Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

FreeBSD VS GhostBSD

Compare FreeBSD VS GhostBSD and see what are their differences

FreeBSD logo FreeBSD

FreeBSD is an advanced operating system for x86 compatible (including Pentium® and Athlon™)...

GhostBSD logo GhostBSD

GhostBSD is a user friendly desktop operating system based on ...
  • FreeBSD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29
  • GhostBSD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-23

FreeBSD features and specs

  • Stability
    FreeBSD is known for its robustness and reliability, making it a preferred choice for servers and critical applications that require high uptime.
  • Advanced Networking
    It offers advanced networking features and performance, suitable for heavy network-related usage such as routers, firewalls, and servers.
  • ZFS File System
    FreeBSD includes support for the ZFS file system, which provides high data integrity, advanced snapshot capabilities, and efficient data management.
  • Ports Collection
    The FreeBSD Ports Collection offers a vast selection of pre-packaged software that eases the installation of applications and their dependencies.
  • Security Features
    FreeBSD is known for its strong security features, such as jails for process separation and Capsicum, a capability-based security framework.

Possible disadvantages of FreeBSD

  • Hardware Compatibility
    FreeBSD may have limited support for certain hardware devices compared to other operating systems like Windows or Linux.
  • Learning Curve
    The system can be complex for new users, requiring a significant amount of time and effort to become proficient, especially if they are accustomed to more user-friendly environments.
  • Smaller Community
    Compared to Linux, FreeBSD has a smaller user and developer community, which might result in less community-driven support and fewer available resources.
  • Limited Desktop Support
    While FreeBSD can be used on desktop systems, it is primarily optimized for servers and might not offer the same level of convenience or support for desktop applications and environments as Linux distros.
  • Software Availability
    Although it has a vast Ports Collection, some software might not be available or can be more challenging to compile and maintain than on Linux.

GhostBSD features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    GhostBSD offers a user-friendly interface that is ideal for those who are new to the BSD operating systems, making the transition smoother for users familiar with Linux or Windows.
  • Based on FreeBSD
    Being based on FreeBSD, GhostBSD inherits its robustness, security features, and advanced networking capabilities, providing a stable and reliable operating system.
  • Pre-installed Applications
    GhostBSD comes with a variety of pre-installed applications that cover basic needs such as web browsing, multimedia, and productivity, reducing the setup time for new installations.
  • Community Support
    The GhostBSD community offers support through forums and documentation, which can be helpful for troubleshooting or learning more about the system.
  • Rolling Release Model
    GhostBSD uses a rolling release model, which means users receive continuous updates and new features as soon as they are available.

Possible disadvantages of GhostBSD

  • Limited Software Availability
    Compared to more popular operating systems like Linux, GhostBSD may have limited availability of software packages and applications.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    Like many BSD-based systems, GhostBSD can have compatibility issues with certain hardware, which might require additional troubleshooting or alternative drivers.
  • Smaller Community
    The community supporting GhostBSD is smaller compared to more mainstream operating systems like Ubuntu or Fedora, potentially making it harder to find help for specific issues.
  • Lack of Enterprise Features
    GhostBSD might lack some of the enterprise-level features and support that are offered by more established operating systems, making it less ideal for business use.
  • Resource Intensive
    Although relatively lightweight, GhostBSD can be more resource-intensive compared to some other BSD variants, impacting performance on older hardware.

FreeBSD videos

FreeBSD 12 Review - Used as my daily OS

More videos:

  • Review - A Look and brief introduction to FreeBSD 12.1
  • Review - I tried FreeBSD! - here's what I think of it

GhostBSD videos

GhostBSD 20.08.04 Install & Review

More videos:

  • Review - GhostBSD 20.02 w/Mate Overview | Distro Delves S2:Ep14
  • Review - GhostBSD First Impression Install and Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to FreeBSD and GhostBSD)
Linux
69 69%
31% 31
Operating Systems
65 65%
35% 35
Linux Distribution
67 67%
33% 33
Open Source
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 FreeBSD and GhostBSD

FreeBSD Reviews

Best free Linux router and firewall distributions of 2023
OpenBSD and FreeBSD are actively developed and are very capable, but these systems require a high level of understanding of operating system internals and low-level networking to be used as routers.
Source: teklager.se
Avoid The Hack: 11 Best Privacy Friendly Operating Systems (Desktops)
With "Linuxulator," FreeBSD has compatibility with Linux binaries. Linuxulator can run unmodified Linux binaries without using virtual machines or emulation. Additionally, FreeBSD has tens of thousands ported libraries and applications.

GhostBSD Reviews

We have no reviews of GhostBSD yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, FreeBSD should be more popular than GhostBSD. It has been mentiond 21 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.

FreeBSD mentions (21)

  • I've never used FreeBSD and have some questions
    Aside from being UNIX based, what similarities does it share with Linux? Both have monolithic kernels. Source based build systems are offered (ports, which are like the portage system on Gentoo) as well as binary build systems (pkg, which is like apt, yum, pacman, etc.) Both offer a lot of free software, though more licenses are compatible with FreeBSD like CDDL, which is not compatible Linux. Both let you... Source: over 1 year ago
  • FreeBSD turns 30 today!
    There's no mention of a birthday on their site, and its footer says 1995-2023. That must be just the site, because Wikipedia tells me FreeBSD's initial release was indeed, but not quite, 30 years ago, November 1st 1993. Still no birthday. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Computer
    I'm not the right person to ask this -- I just run it on whatever I happen to have. But I think sleep and wifi (for example) have issues with different hardware, so you'd have to do your homework. The FreeBSD handbook on freebsd.org is always very helpful to me. You can try it out with a live cd / thumbdrive to see how much supported hardware you've got. My Lenovo X1 from a couple years ago works for what I... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Can SGI’s Enthusiast Community Bring IRIX Back to Life?
    People are still actively working on Illumos. The last change was yesterday morning. * https://illumos.org People are still actively working on MirBSD. There's a CVS commit account that can be followed on the FediVerse. * http://www.mirbsd.org It's DragonFly BSD, not Dragon BSD, and the irony of that is that you missed FreeBSD, which is of course still going. * https://dragonflybsd.org * https://freebsd.org As... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • X220 and beer. A lovely combo, especially with FreeBSD.
    A open source free and stable Unix-like operating system. Read more at http://freebsd.org. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

GhostBSD mentions (13)

  • GhostBSD June 1, 2023 release available https://ghostbsd.org/download
    Robonuggie Video Don't give up the Ghost(BSD)ghostbsd.org. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Can SGI’s Enthusiast Community Bring IRIX Back to Life?
    People are still actively working on Illumos. The last change was yesterday morning. * https://illumos.org People are still actively working on MirBSD. There's a CVS commit account that can be followed on the FediVerse. * http://www.mirbsd.org It's DragonFly BSD, not Dragon BSD, and the irony of that is that you missed FreeBSD, which is of course still going. * https://dragonflybsd.org * https://freebsd.org As... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Suspicious content on GhostBSD's website
    There's a number of dubious looking websites listed at the bottom of https://ghostbsd.org (life insurance, "how to game", etc). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Microsoft provides The DirectX Shader Compiler binaries for Linux
    It will work for BSD Unix also. I will test it on ChostBSD, but I don't know about support AMD RX 6500 XT at the present time. After replacing RX 560 I can't start X11 :(. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Would you recommend FreeBSD to a home user/enthusiast?
    Though I'm not a UNIX desktop guy, when I do want FreeBSD I like to use GhostBSD, since it's well maintained and saves me some time with setup. You might want to start there. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing FreeBSD and GhostBSD, you can also consider the following products

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

DragonFly BSD - DragonFly belongs to the same class of operating systems as other BSD-derived systems and Linux.

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

NomadBSD - NomadBSD is a persistent live system for USB flash drives, based on FreeBSD.

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.

MidnightBSD - MidnightBSD is a new BSD-derived operating system developed with desktop users in mind.