Software Alternatives & Reviews

SteamOS VS Pop!_OS

Compare SteamOS VS Pop!_OS 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.

Pop!_OS logo Pop!_OS

A developer-focused minimalist Linux distro from System 76
  • SteamOS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-18
  • Pop!_OS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-01

SteamOS videos

SteamOS Revisit - Valve Strikes Back!!!

More videos:

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

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SteamOS and Pop!_OS)
Linux
11 11%
89% 89
Operating Systems
11 11%
89% 89
Linux Distribution
9 9%
91% 91
Gaming
28 28%
72% 72

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 Pop!_OS

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

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.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Pop!_OS should be more popular than SteamOS. It has been mentiond 450 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.

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: 11 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
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Pop!_OS mentions (450)

  • Cosmic: The Road to Alpha
    You can click the button labeled "Support Pop" on this page. https://pop.system76.com/ The only option is $12/year last I checked. It'd be nice if we could donate a larger amount easily. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Using Linux Full-Time 2 years later
    Back when I first started to commit myself to "full-time Linux" I experienced stuff that many others had which was Decision Fatigue due to the amount, I mean the AMOUNT of choices of distros that I can use nuts, and I stick to the gamer OS which is Pop!_OS and my experience isn't really nice, especially with the experience of updates that sometimes a bit...outdated, also the software I use is limited that is just... - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Cannot Launch ANY Games...........
    Pop_OS uses systemd_boot instead of Grub and requires a 1GB Fat32 partition with the boot flag enabled. Manjaro can still boot Pop_OS. Pop_OS LTS ISO ==> https://pop.system76.com/. Source: 5 months ago
  • New to Linux
    You have a mix of older and bleeding edge hardware. Core i7-4790 was release in 2014 thus "older" (not old in my opinion). Your RTX 4060 GPU is bleeding edge hardware. What this means is that your CPU will be supported by a long list of Linux kernel versions. Your GPU might need one of the newer kernels to work properly. System76, makers of the Pop_OS distro, also sell Linux laptops and desktops with RTX 4000... Source: 5 months ago
  • Introduction
    My first Linux distro was PopOS and It was a refreshing experience. It was really easy to install, use, and game on. I distro hopped a few times to see what other linux flavors are like. These are the ones that I remember trying Zorin OS and Linux Mint. These ones looked mostly like windows and it was easy to use. At work, I gained most of my linux knowledge from docker and configuring / administrating RHEL... - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing SteamOS and Pop!_OS, 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.

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.

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

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.

Ubuntu GamePack - UALinux / Technology of the future - already today