Don’t want to stick with Mac, Windows or other paid operating systems and want to try something new? You may be a person who likes to try out different operating systems or maybe you just want to try out an operating system because your friends are using it. Well you can find many operating systems online that are fast and feature-rich. In this article, we’ve listed the best open source operating systems that you can run on your PC.

You can play with the open source OS, discover its operations and maybe learn from it.

Thunderbird alternative for Mac (with a nicer feeling UI)? I like the idea of using Thunderbird (MacOS) but I am also a sucker for nice looking and feeling apps, which Thunderbird is not (in my opinion).

List of 8 Best Open Source Operating System 2020

Here is a list of the most efficient open source OS for Windows that you can install right now! Check them out.

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a Linux-based OS that is considered as one of the most efficient open source operating systems in the world. It took a group of talented developers located worldwide to create this full-fledged operating system that is fast and feature-rich. Ubuntu includes necessary software such as an instant messenger, office suite, web browser, media maps and much more. It is the most used Linux-based operating system that makes it a perfect alternative to Windows or Mac.

Ubuntu developers practice the Debian architecture. Experts say that Ubuntu is an ideal operating system for old laptop and it includes most of the essential apps such as Thunderbird, F-Spot, Firefox, Transmission, LibreOffice, Open Office etc. It is user-friendly and compatible to both laptop and desktop interface. There are two forms of platform in Ubuntu – “non-LTS (Long Term Support) and LTS”. The latest stable versions of non-LTS and LTS version are 17.04 and 16.04 respectively. The numbers in the version name denote year and month. For example, ‘16’ refers to the year and ‘04’ to the month.

Note:- Ubuntu will not be available in the Unity-based desktop environment. It will shift back to GNOME-based desktop. Ubuntu is compatible with almost every hardware as it’s the most used Linux- based operating system and doesn’t require any additional driver to communicate with the hardware. Click here to download the official Ubuntu software.

Linux Lite

Linux Lite is another free open source operating system that can work on lower end hardware. It’s a lite OS that facilitate users who have inadequate knowledge of a Linux-based operating system. The operating system features all the necessary programs, functionalities, tools, and desktop.

Linux Lite consists of a simple interface and is entirely established on Ubuntu distribution. The operating system is stable and has been supporting with regular updates since five years. Linux Lite is efficiently functional soon after installation. Again users are not required to install any additional drivers after installation. Choose Linux Lite if you want a lightweight open source OS on your PC. Click here to download Linux Lite.

Fedora

Fedora is another popular Linux-based operating system, which is arguably the best open source OS after Ubuntu. Fedora OS is a general purpose OS that is RPM-based, supported by Red Hat and designed by the Fedora Project community.

Fedora’s mission is to create and provide an open source cutting edge technology for free. Therefore, Fedora developers choose to create upstream changes in contrary to create fixes exclusively for Fedora. All Linux distributions can benefit from updates released by Fedora developers.

Fedora has a GNOME-based desktop that can be customized. Its Fedora Spins feature can help you modify and execute variations in the user interface and desktop environment. Click here to download Fedora.

Linux Mint

Linux Mint is an elegant Linux-based OS that displays modernity and power. It is easy-to-use and provides full multimedia support, which makes it a user-friendly open source OS. Linux Mint is Ubuntu-based and is equally popular among amateurs and experts.

Linux Mint uses Debian architecture and consists of one of the most powerful software managers. It is robust and offers better visual aesthetics than Ubuntu. Click here to download Linux Mint.

Read Also:13 Top Gmail Extensions to Increase your Efficiency

Solus

Solus is a free open source operating system that can be used on your desktop. It is a new operating system in the Linux family that was created in 2012. Currently, more than 6000 registered users are taking advantage of the software.

Features in Solus include VLC, Transmission, OpenShot Video Editor, XChat, Thunderbird, Budgie desktop environment, PlayOnLinux, Firefox and LibreOffice Suite. Solus 3, the latest version of Solus was released on August 2017. The release is supposed to have some tweaks in its Opus encoder and multimedia filters.

Additionally, Flash and Java plugins are pre-loaded in Solus.

Xubuntu

Xubuntu is the most popular open source operating system for people who still use old XP machines. Xubuntu is Unix-based that executes on XFCE desktop environment. It’s different from Ubuntu and competes well with other full-featured operating systems in the list. The operating system contains GNOME application integrations and an inbuilt compositor. However, it can be slow sometimes.

Chrome OS

Chrome OS is partly an open source operating system that has many attractive features. Savsoft quiz alternative. It is a part of the Chromium and Linux family that has features such as enhanced security, support for picked Android apps, Chrome apps, Google cloud print, Aura windows manager, virtual desktop access, integrated media player and Cloud-based management. The only issue with the operating system is that it only supports Nexus device or its own hardware. Hence, if you are a Google fan, you can surely enjoy Chrome OS with Chromebook.

React OS

ReactOS is another free open source OS that has got nearly 1 million downloads in more than 100 countries. This community-based OS has the ability to run Windows applications, which makes it a great alternative for Windows operating system. Although ReactOS is still growing, users, who love highly customizable operating systems, can select ReactOS. However, the operating system is developer-focused.

These are the best open source operating systems that can be preferred as alternatives to the paid operating systems like Mac or Windows. The list contains a good blend of power and features. Therefore, try them and tell us if you like them in the comments below.

Updated: January 4, 2020 Home » Freeware and Software Reviews » Microsoft Windows & Office

Why pay when there are free alternatives? Everything is on the Cloud now. It has been a long time I have a copy of Microsoft Office installed onto my computer, reason being that there are plenty of good alternatives that meets my basic needs in word editing. Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, and Excel are overfilled with features, a majority of us probably uses less than 10% of the features available.

Alternative 2020 Article ➤ Free Open Source Vector Graphics Editor, Adobe Illustrator Alternative

Furthermore, I am not into downloading cracks or using a pirated copy of original software. Without further ado, here are 5 free alternatives productivity software to Google Docs (This is my default word editor), Apple iWork (Comes in all iPhone and iPad) and Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and more.

↓ 01 – Apache OpenOffice Offline Windows macOS Linux

Writer Word Processor Calc Spreadsheet Impress Slides Draw Graphics

Apache OpenOffice is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose. Apache OpenOffice is free downloadable software:

• You may download Apache OpenOffice completely free of any license fees
• Install it on as many PCs as you like
• Use it for any purpose – private, educational, government and public administration, commercial…
• Pass on copies free of charge to family, friends, students, employees, etc.

↓ 02 – LibreOffice Offline Windows macOS Linux

Word Processor Calc Spreadsheet Impress Slides Draw Graphics

LibreOffice is a powerful office suite – its clean interface and feature-rich tools help you unleash your creativity and enhance your productivity. LibreOffice includes several applications that make it the most powerful Free and Open Source office suite on the market. LibreOffice is community-driven and developed software, and is a project of the not-for-profit organization.

↓ 03 – SoftMaker FreeOffice Offline Android Windows Linux

Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations

SoftMaker Office has many functions of the correspondent programs from MS Office, OpenOffice.org or WordPerfect Office and also adds features such as its ability to run off USB flash drives and integrated reference works. It uses not only its own native formats, but is also highly compatible with Microsoft Office file formats. It can read and write Microsoft Office file formats as well as OpenDocument Format (word processor only), RTF and HTML. Export to PDF function is included. Multi-language spell-checking, hyphenation and thesaurus is supported; furthermore an integrated five-language translation dictionary (English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish).

FreeOffice Mobile for Google Android Smartphone is the only office suite for Android smartphones that displays your documents exactly like they look on your PC. You can now download it for free. It reads and writes not only the old Microsoft formats DOC, XLS, and PPT seamlessly, but provides the same full-fidelity experience with the modern file formats DOCX, XLSX and PPTX of Microsoft Office 2007 to 2016.

↓ 04 – Microsoft Office Online Online Free With Limited Features

Word Excel PowerPoint

Office Online is an online office suite offered by Microsoft, which allows users an easy way to access, view, create and edit documents using lightweight, web browser-based versions of Microsoft Office applications. The offering also includes Small Outlook.com iconOutlook.com, Small People iconPeople, Small Calendar iconCalendar and Small Microsoft OneDrive iconMicrosoft OneDrive, all of which are accessible from a unified app switcher. The on-premise version of this service called Office Web Apps Server can be installed in private clouds in conjunction with Small Microsoft SharePoint iconMicrosoft SharePoint and Small Microsoft Exchange Server iconMicrosoft Exchange Server.

↓ 05 – Zoho Docs Online Free With Limited Features

Word Processor Spreadsheet PresentationsExcel for mac basic commands hard space.

Zoho Docs for your desktop. Keep your files in sync, backed up, and available wherever you are. Zoho Docs for Desktop lets you sync files from your Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu Linux computers with complete security. Create, store, share, collaborate, and manage all your business documents in the cloud.

↓ 06 – WPS Office 2016 Free Offline Windows

Word Processor Excel Presentations

Multi-language Office Suite including English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese and Russian. WPS Office 2016 Free is a free office productivity suite which is smaller and faster than most other office suites. The latest WPS Office 2016 Free allows you toswitch language UI and access files on different devices by using File Roaming A brand new Docer Online Templates page is also added.

• Writer – Word & text processing software which supports paragraph editing by drag & drop.
• Spreadsheets – Easily create & edit Spreadsheets to analyze date. Export to both .xls & .xlsx extension files.
• Presentation – Plenty of free PPT templates help you create brilliant slide shows easily.

Top 5 Free Microsoft Office Alternatives

These are the top 5 free software alternatives to Microsoft Office. In this video, I will show you the best free office suites. These useful and amazing free software computer programs can help you get the most use out of your PC. Hopefully you enjoy these very useful software alternatives that are the best alternatives to other software.