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elementary OS VS Pop!_OS

Compare elementary OS VS Pop!_OS 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.

Pop!_OS logo Pop!_OS

A developer-focused minimalist Linux distro from System 76
  • elementary OS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17
  • Pop!_OS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-01

elementary OS features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    elementary OS boasts a sleek, modern design that is easy to navigate, making it ideal for users transitioning from other operating systems like Windows or macOS.
  • Security and Privacy
    elementary OS is built on Ubuntu LTS, providing a secure foundation with regular updates and support for security patches. The OS also emphasizes user privacy by minimizing data collection.
  • Minimalism and Efficiency
    The system is designed to be lightweight, avoiding bloatware and unnecessary applications, which helps in optimizing performance and reducing system resource usage.
  • Custom AppCenter
    elementary OS features its own curated app store called AppCenter, where users can find high-quality, open-source applications that follow design guidelines and are safe to install.
  • Active Community and Support
    The distribution has an active community, providing forums, documentation, and third-party resources that can help new users with troubleshooting and customization.

Possible disadvantages of elementary OS

  • Limited Software Availability
    The AppCenter may not have as many applications as other more established app stores, requiring users to sometimes manually install software using the command line or third-party repositories.
  • Customization Limitations
    While elementary OS focuses on providing a consistent and polished user experience, it limits customization options compared to other Linux distributions, which may not appeal to power users.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    Although it works with most mainstream hardware, users with very new or very old hardware might face compatibility issues, requiring extra configurations or workarounds.
  • Performance Overhead
    Despite being lightweight, elementary OS might run slower on very old systems due to its modern graphical interface and animations, which can consume system resources.
  • Learning Curve for New Linux Users
    While designed to be user-friendly, those new to Linux might still face a learning curve when dealing with system settings or troubleshooting without extensive resources compared to other mainstream OS options.

Pop!_OS features and specs

  • Optimized for Productivity
    Pop!_OS is built with various features oriented towards productivity, such as a customized GNOME desktop environment that includes tiling window management and keyboard shortcuts.
  • User-Friendly Installation
    The installation process for Pop!_OS is straightforward and user-friendly, making it accessible for both beginners and advanced users.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    Pop!_OS is developed by System76, a hardware manufacturer, ensuring excellent support and compatibility with a wide range of hardware, particularly their own computers.
  • Regular Updates
    The operating system receives regular updates, ensuring that users have access to the latest features, security patches, and improvements.
  • Pre-installed NVIDIA Drivers
    Pop!_OS offers a version with pre-installed NVIDIA drivers, which simplifies the setup process for users with NVIDIA graphics cards.

Possible disadvantages of Pop!_OS

  • Limited Community Support
    While Pop!_OS has a growing community, it is still relatively small compared to more established distributions like Ubuntu or Fedora, which might make finding solutions to specific issues more difficult.
  • Resource Intensive
    Pop!_OS's GNOME-based desktop environment can be more resource-intensive compared to other lightweight desktop environments, which might not be ideal for older hardware.
  • Default GNOME Environment
    Some users may prefer other desktop environments over GNOME, and while it's possible to install them on Pop!_OS, it doesn’t come with this flexibility out of the box.
  • Designed for System76 Hardware
    Although it works well on various hardware, Pop!_OS is primarily developed for System76 devices, which might lead to some optimizations not being as effective on non-System76 hardware.
  • Learning Curve for New Users
    New users coming from Windows or macOS might find certain aspects of Pop!_OS different and challenging, such as the tiling window manager and keyboard-driven workflow.

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!

Pop!_OS videos

Pop!_OS Is Even Better With 19.10 (Full Review)

More videos:

  • Review - Moving In - Pop!_OS 19.04 Review
  • Review - Using Pop!_OS 19.10 ep. 1 - Intro, Installation, Desktop and Gaming Prep

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to elementary OS and Pop!_OS)
Linux
32 32%
68% 68
Operating Systems
34 34%
66% 66
Linux Distribution
33 33%
67% 67
OS & Utilities
100 100%
0% 0

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 Pop!_OS

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

Pop!_OS Reviews

10 Most Popular Linux Distros of the Year 2023
Although Pop!_OS is based on Ubuntu, it is still able to make its unique place among Dekstop users because of its fast performance, with a customized GNOME desktop environment to provide a polished interface and out-of-the-box installed software & drivers. The US hardware distributor System76 developers behind the Pop!_OS also offers Laptops and desktops with pre-installed...
12 Best Linux Distros You Should Use
Pop!_OS is based on Ubuntu and uses the COSMIC desktop environment, which is Pop!_OS’ homemade desktop environment based on GNOME. However, unlike GNOME, it’s a lot cleaner and has got a few neat tricks up its sleeve, like the keyboard shortcuts, which makes Pop!_OS one of the cleanest Linux systems. Overall, Pop!_OS is a great option for budding creators as well as folks...
Source: beebom.com
The best Linux distributions (operating systems)
Pop!_OS has been developed by System76 and is based on Ubuntu. The operating system offers GPU support for AMD and Nvidia as well as their programming interface CUDA. Pop!_OS has a high-quality desktop environment and offers a tiling function that benefits gamers.
Source: www.ionos.com
7 Best Rufus Alternatives To Create Bootable USB In 2022
Popsicle is a USB flasher shipped with Pop!_OS, one of the most popular Linux distributions. One of the best features of the tool is that it allows you to flash an ISO to multiple USB devices simultaneously.
Source: fossbytes.com
13 Best Linux distros for gaming in 2022
The Pop!_OS distro by hardware vendor System76 is one of the best options for gamers who want to assemble their own gaming installation.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Pop!_OS should be more popular than elementary OS. It has been mentiond 456 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 (145)

  • Eazel, ex-Apple led Linux startup
    > if a new Eazel emerged tomorrow (another Linux-focused startup led by ex-Apple "rock stars"), how would they best contribute to the Linux desktop? Probably by joining elementary OS: https://elementary.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Ask HN: Where are the paid Linux desktop distributions?
    There's Zorin OS Pro: https://zorin.com/os/pro/ And elementaryOS is kinda-sorta paid (you can pay $0 too): https://elementary.io/ Finally, while this is not a proper distro as such, ParterdMagic makes for an excellent rescue option: https://partedmagic.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • 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 / over 1 year 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 / over 1 year 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 / almost 2 years ago
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Pop!_OS mentions (456)

  • Part 1: Getting Started With Linux
    To start using Linux, I personally would recommend going with Pop!_OS. You got a few options here: either you can run it on a VM or install it on Bare Metal. Don't worry, I got you covered—you can use any one of the following methods:. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • The Future Is Niri
    Did you see Pop OS? https://pop.system76.com/ They follow ubuntu releases, kind of. The downside, they went all in into their new desktop env - cosmic, and until they release it they won't move on from 20.04.. I really loved the tiling feature in PopOS 20.04 which came out of the box. But then I bought a new laptop, and had to move to arch to use it.. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Apple's Software Quality Crisis: When Premium Hardware Meets Subpar Software
    Please try a distro [0] maintained by a company making their own Linux laptops. [0] https://pop.system76.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Perl 🐪 Weekly #707 - Is it ethical?
    What is Pop!_OS? Sounds like the name of one of the kids of Elon Musk. But no. It is apparently an Ubuntu-based Linux operating system for STEM and creative professionals. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Malibal and Coreboot Have a Disagreement
    > We no longer ship to Colorado due to the actions of System76's Principal Engineer (https://www.system76.com), Pop_OS! Maintainer (https://pop.system76.com), and Redox OS BDFL (https://www.redox-os.org) named Jeremy Soller (https://soller.dev). Source: https://portal.malibal.com/kb/a1064/why-dont-you-ship-to-colorado/ Err, what? I really can't follow the logic here. What does some dude have to do with Colorado. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing elementary OS and Pop!_OS, 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.

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

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

Fedora - Fedora creates an innovative, free, and open source platform for hardware, clouds, and containers that enables software developers and community members to build tailored solutions for their users.

Debian - Debian is a free distribution of the GNU/Linux operating system.

Arch Linux - You've reached the website for Arch Linux, a lightweight and flexible Linux® distribution that tries to Keep It Simple. Currently we have official packages optimized for the x86-64 architecture.