Gentoo Linux vs Ubuntu Server
| Gentoo Linux | Ubuntu Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | No | Yes |
| Paid from | — | $2.08/mo |
| Open source | No | No |
| Platforms | Linux | Linux, self-hosted |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Device types | desktop PCs, servers, embedded and small systems, single-board computers | servers, virtual machines, cloud instances, IoT/edge devices |
| CPU architectures | Alpha, AMD64 (x86_64), ARM, ARM64, HPPA (PA-RISC), IA64, MIPS, PPC, PPC64, RISC-V 64-bit, SPARC64, x86 (i486/i686) | amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, riscv64, s390x |
| Built-in management | Portage/emerge package installation and updates; repository synchronization; profile and USE flag configuration | Landscape centralized estate management; Kernel Livepatch; security updates and hardening |
| App compatibility | Gentoo ebuild repository; source builds and binary package installation | Ubuntu package repositories (Main and Universe); cloud images; server ISO installation |
| Deployment models | physical computer installation; embedded and single-board computer installation | physical server, virtual machine, public/private/hybrid cloud, cloud image, IoT/edge device |
| Support lifecycle | — | LTS: five years standard security maintenance; Ubuntu Pro extends coverage to 10 years, with Legacy add-on extending it to 15 years. |
Both are listed in Best Operating Systems. On Inferse, Ubuntu Server scores higher on our published basis.