ubuntu - Ubuntu is a Debian Linux-based open source operating system for desktop computers.

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS

Manjaro - Manjaro Linux is a linux distribution which is based on arch linux. It uses the PACMAN package manager.

Chocolatey - The sane way to manage software on Windows.