CentOS Stream vs KaiOS
| CentOS Stream | KaiOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Paid from | Free | — |
| Open source | No | No |
| Platforms | Linux, self-hosted | Linux |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Device types | Servers, workstations, cloud instances, and containers | Smart feature phones; non-touch mobile phones |
| CPU architectures | CentOS Stream 10: AMD/Intel 64-bit (x86_64_v3), ARM 64-bit (ARMv8.0-A), IBM Power (POWER9), IBM Z (z14) | — |
| Support lifecycle | CentOS Stream 10 maintained until 2030; roughly five-year lifecycle. CentOS Stream 9 end-of-life: 2027-05-31. | Published active baselines include KaiOS 2.5.3 and 3.1 through June 30, 2027, and 2.6 and 4.0 through June 30, 2029. KaiOS separately describes at least three years of support for versions 2.6.x and 4.x. |
| Built-in management | DNF repositories and package management | — |
| App compatibility | BaseOS and AppStream repositories; RPM packages; Xwayland compatibility layer for legacy X11 applications | HTML5/web apps; packaged apps can use privileged APIs; hosted apps run content from a web server; app updates/distribution through KaiStore |
| Deployment models | Physical-device installation media; cloud images; container images; Vagrant boxes | Installed on OEM/ODM smart feature phones |
Both are listed in Best Operating Systems. On Inferse, CentOS Stream scores higher on our published basis.