AlmaLinux OS vs OpenWrt
AlmaLinux OS
almalinux.orgOpenWrt
openwrt.orgSide by side
| Figure | AlmaLinux OS | OpenWrt |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Operating Systems | 9.0 (#1) | 8.6 (#5) |
| Founded | The Foundation says it was founded in March 2021 to own and manage AlmaLinux OS. | 2004 |
| License | The distribution compilation is licensed under GPLv2, while included packages retain their individual upstream licenses; unique non-OS software may use GPLv3 and libraries may use MIT. | The build environment is generally GPLv2, while bundled third-party components may use their own open-source or public-domain licenses. |
| Security updates | The Foundation publishes errata for security issues and bug fixes, with analysis of their significance. | The downloads page says the outdated 24.10 release will continue to receive limited security and bug fixes for some time. |
| Support | Community support is available through forums, chat, and Reddit, while commercial support is offered by listed providers including Cybertrust Japan and TuxCare. | The project says support may be provided voluntarily by developers and users, but is not guaranteed. |
| What it does | AlmaLinux OS is a community-governed enterprise Linux distribution designed for stable production workloads and binary compatibility with RHEL. | OpenWrt is a Linux distribution and replacement firmware for embedded devices, especially wireless routers. |
Plans
In their own words
AlmaLinux OS
AlmaLinux OS is a free, open-source, community-owned enterprise Linux distribution designed for binary compatibility with RHEL. The project presents it as an option for users who need enterprise Linux without a commercial license agreement, including people seeking a CentOS Linux replacement. It can run on servers, workstations, virtual machines, cloud instances, containers, Raspberry Pi devices and Windows Subsystem for Linux environments. ISO downloads cover x86_64, aarch64, ppc64le and s390x architectures. The project also provides cloud images, OCI, Docker and UBI-compatible container images, Vagrant images, and live media with several desktop choices. A WSL image provides a terminal environment on Windows. The Foundation publishes security and bug-fix errata, and packages are GPG-signed and verified by default when installed. OpenSCAP, SCAP Workbench, OVAL streams and CIS tooling are available for auditing or hardening systems. Community support is available through forums, chat and Reddit; commercial support is offered separately by listed providers. The project plans stable updates and security patches for 8.x until 2029 and 9.x until 2032.
OpenWrt
OpenWrt is a Linux operating system for embedded devices, commonly wireless routers. Its writable filesystem and optional package management let users customize devices by adding packages; the project lists more than 27,000 packages and services. Configuration is available through an SSH command-line interface or a web interface, and the Table of Hardware helps check device support before installation. Hardware capacity is a key consideration: OpenWrt identifies 8 MB flash and 64 MB RAM as bare minimums, while warning against devices at those limits for current, secure use. The downloads page lists OpenWrt 25.12.5 as the current stable release and describes development snapshots as generally untested. The older 24.10 release is slated to receive limited security and bug fixes for some time. OpenWrt is free software, with no subscription or licensing fees. The project says users should know GNU/Linux and basic networking concepts before installing it; voluntary support from developers and users is not guaranteed.