Operating Systems · pricing
Arch Linux pricing
Arch Linux publishes a single tier. Below is what it costs, what it covers, and how that compares with the operating systems tools listed alongside it.
- Entry price
- Free
- Model
- Open source, no licence fee
- Tiers
- 1
- Free tier
- Yes
Arch Linux plans, side by side
Every published tier in ascending order of price, with the number of features each one lists. An absence here means the record does not itemise it, not that the tier lacks it.
| Plan | Price | Features listed | Step up from the tier below |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arch Linux | Free | 3 | Entry tier |
Where Arch Linux stops being free
Arch Linux, Free
- Full operating system
- All updates
- Community support
No paid tier on record
Arch Linux lists a free tier and no priced tier above it in the record we hold.
What the product covers
The full Arch Linux feature record, grouped as the catalogue groups it. This is the product as a whole; the record does not map every feature onto a specific tier.
Other
- Rolling release
- Minimal base
- Pacman and the AUR
- The Arch Wiki
People bring Arch Linux in for developers who want current toolchain versions without backporting, systems where every installed package should be a deliberate choice, learning how a linux system actually fits together. If that is not the job you are buying for, the alternatives to Arch Linux are worth a look before you commit to a tier.
How that compares in Operating Systems
Too few operating systems tools in this directory publish a starting price to quote a meaningful median, so the table below is a like-for-like list rather than a ranking.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Rated | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arch Linux (this page) | Free | Open source, no licence fee | - | |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | On request | Per-system annual subscription; developer subscriptions available at no cost | - | vs Arch Linux |
| Pop!_OS | Free | Open source, no licence fee | - | vs Arch Linux |
| Manjaro | Free | Open source, no licence fee | - | vs Arch Linux |
| Linux Mint | Free | Open source, no licence fee | - | vs Arch Linux |
| FreeBSD | Free | Open source, no licence fee | - | vs Arch Linux |
| Debian | Free | open-source | - | vs Arch Linux |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry, they are not reviews hosted on Softwr. How each figure is used is set out on the Arch Linux badges page.
Before you pay for Arch Linux
Three things this page cannot tell you, and all three change the bill. The record carries a price and a billing period but not the unit - per-seat and flat-rate pricing are indistinguishable in this data, so a five-person team may be looking at five times the figure above. It carries no annual rate, so any discount for paying yearly is not something this page can quote. And it carries no trial length.
What it can tell you is the shape of the ladder: a single tier at Free. Because there is a free tier, the cheapest way to answer the rest is to use it before paying anything.
Arch Linux runs on linux, desktop, and is published by Arch Linux of Open source project. The full record is on the Arch Linux review, and the rest of the category is under best operating systems tools.
Arch Linux pricing questions
- How much does Arch Linux cost?
- Arch Linux publishes a single tier, Arch Linux, at Free.
- Does Arch Linux have a free plan?
- Yes. The Arch Linux tier costs nothing and covers full operating system, all updates, community support.
- Which operating systems tools can I use without paying?
- 7 of the 8 operating systems tools listed alongside Arch Linux have a free tier: Pop!_OS, Manjaro, Linux Mint, FreeBSD, Debian.
- What am I actually paying for with Arch Linux?
- The record lists 4 features across 1 area: other. In practice it is brought in for developers who want current toolchain versions without backporting, systems where every installed package should be a deliberate choice, learning how a linux system actually fits together.
- Does Arch Linux charge per user?
- The record carries a price and a billing period for each of its 1 tiers, but not the unit that price is charged in. Per-seat and flat-rate billing look identical in this data, so check the vendor's page before budgeting for a team.
- Are these Arch Linux prices current?
- They are what the catalogue entry holds, refreshed when the entry is. Vendors change pricing without notice and nobody at Softwr re-verifies each tier by hand, so treat this as a structured summary and the vendor's own pricing page as the authority.
- What should I compare Arch Linux against before paying?
- The closest operating systems tools in this directory are Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Pop!_OS, Manjaro, Linux Mint. Each has a side-by-side comparison with Arch Linux covering price, platforms and features.