Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Lubuntu VS ReactOS

Compare Lubuntu VS ReactOS and see what are their differences

Lubuntu logo Lubuntu

Lubuntu is a fast and lightweight operating system with a clean and easy-to-use user interface. The core of the system is based on Linux and Ubuntu. Lubuntu uses the minimal desktop LXDE, and a selection of light applications.

ReactOS logo ReactOS

ReactOS is a free, modern operating system in alpha stage, based on the design of Windows XP/2003.
  • Lubuntu Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17
  • ReactOS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-21

Lubuntu features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Lubuntu is designed to be lightweight, making it ideal for older or less powerful hardware.
  • Faster Performance
    Due to its minimal resource requirements, Lubuntu typically performs faster than more feature-rich operating systems.
  • User Friendly
    The LXQt desktop environment of Lubuntu provides a simple and intuitive user interface, making it easy for new users to adapt.
  • Good Community Support
    As an official Ubuntu derivative, Lubuntu benefits from the extensive support and resources available from the Ubuntu community.
  • Regular Updates
    Lubuntu receives regular updates and security patches, ensuring a more secure and stable system.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, Lubuntu is free to use, modify, and distribute.

Possible disadvantages of Lubuntu

  • Minimal Software
    Out of the box, Lubuntu comes with fewer pre-installed applications, requiring users to install additional software to meet their needs.
  • Less Eye Candy
    The LXQt desktop environment is more utilitarian and may lack the visual polish and extensive customization options found in heavier desktop environments.
  • Limited Features
    To maintain its lightweight nature, Lubuntu sacrifices some advanced features and functionalities that might be present in other, more resource-intensive distributions.
  • Hardware Compatibility Issues
    While generally compatible with a wide range of hardware, some very specific or very new hardware may require additional drivers or tweaks.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Customization
    Advanced customization and configuration might require more technical knowledge than what is needed for mainstream distributions.

ReactOS features and specs

  • Open Source
    ReactOS is an open-source operating system, which means its source code is freely available for anyone to view, modify, and distribute. This allows developers and contributors to participate in its development and enhancement.
  • Windows Compatibility
    ReactOS aims to be binary-compatible with Windows, especially Windows Server 2003, meaning it can run many Windows applications and drivers without modification. This could be beneficial for users who rely on legacy Windows software.
  • Lightweight
    ReactOS is designed to be lightweight, requiring fewer system resources compared to modern Windows operating systems. This makes it suitable for older hardware that may not support contemporary operating systems efficiently.
  • Freedom from Licensing Costs
    Being free and open source, ReactOS eliminates the cost associated with purchasing Windows licenses, providing an alternative for users who wish to avoid these costs.

Possible disadvantages of ReactOS

  • Incomplete Development
    ReactOS is still in the alpha stage of development, which means it is not yet stable or feature-complete. This can lead to various issues such as system crashes, incomplete features, and compatibility problems.
  • Limited Application Support
    Despite its goal of Windows compatibility, ReactOS does not support all Windows applications and drivers, particularly newer ones that require features not yet implemented in ReactOS.
  • Lack of Commercial Support
    Unlike Windows, which has extensive commercial support from Microsoft and third-party service providers, ReactOS lacks official commercial support, which may be a concern for enterprise environments.
  • Security Concerns
    As ReactOS is still under development, it may not have implemented all necessary security features and updates that a more mature operating system might have, potentially leading to security vulnerabilities.

Analysis of Lubuntu

Overall verdict

  • Lubuntu is a good choice if you are looking for a fast, efficient, and low-resource operating system that comes with the backing of Canonical's support and the extensive Ubuntu community.

Why this product is good

  • Lubuntu is a lightweight variant of the official Ubuntu operating system provided by Canonical. It is designed to be resource-efficient, which makes it an excellent choice for older hardware or systems with limited resources. The LXQt desktop environment, which Lubuntu uses, is known for its simplicity and speed. Additionally, Lubuntu benefits from the larger Ubuntu ecosystem, providing access to a wide array of software, community support, and regular security updates.

Recommended for

    Lubuntu is particularly recommended for users who have older computers or devices with limited RAM and CPU capacity, users who prefer a minimalist and straightforward desktop environment, and those who want to extend the lifespan of their existing hardware without compromising on functionality.

Analysis of ReactOS

Overall verdict

  • ReactOS is a promising project with potential, but it is still in the alpha stage of development. This means it may not be stable enough for everyday use and might lack support for some hardware and software. While it offers an interesting alternative to Windows, users seeking stability and complete compatibility may find it falls short.

Why this product is good

  • ReactOS is an open-source operating system intended to be binary-compatible with applications and device drivers made for Microsoft Windows. The project aims to provide users with a free alternative to Windows, which can run Windows applications natively without the need for emulation or virtualization.

Recommended for

  • Technology enthusiasts who enjoy testing and contributing to open-source projects.
  • Developers interested in operating system design and contributing to an open-source effort.
  • Users looking to experiment with a Windows-compatible OS alternative for non-critical tasks.

Lubuntu videos

Lubuntu 18.10 Review - Now with LXQt Desktop

More videos:

  • Review - Lubuntu 19.10 Look Around
  • Review - Lubuntu 19.04 overview | Lightweight, fast, easier.

ReactOS videos

ReactOS Demo

More videos:

  • Review - ReactOS 0.4.12 Review - Window Snapping, New Fonts, New Looks!
  • Review - ReactOS Is An Open Source Windows-Inspired Operating System

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Lubuntu and ReactOS)
Linux
59 59%
41% 41
Operating Systems
68 68%
32% 32
Linux Distribution
77 77%
23% 23
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 Lubuntu and ReactOS

Lubuntu Reviews

Top 9 Fastest Linux Distros in 2024
Lubuntu has become your go-to choice, right? Itโ€™s not necessarily the best at everything, but it ticks all the right boxes. Quick boot times, responsiveness, and the freedom to install whatever you want. Lubuntuโ€™s got your back! Now, about that anonymous web browsing for political activism, youโ€™re on the right track. Consider the Tor Browser, a trusty VPN, and some privacy...
Source: linuxsimply.com
Best Top 20 Ubuntu Linux Alternatives (Pros and Cons)
Lubuntu is a lightweight Linux system based on Ubuntu that utilizes LXQt instead of GNOME. Lubuntu claims to be lighter, less resource-hungry, and more energy-efficient. Lubuntu is a combination of LXQt and Ubuntu.

ReactOS Reviews

We have no reviews of ReactOS yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ReactOS should be more popular than Lubuntu. It has been mentiond 78 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.

Lubuntu mentions (19)

  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (January 2025)
    Canonical | https://canonical.com/ | REMOTE | Software-Defined Networking Engineer We are particularly interested in candidates with deep understanding of Open vSwitch (OVS) and Open Virtual Network (OVN). https://canonical.com/careers/5163397 If you have a passion for networking technologies, deep familiarity with Linux networking and awareness of open source community best practices, then you will enjoy our... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • DevRel - Developer Relations - a scientific perspective
    Canonical: Engages with developer communities and ISVs to help them reach the Ubuntu ecosystem. Typically helps communities shape their snaps, charms, or Docker images based on Ubuntu and ensures Ubuntu is fully enabled in their CI/CD pipelines. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Running workloads at the edge with MicroK8s
    MicroK8s is a lightweight, batteries included Kubernetes distribution by Canonical designed for running edge workloads which also happens to be developer-friendly and a great choice for building your own homelab. The following lab covers how to install and run MicroK8s on your own edge node running Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, deploy the NGINX web service and exposing your NGINX website to the Internet with SSL/TLS enabled... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Session manager Anbox
    Anbox Cloud as a solution developed by Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, to bring Android at scale to any cloud with support for ultra low latency video streaming and recent Android versions. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Open Class - Distributing ROS2 Apps with Snaps
    In this open class, we will get hands-on with the new course Distributing ROS2 Apps with Snaps offered by Canonical - Developers of ubuntu), youโ€™ll learn the basics of snap creation for ROS & ROS2 applications. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

ReactOS mentions (78)

  • Microsoft Needs Windows Lite
    There is already a "Windows Lite", and it's called ReactOS [0]. Except, the last thing we need is for Microsoft to own / embrace-extend-exterminate this. It's best that it's kept as an independent project, enabling developers to target the Windows API if they feel like it, while ensuring that they only target the Wine-compatible parts of it, which then enables their software to also run seamlessly on other... - Source: Hacker News / 22 days ago
  • Microsoft's "Fix" for Windows 11: Flowers After the Beating
    Kinda off-topic, but I wonder if a hypothetical OS that reimplements the Windows APIs (like ReactOS[0], but with perfect modern hardware support) would be better for end users than a Linux distro with a modern DE. In the past, this hypothetical OS would be a revolution. But I feel that, in recent years, this gap is not as big anymore and Linux supports way more apps than in the past. Such an OS might even not be... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Not the Future
    On topic of less user-hostile OS , I wonder how this guys are doing: https://reactos.org/ https://elementary.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Using GNU toolchain for Windows kernel-mode drivers
    Compiling into object code is easy but linkig is tricky. For reference of possilbe options, I used an example from ReactOS project. ReactOS is the only working (sort of) full reverse-engineered NT operating system kernel. It is a cool project. ReactOS Github repo has a collection of build options for kernel-mode drivers that can be carved out of CMake files. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • YouTube is taking down videos on performing nonstandard Windows 11 installs
    Would this help you? https://reactos.org/ This is an open source reimplementation of winxp. I think they can even run drivers made for windows now. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Lubuntu and ReactOS, you can also consider the following products

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

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

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.

Windows 10 - Windows 10 unveils new innovations & is better than ever. Shop for Windows 10 laptops, PCs, tablets, apps & more. Learn about new upcoming features.

Zorin OS - A powerful operating system designed to make your computer faster, more secure and easier to use. DownloadDownload Liteย - Install Zorin OSย - Educationย - .