Debian vs elementary OS
| Debian | elementary OS | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Paid from | Free | — |
| Open source | No | No |
| Platforms | Linux, self-hosted | Linux |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Device types | Personal computers; cloud virtual machines | PCs and Macs; Apple Silicon and Raspberry Pi devices are listed as ARM download targets |
| CPU architectures | amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, riscv64, s390x; i386 supported as a co-architecture for 32-bit software on amd64; armel upgrades only | Intel or AMD 64-bit; ARM 64-bit |
| Support lifecycle | Debian 13: five years, including three years of full Debian support through August 9, 2028 and LTS through June 30, 2030 | — |
| Built-in management | APT package installation, removal, and distribution upgrades | AppCenter and System Settings provide app and OS updates; automatic OS updates can be enabled |
| App compatibility | Debian packages (.deb); APT package manager | Curated AppCenter apps; Flatpak sideloading from third-party sources |
| Deployment models | Physical computer installation; live boot from CD, DVD, or USB; OpenStack and QEMU cloud images; Amazon EC2 and Microsoft Azure images | Installable on physical computers; ISO installation media; OEM installation and custom disk imaging |
Both are listed in Best Operating Systems. On Inferse, Debian scores higher on our published basis.