The Raspberry Pi is not limited to Raspbian, which is the official distribution but is far from being the only one
What is the best distribution for Raspberry Pi? There are dozens of operating systems available on Raspberry Pi, and there is not a perfect distribution. Each distribution has its strengths and weaknesses and is more suited to a specific use.
I will introduce here the 15 distributions that stand out and that deserve to be tested if you’re looking for the ideal system
Table of Contents
1 – Raspbian
Raspbian is the official distribution of Raspberry Pi Based on Debian it is built on the same philosophy, i.e., stability and performance. Many Debian packages are available on Raspberry Pi
Since its first release in 2012, there have been many improvements Today Raspbian comes with the PIXEL desktop (based on LXDE), which makes the Raspberry Pi usable as a daily desktop computer About the preinstalled applications, we find essentials like Chromium, Minecraft Pi, Scratch or LibreOffice
Installing additional packages or a different desktop environment is facilitated by the presence of the APT Packet Manager If you are used to Debian or Ubuntu, you will not be lost
I put it first in this ranking because it has many advantages, such as compatibility, reliability and adaptability to most beginner projects Raspbian works well on any Raspberry Pi model
A few months ago, installing Ubuntu on a Raspberry Pi was an adventure 🙂 My last attempt was successful, everything works well on Raspberry Pi 3 and 4
Ubuntu quickly became the most used Linux distribution in the world Based on Debian, this distribution runs on a shorter development cycle and therefore provides the latest news much earlier than Debian
If you’re used to Ubuntu and are looking for an alternative to Raspbian, Ubuntu for Raspberry Pi is probably a good choice Even if he does not have much support from developers and the Raspberry Pi community, his fame in the world of PCs makes us want to test more deeply
Behind a more modern interface, you will find the same basic packages as on Raspbian: LibreOffice, Minecraft PI, Scratch, … And there are some small changes like installing Firefox as the default browser You can install additional packages with the apt command
I put this distribution in second because it is for me a work environment more attractive and more up to date than Raspbian. But with less stability and a smaller community (on Raspberry Pi) It remains a perfect distribution to start
You can download Ubuntu for Raspberry Pi on this page It’s the server version (terminal only), but you can install your favorite desktop environment (commands are listed at the end of the page) A Raspberry Pi 4 is recommended to have the best experience with a desktop environment
3 – Retropie
Retropie is a well-known distribution, which allows you to turn your Raspberry Pi into a retro-gaming console Built on Raspbian, it gives you the possibility to play old games from classic PC to N64 games
Retropie provides easy setup and a user-friendly interface to start and play your favorites games Before playing, you have to download ROMs from the Internet, and then upload it to your Raspberry Pi They will automatically show in the Retropie menu
For a better experience, you can even add a controller like on SNES and enjoy a game as if you were back to childhood! I choose to place the Retropie distribution in the top 3 because it’s a good one and it allows Raspberry Pi to be discovered by many players, and therefore to make it more known
Pre-made images for the Raspberry Pi are available here During writing Retropie was not yet available for Raspberry Pi 4, but it will probably happen soon I also have a few posts about Retropie that you can check to learn more:
Manjaro is a distribution I discovered recently on Raspberry Pi It’s working very well and I like it
Manjaro is based on Arch Linux, a rare system on Raspberry Pi But it’s cool, it allows us to test and learn new things Its goal is to be a fast and user-friendly distribution
Manjaro is available in various flavors with the most known desktop environments (XFCE, GNOME, KDE, Cinnamon, LXDE, Mate, …) You can also start with a minimal version (named Architect) where you can install only what you need and configure everything
Manjaro is available on Raspberry Pi 4, and I highly recommend using it to enjoy this system in graphic mode You can download the system images here And I have a step-by-step tutorial available here for this system
5 – OSMC
OSMC (Open Source Media Center) is probably the best media center solution built for Raspberry Pi Based on Debian and using Kodi as a front-end, OSMC is a Linux distribution easy to install and use OSMC can play most of the media formats and stream from all kind of sources
I choose to put it in this listing because it has a significant use for the Raspberry Pi, you can set up your media center for $50 with OSMC The look is excellent, the system is self-updating and the community is always present if you have an issue
You probably recognize this well-known interface which is inspired from the PlayStation 4 But it’s Lakka! A Retro-gaming system on Raspberry Pi Like Retropie you have many emulators available on it and can install your games easily
The Lakka systems runs on LibreElec and uses RetroArch for the graphical interface I have added it in this list because it’s available on Raspberry Pi 4, so it’s a good alternative to Retropie at the moment And I also like the intuitive usage for many things (PSX games are working directly, on/off button for many options, etc.)
Do you know Mr. Robot? Kali Linux is the best penetration testing distribution with many security tools for all kind of purposes :
Wireless attacks
Passwords cracking
Forensics
Web apps attacks
Network sniffers
Vulnerability scanners
… and a lot more
Behind Kali Linux, we find Offensive Security, a major security trainer and pen-testing provider They have funded and maintained this distribution, formerly known as Backtrack, to become a reference in the security market
The download image is available here You have to scroll to the Raspberry Pi Foundation part Raspberry Pi 4 is fully supported now
8 – Kano OS
As you can see on the picture, Kano OS is a distribution dedicated for kids Kano is a manufacturer selling computer kits for school or kids, to teach them how a computer works But they also provide a free open-source operating system to install on a Raspberry Pi
After the installation, a funny wizard will help you to create a user account, that will become a real character in the adventure Then you can jump into the Story Mode to discover all the stuff provided with Kano OS You can also explore other apps from the menu, where you will find the most common apps (Minecraft, YouTube, web browser) but also dedicated apps to start small projects with your kids as you can see in this video
The Kano website provides many resources to help you start with this distribution If you want to make a try, you can download OS and books from this page
Gentoo is a lightweight distribution that you can build as you want, to install any package you need With the end of the support of Arch Linux for the Raspberry Pi development, Gentoo could become the new standard if you need flexibility in your projects (with Manjaro)
Gentoo is not a beginner in the Linux world. The first version was released in 2000 I remember having trouble at this time to install my first Gentoo, but there has been a lot of progress since 2000 🙂 Most of the time you can now add new packages with emerge and portage
The big difference between Gentoo and other distributions is that packages are compiled locally in your computer If you choose to install new software, the system will download the source code, extract it, and build it according to your preferences and your computer type So, it’s very optimized for you unlike in Debian systems, where you get the same generic binary package that everyone will get
For this distribution, I prefer to redirect you to the Gentoo wiki page for Raspberry Pi to get the full installation procedure, including downloads
10 – RecalBox
Recalbox is the last Retro gaming system I want to recommend in this list Like Retropie and Lakka, it allows you to play old games on your Raspberry Pi (NES, SNES, Atari, etc.)
Here is a short video overview of this system (not the latest version, but you will understand the concept):
RecalBox is a younger system than Retropie, but with different features So, you have to try it to make your own choice For example, I really like that everything is integrated in the interface (you don’t need to use Raspi-config or the Retropie setup script for example)
DietPi is my favorite minimal distribution on Raspberry Pi I really like this distribution because it’s very close to Raspbian Lite, and you can have the easy setup included and really the minimal packages installed If you need performances or want to install only what you need, DietPi is definitively a good option to consider
DietPi is a recent distribution (created in 2015 I think) with an image size under 1G (1.8G for Raspbian Lite) and half of the Raspbian Lite packages installed by default On the first boot, a wizard will help you to configure your system as you want
On the picture it doesn’t seem so different from any other distribution running Kodi But it’s different, everything is different, it’s LibreELEC 🙂
LibreELEC is a fork of OpenELEC, a system built from scratch to run Kodi and only Kodi The goal of OpenELEC and LibreELEC is to provide the lightest possible distribution to make Kodi work in the perfect conditions
So, it’s not based on Raspbian or any other operating system, it’s something different. LibreELEC was born in 2016 as the OpenELEC project starts to decline
If you are interested, you can read the entire story here, or download the image on this page
13 – Fedora
Fedora is a popular Linux distribution, based on RedHat, with something like 1.5 million users today Fedora was created in 2003, as the open-source alternative to RedHat And since a few months, Fedora is available as a stable release on Raspberry Pi (3 versions: Server, Minimal and Workstation)
If you are new to Fedora, you’ll get something similar to other distributions like Debian or Ubuntu in term of software and usage, as you can run most of the desktop environment on Fedora, with any popular software But there are some changes you may have issue with it Some commands are completely different and you’ll also note differences in the package management or the files locations
If you want to create a network drive easily and at low cost, OpenMediaVault is probably a good choice. OpenMediaVault is based on Debian, and provide a NAS solution that ships the needed services: SMB, SSH, FTP, NFS, …
OpenMediaVault is an easy to use out-of-the-box solution that everyone can install at home or in a small office It works very well on Raspberry Pi. You can add a larger SD card or an external hard drive to increase capacity and store all kind of files (movies, backups, …)
Another thing you have to know is that you can install many plugins to improve OpenMediaVault This system allows you to run most of the services on your Raspberry Pi, even if you are not interested in a NAS For example, you can install the nginx and MySQL plugins to build a web server with a simple configuration in the web interface from OpenMediaVault You can find available plugins on this website
I chose it to be in this top for two reasons:
It makes it easy for beginners to build a server at home
It is reliable. I used it for years in a company of 200 people with very few problems
The OpenMediaVault image for Raspberry Pi is available on Sourceforge (the latest system images are compatible with Raspberry Pi 4) I also made a post on how to turn your Raspberry Pi into a file server (with or without OpenMediaVault, you can check it by clicking on the previous link)
Note: if you want to use SATA drives to build your NAS with your Raspberry Pi, you can use expansion boards like this one on Amazon. It works on any Raspberry Pi model and supports any SATA disk you already have
15 – CentOS
And the last system I suggest trying on your Raspberry Pi is CentOS CentOS is a well-known Linux distribution for its stability and its respect for Linux best practices CentOS is based on the Red Hat distribution (like Fedora), so you’ll find many similarities with these systems
They have a version available for Raspberry Pi and it’s working pretty well on Raspberry Pi 3B+ (not yet available on Pi 4) But if you’re used to Raspbian, you must adapt yourself to some CentOS commands and operation Like on Fedora, some management commands are different
This is the end of this ranking, which was intended to make you discover the 15 operating systems that are worth using on Raspberry Pi
If I had to do a synthesis, I would say that for beginners and in most small projects, Raspbian is the best choice. And then the other distributions are more chosen for a specific purpose
If I forgot some that you think should be here, do not hesitate to post them in a comment, I’ll take a look
I’m the lead author and owner of RaspberryTips.com.
My goal is to help you with your Raspberry Pi problems using detailed guides and tutorials.
In real life, I’m a Linux system administrator with a web developer experience.
I installed Ubuntu MATE. But once you run apt-get upgrade, it’s a broken install. And both Mate and Raspberry say its the other’s fault and don’t address it.
I’m trying to install Alpine. Sure, it looks like there is a lot of documentation until you try to use it to install. But the install docs are incomplete. I have yet to get it working.
The only one I’ve gotten to work is Raspbian. But it is a really ugly 90’s style UI.
Not a NOOB – I’ve been using Linux for the past decade, and I’ve been a dev for about 35 years.
I installed Ubuntu MATE. But once you run apt-get upgrade, it’s a broken install. And both Mate and Raspberry say its the other’s fault and don’t address it.
I’m trying to install Alpine. Sure, it looks like there is a lot of documentation until you try to use it to install. But the install docs are incomplete. I have yet to get it working.
The only one I’ve gotten to work is Raspbian. But it is a really ugly 90’s style UI.
Not a NOOB – I’ve been using Linux for the past decade, and I’ve been a dev for about 35 years.
i tried risc os a couple o times but it hangs after 20 – 50 sec in the
desktop
nothing helps cannot change anything in this time for it to run
if i would know what
and why is amibian not in this list?
Next to OSMC, you could mention LibreELEC, which also turns the Raspberry Pi into a top-notch KODI Media Server with lots of ‘remotes’ that one can install on Android, iOS. https://libreelec.tv/
Of course, everybody has always wanted their own PABX. Here is you chance with Asterix & FreePBX for Raspberry Pi: http://www.raspberry-asterisk.org/
Raspberry Pi was developed to have people experiment with computers. Some of the above mentioned installable SD images will offer just that. If however you just want a (bare bones) Linux desktop computer, there is really only one contender and that is Raspbian. It might look a bit dated, but it is the best supported Raspberry Pi OS out there.
Manjaro also has a RPi version of their Arch-based OS. I’ve used it for a couple of projects like building a wifi repeater. Having access to the AUR is always a plus 🙂
Looks like they’ve also got one up for the RPi 4B now too.
How about DietPi? Minimalist install. I used it in headless mode as a wireless security camera that creates its own WiFi point without internet. With a hidden SSID and a Portable 10ah 5Volt LiOn battery this is a great Eavesdropping plant.
Have you been able to install windows 10 iot onto a Raspberry PI 4? I have found no good examples in my googling and when i tried it following PI 3 instructions (loading IoT onto the Sim directly then booting with PI) I have no boot. I have also found that there is doubt in the community as to if MS is going to continue to support this device. I appreciate whatever insight you have on it.
Coming in a bit late, but worth a mention since you mention Retropie are Ambian which runs your Pi 3b+ (and possibly others) as an Amiga Computer, it will allow simulation of all Amiga systems, and does a better job at it than the Original old Amiga 500.
and it’s related cousin Combian which allows you to run your Pi as a Commodore 64/128/16/Vic 20/Plus 4 etc. the great part about Combian is that it runs at boot up striaght into the Commodore cursor screen the same as the original computer did back in the day.
of the OS you mentioned I only use Raspian but that is about to change with many on this list about to be taking up my spare SD cards…. Thank You for this article.
I’ve checked this to see if it’s interesting or not
But Armbian doesn’t display the Raspberry Pi models on its download page, so it’s probably not a good idea to recommend it here https://www.armbian.com/download/
I will try Combian for fun, but not sure it could appear in this list 🙂
I just updated the post to remove the obsolete systems and add the true challengers at the moment
I have updated almost all the screenshots, and added a compatibility information for the Raspberry Pi 4 when I have tested it
Could you elaborate on Arch linux ending support for the Raspberry Pi? I was thinking of installing Arch on my Raspberry Pi 4. Is there be anything I should be concerned of?
Actually, I didn’t check this point when updating the post.
I just saw that they have a Raspberry Pi 4 page, so it may work now
Let us now after your test, so I can update the post if needed
I really had a bad experience with Raspbian. It breaks very easy after unexpected shutdowns or being a couple of weeks turned off. Which alternative you suggest that could be more resilient?
How do you make an image which is in turn made from a .iso file actually work on the pi. Starting with Ubuntu I had image after image after image not work at all; the Pi wouldn’t even respond at all. Took me a few minutes to realize that all the images that didn’t work were written from .iso files, so clearly there’s something about those images that the Pi doesn’t work with, but there are no instruction manuals ANYWHERE on how to either mount the .iso file and in turn use that to write the image via some intermediary program, or convert the .iso file into a .img file directly.
I finally got a Pi4B with 4GB ram. After playing around with the Pi’s since the pI2, The only real good os for the Pi is Raspbian. After the Stretch version came Buster, which totally changed how the Pi boots. I have two Pi3B+, one with Stretch and the other with Buster. Stretch seemed to run better on the Pi3 then Buster. When using Buster on the Pi4B, I noticed the Pi doesn’t use that much ram, 2GB is plenty! What a waste! As for 64-bit os’es, I really don’t think they got it out yet, even though they say it’s 64 bit, I have my doubts. Seems to me there would be better choices or even getting the Raspbian people to do better. The Pi4B runs hot, even with the new firmware installed. Anyway, it’s a fun computer box to play with, that is about it.
It’s not the rosy picture you paint here.
I installed Ubuntu MATE. But once you run apt-get upgrade, it’s a broken install. And both Mate and Raspberry say its the other’s fault and don’t address it.
I’m trying to install Alpine. Sure, it looks like there is a lot of documentation until you try to use it to install. But the install docs are incomplete. I have yet to get it working.
The only one I’ve gotten to work is Raspbian. But it is a really ugly 90’s style UI.
Not a NOOB – I’ve been using Linux for the past decade, and I’ve been a dev for about 35 years.
Hi Bruce,
What is the error you get exactly?
I can try it and let you know if I find a solution
I installed Ubuntu MATE. But once you run apt-get upgrade, it’s a broken install. And both Mate and Raspberry say its the other’s fault and don’t address it.
I’m trying to install Alpine. Sure, it looks like there is a lot of documentation until you try to use it to install. But the install docs are incomplete. I have yet to get it working.
The only one I’ve gotten to work is Raspbian. But it is a really ugly 90’s style UI.
Not a NOOB – I’ve been using Linux for the past decade, and I’ve been a dev for about 35 years.
i tried risc os a couple o times but it hangs after 20 – 50 sec in the
desktop
nothing helps cannot change anything in this time for it to run
if i would know what
and why is amibian not in this list?
Hi,
I do not remember having problems with Risc OS when I tested it.
Maybe you can try to ask for help from the official community
I have never heard of Amibian
I’ll try it in the next few weeks and add it to the list if it’s worth it
Thank you for your comment
Next to OSMC, you could mention LibreELEC, which also turns the Raspberry Pi into a top-notch KODI Media Server with lots of ‘remotes’ that one can install on Android, iOS.
https://libreelec.tv/
Google Coder is also worth a look if you’re into web development (or want to get a taste of it):
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/google-coder/
Although Bodhi Linux for the Pi has been discontinued for, what, 5 years or so, it is still a nice eye candy OS to try out
https://sourceforge.net/projects/bodhilinux/files/ARMHF/Pi/
Of course, everybody has always wanted their own PABX. Here is you chance with Asterix & FreePBX for Raspberry Pi:
http://www.raspberry-asterisk.org/
Raspberry Pi was developed to have people experiment with computers. Some of the above mentioned installable SD images will offer just that. If however you just want a (bare bones) Linux desktop computer, there is really only one contender and that is Raspbian. It might look a bit dated, but it is the best supported Raspberry Pi OS out there.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for all this extra information!
You can try Daylight linux for Raspberry Pi there : http://www.daylightlinux.ch
Hi,
I have tried it today in preparation to an update of this post
But I didn’t get network, wired or wireless (Raspberry Pi 3B+)
Even if the OS seems interesting, I can’t recommend it in this list
Any idea?
Patrick
Manjaro also has a RPi version of their Arch-based OS. I’ve used it for a couple of projects like building a wifi repeater. Having access to the AUR is always a plus 🙂
Looks like they’ve also got one up for the RPi 4B now too.
https://manjaro.org/download/arm8-raspberry-pi-4-xfce/
Hi Michael,
Yes thanks for your suggestion
I already have it my list of posts to write soon
I tested it two weeks ago and seems to work fine
Stay tuned 🙂
How about DietPi? Minimalist install. I used it in headless mode as a wireless security camera that creates its own WiFi point without internet. With a hidden SSID and a Portable 10ah 5Volt LiOn battery this is a great Eavesdropping plant.
Hi Dave,
Yes, I tested it (a post comes out this weekend)
And it deserves to be in an updated version of this post
Have you been able to install windows 10 iot onto a Raspberry PI 4? I have found no good examples in my googling and when i tried it following PI 3 instructions (loading IoT onto the Sim directly then booting with PI) I have no boot. I have also found that there is doubt in the community as to if MS is going to continue to support this device. I appreciate whatever insight you have on it.
Hi Joel,
I didn’t try it yet because I have read many posts saying that it was too slow to use
But I’m interested in your project, let us know if you have any news
Coming in a bit late, but worth a mention since you mention Retropie are Ambian which runs your Pi 3b+ (and possibly others) as an Amiga Computer, it will allow simulation of all Amiga systems, and does a better job at it than the Original old Amiga 500.
and it’s related cousin Combian which allows you to run your Pi as a Commodore 64/128/16/Vic 20/Plus 4 etc. the great part about Combian is that it runs at boot up striaght into the Commodore cursor screen the same as the original computer did back in the day.
of the OS you mentioned I only use Raspian but that is about to change with many on this list about to be taking up my spare SD cards…. Thank You for this article.
Hi,
I’ve checked this to see if it’s interesting or not
But Armbian doesn’t display the Raspberry Pi models on its download page, so it’s probably not a good idea to recommend it here
https://www.armbian.com/download/
I will try Combian for fun, but not sure it could appear in this list 🙂
Hello,
I just updated the post to remove the obsolete systems and add the true challengers at the moment
I have updated almost all the screenshots, and added a compatibility information for the Raspberry Pi 4 when I have tested it
Hope you’ll enjoy this new list 🙂
Could you elaborate on Arch linux ending support for the Raspberry Pi? I was thinking of installing Arch on my Raspberry Pi 4. Is there be anything I should be concerned of?
Actually, I didn’t check this point when updating the post.
I just saw that they have a Raspberry Pi 4 page, so it may work now
Let us now after your test, so I can update the post if needed
I really had a bad experience with Raspbian. It breaks very easy after unexpected shutdowns or being a couple of weeks turned off. Which alternative you suggest that could be more resilient?
How do you make an image which is in turn made from a .iso file actually work on the pi. Starting with Ubuntu I had image after image after image not work at all; the Pi wouldn’t even respond at all. Took me a few minutes to realize that all the images that didn’t work were written from .iso files, so clearly there’s something about those images that the Pi doesn’t work with, but there are no instruction manuals ANYWHERE on how to either mount the .iso file and in turn use that to write the image via some intermediary program, or convert the .iso file into a .img file directly.
Hi,
I just downloaded Ubuntu again to verify, it’s a .img not iso (https://ubuntu.com/download/raspberry-pi)
Did you use the links in this post?
Patrick
I finally got a Pi4B with 4GB ram. After playing around with the Pi’s since the pI2, The only real good os for the Pi is Raspbian. After the Stretch version came Buster, which totally changed how the Pi boots. I have two Pi3B+, one with Stretch and the other with Buster. Stretch seemed to run better on the Pi3 then Buster. When using Buster on the Pi4B, I noticed the Pi doesn’t use that much ram, 2GB is plenty! What a waste! As for 64-bit os’es, I really don’t think they got it out yet, even though they say it’s 64 bit, I have my doubts. Seems to me there would be better choices or even getting the Raspbian people to do better. The Pi4B runs hot, even with the new firmware installed. Anyway, it’s a fun computer box to play with, that is about it.