Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Pop!_OS VS OpenBSD

Compare Pop!_OS VS OpenBSD and see what are their differences

Pop!_OS logo Pop!_OS

A developer-focused minimalist Linux distro from System 76

OpenBSD logo OpenBSD

FREE, multi-platform 4.4BSD-based UNIX-like operating system
  • Pop!_OS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-01
  • OpenBSD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-10-17

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.

OpenBSD features and specs

  • Security
    OpenBSD is known for its focus on security. It undergoes rigorous code auditing, has a proactive security approach, and includes features like secure memory management and privilege separation.
  • Stability
    The operating system is well-known for its stability and reliability, due to its minimalist approach and an emphasis on creating a robust user experience.
  • Documentation
    OpenBSD provides comprehensive and thorough documentation, making it easier for users to understand and utilize its features effectively.
  • Cryptography
    The system includes strong cryptography and has been a pioneer in developing and implementing various cryptographic techniques and software.
  • Simplicity
    OpenBSD focuses on simplicity in its design and functionality, reducing unnecessary complexities and streamlining the user experience.

Possible disadvantages of OpenBSD

  • Hardware Support
    OpenBSD may have limited hardware support compared to other operating systems, which can pose challenges for users with modern or specialized hardware.
  • Software Availability
    It can lack the breadth of software availability found on more popular platforms like Linux or Windows, which might limit its use for certain applications or tasks.
  • Performance
    Some users may find that OpenBSD prioritizes security over performance, resulting in slower performance compared to other systems optimized for speed.
  • Limited Community
    The user community for OpenBSD is smaller relative to other open-source operating systems, which can lead to less support and community-driven resources.
  • Learning Curve
    For new users, especially those not familiar with Unix-like systems, OpenBSD can present a steep learning curve due to its unique configuration and system management.

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

OpenBSD videos

Intro to most secure OS OpenBSD with sexiest Manjaro DeepIn Linux

More videos:

  • Review - Why I Switched From Arch Linux to OpenBSD
  • Review - Product Review - OpenBSD 6.3

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pop!_OS and OpenBSD)
Linux
94 94%
6% 6
Operating Systems
93 93%
7% 7
Linux Distribution
94 94%
6% 6
Popups
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 Pop!_OS and OpenBSD

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.

OpenBSD Reviews

Best free Linux router and firewall distributions of 2023
These systems are not intended for routers. They are general-purpose operating systems and should not really be used as routers. Similar to OpenBSD and VyOS, you will have to configure everything by hand without a Web Interface. It's easy to make a mistake and leave a hole that exposes internal systems to attackers.
Source: teklager.se

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Pop!_OS seems to be a lot more popular than OpenBSD. While we know about 456 links to Pop!_OS, we've tracked only 13 mentions of OpenBSD. 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.

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 2 months 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 / 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 / 7 months ago
View more

OpenBSD mentions (13)

  • Can't import bookmarks in Firefox
    Thank you. I appreciate the answer. I was grokking the openbsd.org website for quite a while and didn't see anything like this. Source: over 1 year ago
  • fw_update: yes//SHA256.sig: No such file or directory
    I seem to be able to ping openbsd.org, as I see 64 bytes from... continuously. However, when I try to install software such as doas pkg_add vim I get Can't find vim. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Configuring a simple router with OpenBSD
    OpenBSD is a security-first Unix-like operating system belonging to the BSD family of operating systems. It is best known for the OpenSSH project founded in 1999 under the OpenBSD umbrella which has garnered widespread adoption beyond OpenBSD, including the infamous Linux operating system and even Microsoft Windows (since Windows 10). - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Why Artix?
    There are Gentoo variants with precompiled binary packages and backward compatibility. Redcore , Calculate, Pentoo, Funtoo and others. By OpenBSD I mean. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Help, Installing OpenBSD for first time.
    (unable to get list from openbsd.org, but that is OK). Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pop!_OS and OpenBSD, 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.

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

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

Deep Instinct - Deep Instinct is revolutionizing cyber security, offering advanced cyber security solutions that harness the power of deep learning analytics with unprecedented deep machine learning and AI prediction models.

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

BioCatch - Seamless and secure online experiences are built with BioCatch behavioral biometrics. We’re more than just fraud prevention. Our solution powers your digital growth.