Software Alternatives & Reviews

SteamOS VS OpenELEC

Compare SteamOS VS OpenELEC and see what are their differences

SteamOS logo SteamOS

We've been hard at work to deliver on our promise of a new kind of living room entertainment environment - one that is accessible, powerful and open. In making SteamOS available to you, we're excited to take the next major step towards that goal.

OpenELEC logo OpenELEC

OpenELEC, which stands for Open Embedded Linux Entertainment Center, is a Linux operating system that makes the host computer a Kodi media center. The software was the winner of the Swiss Opensource Award in 2014.
  • SteamOS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-18
  • OpenELEC Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-01-29

SteamOS videos

SteamOS Revisit - Valve Strikes Back!!!

More videos:

  • Review - What is SteamOS Explained ft Linus' Steam Machine

OpenELEC videos

My HTPC Is Now Running OpenELEC

More videos:

  • Review - OpenELEC Installation Guide 2019

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SteamOS and OpenELEC)
Linux
100 100%
0% 0
Video
0 0%
100% 100
Operating Systems
100 100%
0% 0
Media Player
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

SteamOS Reviews

9 Best Linux Gaming Distributions in 2021
SteamOS is not your usual desktop operating system. It is tailored for playing games via Steam on your machine. You may choose to run common Linux applications as well – but I’d suggest you to test it out only if you want to use Steam as your preferred platform for gaming.
Source: itsfoss.com

OpenELEC Reviews

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

Based on our record, SteamOS seems to be a lot more popular than OpenELEC. While we know about 56 links to SteamOS, we've tracked only 2 mentions of OpenELEC. 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.

SteamOS mentions (56)

  • Is it possible for a PC to only run steam and steam games and nothing else?
    SteamOS exists but may limit the games that could be played since it's a Linux based OS. Steam itself also has a web browser so no matter the way you do it have to research how or if you can disable that. There's also ways you could clamp windows down a lot but that's a lot of work. Source: 5 months ago
  • So about SteamOS and ChimeraOS...
    I'm a bit confused about SteamOS. Is this the offical version for desktop devices? If so, why do people use ChimeraOS if there is already an offical version of it? Or is it not complete. Source: 6 months ago
  • An L bois
    Closest you'll get is with SteamOS which can be run on a PC: https://store.steampowered.com/steamos. Source: 11 months ago
  • Install on Steam Deck?
    I know I could install Dungeondraft on my Steam Deck when running Windows, but is it possible to install Dungeondraft on my Steam Deck when in "Desktop Mode" of the SteamOS? I know Dungeondraft specifically says "Ubuntu" as one of the OSes it supports, but SteamOS is based on Debian Jessie. I've tried to research how much different Jessie is from Ubuntu, but I'm not having much luck. Source: 12 months ago
  • Why do reviewers still say that the Steam Deck can't run Windows?
    It’s literally a Debian distro…. https://store.steampowered.com/steamos. Source: 12 months ago
View more

OpenELEC mentions (2)

  • Does Kodi support HDR passthrough using an x86 processor or an nvidia/AMD dGPU on Linux now?
    Its all good. I use to run Kodi on a HTPC that I built with openelec and it was pretty stable. I am not sure if it is available anymore (openelec.tv) it was a linux distro. I switched to NVidia shield due to the accessibility to Netflix and Amazon and I have not looked back. Oh an its cheaper than a HTPC I think... Source: about 2 years ago
  • Got Jellyfin a few days ago and LOVE the web version, but bad Roku app is a dealbreaker. Before I can it, are there any work arounds you guys have found?
    I know there are various customized distros for the RasPi, such as OpenElec, but as a staunch Linux and FLOSS advocate I still don't think that's what most people are searching for when they look for a streaming device these days. Source: about 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing SteamOS and OpenELEC, you can also consider the following products

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

LibreELEC - LibreELEC is ‘Just enough OS’ for Kodi, a Linux distribution built to run Kodi on current and...

Pop!_OS - A developer-focused minimalist Linux distro from System 76

GeeXboX - Dec 3, 2017 - . Author: Tomtom 1 Comment. Hi,.

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.

OSMC - OSMC is a free and open source media center built for the people, by the people.