Whonix VS PureOS

Whonix

Whonix aims at preserving your privacy and anonymity by helping you use your applications...

PureOS

A user friendly, secure and freedom respecting OS for your daily usage

Landing page //
2023-01-20

Landing page //
2022-03-20

Whonix 15 - Anonymous Web Browsing

PureOS videos

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PureOS 8.0 - Based on Debian 10 Buster and Using GNOME 3.30 as Default Desktop Environment

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Whonix and PureOS)

PureOS

Operating Systems

56 56%

Operating Systems

44% 44

Mobile OS

0 0%

Mobile OS

100% 100

Linux

65 65%

Linux

35% 35

Mobile SDK

0 0%

Mobile SDK

100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Whonix and PureOS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews

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

Whonix Reviews

Best Linux distro for privacy and security of 2024

As it runs in a virtual machine, Whonix is compatible with all operating systems that can run Virtualbox. Virtual machines can only use a portion of your real system's resources, so Whonix will not necessarily perform as fast as an OS that has been installed to a local hard drive.

Source: www.techradar.com

Top 5 Secure Operating Systems for Privacy and Anonymity

Meanwhile, the Whonix-Workstation provides a safe, isolated workspace so you can carry out your online activities. This virtual machine is intentionally kept separate from the host operating system and the Whonix-Gateway, establishing a highly secure environment. As a result, even if the Whonix-Workstation were to be compromised, an attacker would still be unable to access...

Source: www.stationx.net

The 5 Best Privacy-Focused Operating Systems

Developed by the Tor Project, Whonix is another privacy-focused OS that relies on virtualization, but it's specifically designed for use within a virtual machine. This Linux distribution routes all your internet traffic through the Tor network, ensuring strong anonymity and privacy.

Source: www.makeuseof.com

Avoid The Hack: 11 Best Privacy Friendly Operating Systems (Desktops)

Whonix focuses on privacy, security, and anonymity. It aims to realistically addresses common attack vectors, possibly protecting users from zero-day vulnerability exploitation. Whonix can be figured to run in a "live mode" similar to TAILS, though this is not Whonix's default.

Source: avoidthehack.com

Best Secure Linux Distros for Enhanced Privacy & Security

Whonix has recently added an amnesic live mode that “forgets” user’ activities - not leaving traces on disk. The distro is currently working to create a unified desktop experience. Whonix developer Patrick Schleizer explains, “Our upcoming Whonix-Host extends many of our usability and hardening features to the entire desktop.”

Source: linuxsecurity.com

PureOS Reviews

The 10 Best Immutable Linux Distributions in 2024

Why it’s on the list: PureOS offers a great balance of immutability and usability. While not fully immutable, it incorporates many immutable principles, particularly in handling software updates and system stability.

Source: www.fosslinux.com

The 5 Best Privacy-Focused Operating Systems

PureOS is a privacy-focused Linux distribution developed by Purism, a company committed to user privacy and open-source software. It comes pre-installed on Purism's Librem laptops and is designed to provide a secure and privacy-conscious computing environment.

Source: www.makeuseof.com

Open Source Mobile OS Alternatives To Android

It’s more of a Linux-based smartphone rather than a Linux-based smartphone OS, but I believe that the convergent PureOS should be able to run on other devices with some tweaks.

Source: itsfoss.com

Top 15 Best Security-Centric Linux Distributions of 2020

PureOS is a user-friendly Debian-based distribution built with a focus on user privacy and security by Purism – the company behind Liberem computers and smartphones.

Source: www.tecmint.com

Social recommendations and mentions

PureOS might be a bit more popular than Whonix. We know about 13 links to it since March 2021 and only 13 links to Whonix. 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.

Whonix mentions (13)

When downloading and exmaning files from the darkweb, what is the safest option for opening a file in virtualbox tails.
Virtual box Tails is pointless. Just use Whonix.. To examine files also use VirusTotal. Source: over 1 year ago
currently running tails over vm on the most secure settings for both programs what could be a point of weakness like would u recommend a vpn a proxy chain? what would u recommend for extra anonymity?
Running TAILS in a virtual machine for anonymity is a fools errand. Research Whonix and its independent gateway and workstation VM. Configured correctly the only network interface of the workstation is the gateway over Tor providing a higher assurance of security. Source: over 1 year ago
Firefox with tor?
Whonix is a Linux-based environment that can theoretically transport any TCP/IP application over Tor and greatly reduces the potential for IP leaks by having a secondary 'gateway' that runs Tor independent from the client device over a private network. Source: almost 2 years ago
How to Code Anonymously, Part 2: Network Security
The previous strategy is great, but it's actually easier and more effective to just use Whonix. Whonix is a Linux distro - designed to be run out of VirtualBox - that implements all the goodness of the previous strategy. Even better, it comes with a novel network architecture that involves two virtual machines for extra protection:. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
Qubes os Team - issue report
Since this appears in sys-whonix, I suggest reporting this to the Whonix team. Source: over 2 years ago

PureOS mentions (13)

Laptops with Linux
Librem 14 by Purism, can't recall the specifics for this one; sorry*. I do remember that we owe PureOS to them. Source: about 1 year ago
I am losing my mind while protecting my online privacy
Another option is PureOS, and you might even consider buying privacy-oriented hardware, such as the Libram product line of computers, laptops, smartphones from Purism, which is just one among many manufacturers in this market. Source: over 1 year ago
Are there any useable Linux phone Os besides Ubuntu Touch
There's ClearOS https://www.clearos.com/products/clearos-editions/clearos-mobile and PureOS https://pureos.net/ which the Librem 5 uses. Source: almost 2 years ago
GNOME is on which tablets or phones?
Check following link. You can order gnome phone here. Https://pureos.net/. Source: over 2 years ago
How to keep Debian FSF "approved"?
If you can actually use a FSF distribution (you don’t need proprietary drivers) you can use PureOS from Purism. It is based on Debian and up streams all their work back to it. https://pureos.net/. Source: over 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Whonix and PureOS, you can also consider the following products

Tails - Tails is a Debian based live CD/USB with the goal of providing complete Internet anonymity for the...

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.

Qubes OS - Qubes is a security-oriented, free and open-source operating system for personal computers that allows you to securely compartmentalize your digital life.‎Download Mirrors · ‎Qubes R4.

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

Linux Kodachi - Kodachi is a Debian-based distro which can be run from a DVD or USB thumb drive.

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

Whonix vs Linux Kodachi