Best Operating Systems in 2026
Updated
In short: AlmaLinux OS is ranked #1 of 45 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of pfSense and Rocky Linux. The best-ranked option with a free plan is pfSense. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Ubuntu Server at $2.08/mo.
An operating system shapes which applications can run and how devices and workloads are managed. Compare these options on app compatibility, built-in management, CPU architectures, device types, and deployment models. Support lifecycle can help you assess ongoing fit, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing provide cost details. AlmaLinux OS, pfSense, and Rocky Linux are among the entries, alongside CentOS Stream, Debian, Fedora Linux, and Kubuntu. Check the listed architecture and deployment details against the systems you need to support.
45 operating systems ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
11 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AlmaLinux OSWindows · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 2 | pfSenseWeb · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 3 | Rocky LinuxWindows · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 4 | CentOS StreamLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 5 | DebianLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 6 | Fedora LinuxLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 7 | KubuntuLinux | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 8 | Manjaro LinuxLinux | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 9 | OPNsenseWeb · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 10 | Ubuntu ServerLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $2.08/mo | 6.4 | |
| 11 | NixWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 5.4 | |
| 12 | Kali LinuxWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 13 | Raspberry Pi ImagerLinux | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 14 | SUSE Multi-Linux ManagerLinux | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 15 | Wind River ConductorWindows · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 16 | Alpine LinuxLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 17 | Amazon LinuxLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 18 | ChromeOSWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 19 | elementary OSLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 20 | Fedora CoreOSLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 21 | Gentoo LinuxLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 22 | Linux MintLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 23 | LubuntuLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 24 | MX LinuxLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 25 | NetBSDNo platforms listed | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which operating system is ranked first on Freedom251?
AlmaLinux OS is ranked #1 of 45 with a score of 6.5. pfSense is second and Rocky Linux third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Ubuntu Server has the lowest first paid tier we found: $2.08/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.