Operating Systems · pricing
Ubuntu pricing
Ubuntu publishes 4 tiers. Below is each one, what it adds over the tier beneath it, and where the ladder stops being worth climbing for most people.
As of 29 August 2026, Ubuntu pricing is free across 4 published tiers. Figures are the vendor's list prices as recorded on this page's last check; the vendor's site is the final word.
- Entry price
- Free
- Model
- Freemium
- Tiers
- 4
- Free tier
- Yes
Ubuntu 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu (Free) | Free | 5 | Entry tier |
| Ubuntu Pro (Personal) | Free | 4 | +$0/month, 4 more features |
| Ubuntu Pro (Enterprise) | On request | 5 | Priced on request |
| Ubuntu Pro + Support | On request | 3 | Priced on request |
What each tier adds
The set difference between each tier's feature list and the one beneath it. Where a tier lists nothing new, the vendor has either stopped repeating the inherited list or the tier raises limits rather than adding capability, the record does not distinguish the two, so this page does not either.
Ubuntu (Free)
FreeThe entry tier. It covers desktop, server, core and cloud editions, community support, standard security updates (5 years lts), unlimited machines, no licensing fees.
Ubuntu Pro (Personal)
FreeOver Ubuntu (Free), this tier adds:
- Extended Security Maintenance (10 years)
- Kernel Livepatch
- Landscape management
- Up to 5 physical machines (50 for Ubuntu Community members)
Ubuntu Pro (Enterprise)
On requestOver Ubuntu Pro (Personal), this tier adds:
- 10 years Extended Security Maintenance
- FIPS 140, DISA-STIG, CIS compliance
- Landscape centralised management
- 30-day free trial available
Ubuntu Pro + Support
On requestOver Ubuntu Pro (Enterprise), this tier adds:
- All Ubuntu Pro features
- 24/7 break-fix and bug-fix support
- Expert assistance for infrastructure and applications
Where Ubuntu stops being free
Ubuntu (Free), Free
- Desktop, Server, Core and Cloud editions
- Community support
- Standard security updates (5 years LTS)
- Unlimited machines
- No licensing fees
No paid tier on record
Ubuntu lists a free tier and no priced tier above it in the record we hold.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu (this page) | Free | freemium | - | |
| Alpine Linux | Free | Open source, no licence fee | - | vs Ubuntu |
| Rocky Linux | Free | Open source, no licence fee | - | vs Ubuntu |
| AlmaLinux | Free | Open source, no licence fee | - | vs Ubuntu |
| NixOS | Free | Open source, no licence fee | - | vs Ubuntu |
| openSUSE | Free | Open source, no licence fee | - | vs Ubuntu |
| Qubes OS | Free | Open source, no licence fee | - | vs Ubuntu |
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 Ubuntu badges page.
Before you pay for Ubuntu
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: 4 tiers between Free and On request, with the jump itemised above. Because there is a free tier, the cheapest way to answer the rest is to use it before paying anything.
Ubuntu runs on desktop, server, cloud, iot, edge, wsl. The full record is on the Ubuntu review, and the rest of the category is under best operating systems tools.
Ubuntu pricing questions
- How much does Ubuntu cost?
- Ubuntu publishes 4 tiers, from Free for Ubuntu (Free) up to On request for Ubuntu Pro + Support. The entry tier costs nothing.
- Does Ubuntu have a free plan?
- Yes. The Ubuntu (Free) tier costs nothing and covers desktop, server, core and cloud editions, community support, standard security updates (5 years lts).
- What is the difference between Ubuntu (Free) and Ubuntu Pro (Personal) on Ubuntu?
- Ubuntu Pro (Personal) costs Free against Free, and adds extended security maintenance (10 years), kernel livepatch, landscape management, up to 5 physical machines (50 for ubuntu community members).
- Which operating systems tools can I use without paying?
- 7 of the 8 operating systems tools listed alongside Ubuntu have a free tier: Alpine Linux, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, NixOS, openSUSE.
- What am I actually paying for with Ubuntu?
- The record we hold does not itemise what each tier includes beyond the plan names and prices. The Ubuntu review carries whatever feature detail is available.
- Does Ubuntu charge per user?
- The record carries a price and a billing period for each of its 4 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 Ubuntu 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 Ubuntu against before paying?
- The closest operating systems tools in this directory are Alpine Linux, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, NixOS. Each has a side-by-side comparison with Ubuntu covering price, platforms and features.