| Distribution | Package manager(s) | Default DE(s) | Common DM | Popular WM(s) | Release model | Kernel | Init | Installer type | Latest release (version & date) | Base distro (and version) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu | apt (deb), Snap | GNOME | GDM | Mutter | Fixed (LTS + interim) | Linux 6.8 (ship kernel in 24.04) | systemd | Ubiquity (subiquity for server) | 24.04 LTS — released Apr 2026 | Debian stable (historically); Ubuntu is downstream of Debian (no single Debian version) |
| Linux Mint | apt (deb) | Cinnamon | LightDM | Muffin (Cinnamon) | Fixed (based on Ubuntu LTS) | Linux 6.8 (follows Ubuntu 24.04 kernel) | systemd | Mint Installer (graphical) | Linux Mint 22.3 (based on Ubuntu 22.04) — latest Mint stable (Nov 2023) — (no 2026 release) | Based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy) for 22.x series |
| Debian | apt (deb) | GNOME (default) | GDM / LightDM | Mutter, KWin, Xfwm | Stable / Testing / Unstable | Linux 6.1 (Debian 12 "Bookworm" shipped 6.1) | systemd | Debian-Installer (d-i) | Debian 12.1/12.x updates — Debian 12 "Bookworm" released Jun 10, 2023 (point releases since) | Independent (not based on another distro) |
| Fedora | dnf (rpm) | GNOME | GDM | Mutter | Fixed (approx. 6-month cadence) | Linux 6.8+ (Fedora 39/40 era kernels) | systemd | Anaconda | Fedora 39 / 40 (Fedora 40 released Apr 2024; Fedora 41 Apr 2025) — latest stable as of Apr 2026: Fedora 42 (released Apr 2026) | Independent (upstream Red Hat-sponsored) |
| Arch Linux | pacman | None (user choice) | User choice | i3, Sway, Openbox | Rolling | Linux ~6.8+ (rolling kernel) | systemd | Arch Install (archinstall) / manual | Rolling release — latest ISO 2026-03-01 (example) | Independent (not based on another distro) |
| Manjaro | pacman | XFCE (original), KDE, GNOME | LightDM / SDDM | Xfwm, KWin, Mutter | Semi-rolling | Linux 6.5–6.8 (manjaro kernels vary) | systemd | Calamares | Manjaro 22.x / 23.x (stable branches; latest ISO Mar 2026) | Based on Arch (binary-compatible) |
| openSUSE Leap | zypper (rpm) | KDE Plasma (common) | SDDM | KWin | Fixed (Leap) | Linux 6.1 (Leap aligns with SUSE Linux Enterprise kernels) | systemd | YaST installer | openSUSE Leap 15.5 (released Jun 2024) | Based on SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) sources (Leap = SLE-compatible) |
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | zypper (rpm) | KDE, GNOME | SDDM / GDM | KWin, Mutter | Rolling | Linux rolling (6.8+ as of 2026) | systemd | Calamares/YaST | Rolling — snapshots updated continuously; latest snapshot Apr 2026 | Independent (rolling upstream) |
| CentOS Stream (Alma/Rocky noted) | dnf (rpm) | GNOME (desktop spins) | GDM | Mutter | CentOS Stream = rolling-preview; Alma/Rocky = RHEL-compatible stable | Linux 5.15–6.x (varies by downstream) | systemd | Anaconda | CentOS Stream 9 (ongoing), AlmaLinux 9.x (latest point release 2025/2026) | Based on RHEL (CentOS Stream is upstream of RHEL; Alma/Rocky are rebuilds of RHEL) |
| Pop!_OS | apt (deb) | GNOME (customized) | GDM | Mutter | Fixed (Ubuntu-based releases) | Linux 6.8 (follows Ubuntu base) | systemd | Pop!_OS installer (system76-installer) | Pop!_OS 24.04 — released Apr 2024 (and point releases since) | Based on Ubuntu (e.g., 24.04-based editions) |
| Linux Lite | apt (deb) | Xfce | LightDM | Xfwm | Fixed (Ubuntu LTS-based) | Linux 5.15–6.x (depends on base) | systemd | Ubiquity / Calamares (in some versions) | Linux Lite 6.x (based on Ubuntu 22.04) — latest as of 2024–2025 | Based on Ubuntu LTS (e.g., 22.04) |
| MX Linux | apt (deb) | Xfce | LightDM | Xfwm | Fixed (Debian Stable-based) | Linux 6.1 (MX 21 based on Debian 11) | systemd/sysvinit options | MX Installer (graphical) | MX Linux 21.4 / MX 22 (MX 21 released 2021; point updates ongoing) | Based on Debian Stable (e.g., Debian 11/12 depending on MX version) |
| EndeavourOS (Arch-based example) | pacman | Varies | Varies | i3, Openbox, etc. | Rolling | Linux rolling (6.x) | systemd | Calamares | Rolling — latest ISO Apr 2026 | Based on Arch Linux |
| Gentoo | Portage (source-based) | User choice | User choice | Openbox, i3, etc. | Rolling | Kernel chosen/compiled by user (commonly 6.x) | OpenRC (default) or systemd (optional) | Minimal stage3 tarball + manual | Rolling — live/installation releases are stage snapshots (2026-04 snapshot) | Independent (source-based) |
| Kali Linux | apt (deb) | Xfce (default) | LightDM | Xfwm, i3 | Rolling | Linux 6.x (current rolling kernels) | systemd | Calamares / Installer | Kali Rolling (2026-04 snapshot) — Kali 2026.1 snapshot Apr 2026 | Based on Debian Testing (as of Kali's model) |
| Zorin OS | apt (deb) | GNOME (custom) | GDM | Mutter | Fixed (Ubuntu LTS-based) | Linux 6.1–6.8 (depends on base) | systemd | Zorin Installer (Ubiquity-based) | Zorin OS 16.x (based on Ubuntu 22.04) — Zorin 16.6 (2024) | Based on Ubuntu LTS (e.g., 22.04) |
| Elementary OS | apt (deb) | Pantheon | LightDM / Gala greeter | Gala (window manager/compositor) | Fixed (Ubuntu LTS-based) | Linux 6.1 (based on Ubuntu 22.04 kernel) | systemd | Pantheon Installer (Ubiquity-based) | elementary OS 7 (based on Ubuntu 22.04) — released 2023 | Based on Ubuntu LTS |
| Slackware | pkgtool (tgz) | Xfce / KDE (historically) | xdm / custom | KWin, Xfwm, Fluxbox | Stable (conservative) | Linux 5.x–6.x (depends on release) | BSD-style init / Slackware init | Slackware installer (ncurses) | Slackware 15.0 — released Feb 2, 2022; point updates ongoing | Independent (one of the oldest independent distros) |
| Void Linux | xbps | User choice | Varies | Openbox, i3 | Rolling | Linux 6.x (rolling kernels) | runit | Void installer (ciy-install or void-installer) | Rolling — latest ISO Apr 2026 | Independent |
| NixOS | nix | User choice | Varies | Varies | Channel-based/Declarative (rolling-like channels) | Linux 6.x (channel dependent) | systemd | NixOS installer (graphical/advanced) | NixOS 23.11 / 24.05 channels (latest stable channel as of Apr 2026) | Independent (Nix package manager & OS) |
Notes and caveats: