Linux Mintvs
Ubuntu
Ubuntu: The distribution Mint is built on, with a larger ecosystem and a different desktop philosophy
Overview
What Linux Mint does
Linux Mint is a desktop Linux distribution based on Ubuntu, built around the principle that a desktop should be immediately familiar. Its Cinnamon desktop uses a conventional taskbar and menu layout rather than the reimagined interfaces other distributions favour, which is the main reason it is recommended to people leaving Windows. It ships media codecs and common drivers by default, removing the post-install configuration that trips up newcomers, and inherits Ubuntu’s package ecosystem so nearly all Ubuntu software and documentation applies.
What people use it for
- Moving a desktop or laptop off Windows with minimal retraining
- Reviving older hardware that struggles with current Windows releases
- Everyday desktop use where stability matters more than the newest packages
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Linux Mint.
- Based on Ubuntu LTS, so packages are deliberately older than rolling distributions
- Cinnamon is less polished on fractional scaling and multi-monitor setups than GNOME or KDE
- Smaller team than Ubuntu or Fedora, which shows in the pace of security response for its own components
- Wayland support has lagged behind the major desktops
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Linux Mint
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
Pricing
What Linux Mint costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Linux Mint
Free
- Full operating system
- All updates
- Community support
Capabilities
Features
Cinnamon desktop
A conventional taskbar-and-menu layout familiar to Windows users
Codecs included
Media playback works without post-install package hunting
Ubuntu package base
Access to the Ubuntu repositories and most of its documentation
Update manager
Updates presented with clear risk levels rather than a flat list
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Is Linux Mint free?
Yes, entirely free and open source, funded by donations and sponsors.
Is Linux Mint good for beginners?
It is one of the most commonly recommended distributions for people leaving Windows, because the desktop layout is conventional and media codecs are installed by default.
Can I run Ubuntu software on Linux Mint?
Yes. Mint is built on Ubuntu and uses its repositories, so nearly all Ubuntu packages and instructions apply.
Keep looking
Where to go from Linux Mint
- Linux Mint alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Linux Mint pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Linux Mint badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Operating Systems softwareThe full category
- Best Operating Systems softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Operating Systems software for
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Linux Mint, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on Linux Mint
Linux Mint alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
Linux Mint pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare Linux Mint
Put it head to head with anything we hold
Linux Mint badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best Operating Systems software alternatives
Ubuntu-based Linux distribution tuned for developers and GPU work
Commercial Linux distribution with long-term support
Arch-based Linux distribution with an installer and sane defaults
Rolling-release Linux distribution you assemble yourself
Unix-like operating system for servers and appliances
Community Linux distribution with cutting-edge upstream software
Community-maintained Linux distribution and universal computing platform.