Software Alternatives & Reviews

Maru VS Mobian

Compare Maru VS Mobian and see what are their differences

Maru logo Maru

Maru is a new kind of computing experience. It gives you a single, context-aware device that makes personal computing really simple. And guess what? That device is your smartphone.

Mobian logo Mobian

Mobian, Debian for mobile devices
  • Maru Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-27
  • Mobian Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-18

Maru videos

Maru by Bessie Head (Book Review)

More videos:

  • Review - Maru Voice Review - Can You Actually Cash Out On This Website?
  • Review - Maru OS Review - A full desktop PC in a phone!

Mobian videos

Mobian | The Best Mobile Linux Distro

More videos:

  • Review - Mobian on the Pinephone Review 2021
  • Review - PinePhone OSes: Mobian

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Maru and Mobian)
Mobile OS
28 28%
72% 72
Mobile SDK
25 25%
75% 75
Operating Systems
28 28%
72% 72
OS & Utilities
37 37%
63% 63

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Maru and Mobian

Maru Reviews

Best Android OS for PC 64 bit or 32 bit for 2021 to download
Maru introduced a different approach to run Android on PC. It is available for some selected smartphones as firmware that once installed on the smartphone; it can be used as both smartphones and when connects to PC gives a complete desktop experience. Your phone runs independently of your desktop so you can take a call and work on your big screen at the same time. Just like...

Mobian Reviews

Android Alternative: Top 12 Mobile Operating Systems
Needless to say, it does not support Android apps and the app support is limited. However, Mobian sets out to bring an alternative mobile OS to Android which is quite nice. Mobian uses Phosh, a mobile shell built by Purism, and deploys well-known frameworks like Gnome and GTK. All in all, I would say, Mobian is a potential alternative to Android and you can definitely give...
Source: beebom.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Mobian should be more popular than Maru. It has been mentiond 16 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.

Maru mentions (8)

  • Switching to PinePhone for a noob
    It seems it is possible to connect a docking bar to the PinePhone but I cannot find what happens next? Is it possible to show on a screen what is displayed on my phone or is it dual screen or can I choose? I love the concepts behind maruOs but I think the project is dead. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Available Today: Windows Dev Kit 2023 a.k.a. Project Volterra
    >> So what exactly are “consumers” clamoring for that are not currently being delivered? Until other choices are available, people tend to accept the default or keep on doing what was done in the past. There is a segment of consumers that would like choices beyond Apple and Google mobile operating systems:... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • How can I use my old Android phone as a basic computer?
    Depending on what the model is, you could try Maru https://maruos.com/. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Are any Android ROMs focused on Android's desktop mode?
    I just found MaruOS. It appears to be exactly what I was looking for. They are a little small apparently. They support only Nexus and Pixel phones and one Samsung's device. Hopefully they'll have a bright future. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Use phone as desktop computer when linked to a monitor
    So someone in this subreddit told me about Maru OS and that really got me dreaming about using my phone as a desktop computer when connected to a monitor. The Astro Slide with its dual boot capabilities and its two USB-C ports would be ideal for that I think. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Mobian mentions (16)

  • Best OS for Pinephone Pro?
    I haven't messed with mine recently so not sure what the status of mobian is right now, but it would be worth giving it a try. Source: 12 months ago
  • Show HN: DivestOS, long term support for end-of-life Android devices
    Sounds like you want https://postmarketos.org/ or https://mobian-project.org/ ? - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Recent work towards mobile GNOME demoed on OnePlus 6 (Video by @calebccff on Twitter)
    This is still in active development. I would recommend trying postmarketOS or Mobian if you have a compatible device. They are both mainly packaged with Phosh, which is also a GNOME project, although most development is headed by Purism. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Droidian Linux on Google Pixel 3a
    Droidian is based on Mobian, a distro that aims to adapt Debian to mobile. It uses the same technologies as Ubuntu Touch (libhybris and Halium) to create support for Android devices. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • We have developed an application that gives people worldwide a tool to boycott brands that have not left Russian and pay taxes there, identifying businesses that still operate by their names. We have added a barcode scanner so that you can scan products directly in the store.
    I have to make compromises often, but I choose to only install programs that can trust after setting up my system because I need to trust the device that I carry around with me 100% of the time in my pocket. I use Mobian on my phone and the only nonfree software installed are a few drivers. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Maru and Mobian, you can also consider the following products

Android - Android is an open source mobile operating system initially released by Google in 2008 and has since become of the most widely used operating systems on any platform.

Ubuntu Touch - Read more about Ubuntu Touch. Our free and open source mobile OS is made and maintained by UBports! We care about your freedom and privacy.

LineageOS - Operating system for smartphones and tablet computers, based on the Android

CopperheadOS - Secure Android built for encrypted and secure phones by a privacy focused company. Available as security-centric and privacy focused Google-free Android for the latest devices. Fully integrated with the latest IDS and MDM enterprise technologies.

postmarketOS - A real Linux distribution on the phone

GrapheneOS - GrapheneOS is an open source privacy and security focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility.