elementary OS vs Gentoo Linux
| elementary OS | Gentoo Linux | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Paid from | — | — |
| Open source | No | No |
| Platforms | Linux | Linux |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Device types | PCs and Macs; Apple Silicon and Raspberry Pi devices are listed as ARM download targets | desktop PCs, servers, embedded and small systems, single-board computers |
| CPU architectures | Intel or AMD 64-bit; ARM 64-bit | Alpha, AMD64 (x86_64), ARM, ARM64, HPPA (PA-RISC), IA64, MIPS, PPC, PPC64, RISC-V 64-bit, SPARC64, x86 (i486/i686) |
| Built-in management | AppCenter and System Settings provide app and OS updates; automatic OS updates can be enabled | Portage/emerge package installation and updates; repository synchronization; profile and USE flag configuration |
| App compatibility | Curated AppCenter apps; Flatpak sideloading from third-party sources | Gentoo ebuild repository; source builds and binary package installation |
| Deployment models | Installable on physical computers; ISO installation media; OEM installation and custom disk imaging | physical computer installation; embedded and single-board computer installation |
Both are listed in Best Operating Systems. On Freedom251, elementary OS scores higher on our published basis.