Best Debian Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 tools from operating systems ranked against Debian on the same published basis.
- 1Debian vs pfSense
- 2Debian vs Ubuntu Server
- 3Debian vs Kali Linux
- 4Debian vs HPE Morpheus VM Essentials Software
- 5Debian vs Nix
- 6Debian vs Rocky Linux
- 7Debian vs AlmaLinux OS
- 8Debian vs Manjaro Linux
- 9Debian vs MX Linux
- 11Debian vs OPNsense
- 12Debian vs CentOS Stream
- 13Debian vs Fedora Linux
- 14Debian vs Kubuntu
- 15Debian vs Pop!_OS
- 16Debian vs SUSE Multi-Linux Manager
- 17Debian vs Wind River Conductor
- 18Debian vs OmniOS
- 19Debian vs postmarketOS
- 20Debian vs Raspberry Pi Imager
- 21Debian vs Amazon Linux
Debian alternatives compared
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | pfSense | 7.4 | Free plan | — | Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 2 | Ubuntu Server | 7.3 | Free plan | $2.08/mo | Linux, self-hosted |
| 3 | Kali Linux | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 4 | HPE Morpheus VM Essentials Software | 7.0 | No | $50/mo | Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 5 | Nix | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 6 | Rocky Linux | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 7 | AlmaLinux OS | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 8 | Manjaro Linux | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 9 | MX Linux | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 11 | OPNsense | 6.7 | Free plan | — | API, self-hosted, Web |
| 12 | CentOS Stream | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 13 | Fedora Linux | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 14 | Kubuntu | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 15 | Pop!_OS | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 16 | SUSE Multi-Linux Manager | 6.6 | No | — | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 17 | Wind River Conductor | 6.0 | No | — | Windows, Linux |
| 18 | OmniOS | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 19 | postmarketOS | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 20 | Raspberry Pi Imager | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 21 | Amazon Linux | 5.8 | No | — | Linux |
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Questions about Debian alternatives
What is the best alternative to Debian?
pfSense, number 1 in operating systems with a score of 7.4 out of 10. The others here: Ubuntu Server, Kali Linux, HPE Morpheus VM Essentials Software and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Debian?
pfSense is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 13 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing.