macOS Alternatives

macOS is described as 'Unix-based operating system for Macs, excels with an intuitive UI, robust built-in apps like Safari, and strong security via FileVault, Gatekeeper, and SIP' and is a leading operating system in the os & utilities category. There are more than 100 alternatives to macOS for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Self-Hosted, BSD, Mac and Windows apps. The best macOS alternative is Ubuntu, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like macOS are Linux Mint, elementary OS, Debian and Fedora.

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Alternatives list

  1. Windows 10 icon
     416 likes

    Versatile OS with universal app architecture, free first-year offer for Windows 7 and 8.1 users, redesigned mouse-touch UI, virtual desktop, Microsoft Edge, upgraded security, and enhanced graphics for gaming, supporting fingerprint and face recognition login.

    181 Windows 10 alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
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    5
  2. FreeBSD icon
     273 likes

    FreeBSD is an operating system used to power modern servers, desktops, and embedded platforms. A large community has continually developed it for more than thirty years. Its advanced networking, security, and storage features have made FreeBSD the platform of choice for many of...

    200 FreeBSD alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
     
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    1
  3. NixOS icon
     73 likes

    NixOS is a GNU/Linux distribution that aims to improve the state of the art in system configuration management. In existing distributions, actions such as upgrades are dangerous: upgrading a package can cause other packages to break, upgrading an entire system is much less...

    194 NixOS alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
     
  4. Lubuntu icon
     247 likes

    Lubuntu is a fast and lightweight operating system with a clean and easy-to-use user interface. It is a Linux system, that uses the minimal desktop LXDE/LXQT.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
  5. Gentoo icon
     171 likes

    Gentoo Linux is a versatile, fast, highly configurable and completely free Linux and FreeBSD distribution geared towards developers and network professionals.

    196 Gentoo alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • FreeBSD
     
  6. Xubuntu icon
     295 likes

    Xubuntu is an elegant and easy-to-use operating system. Xubuntu comes with Xfce, which is a stable, light and configurable desktop environment. It is based on Ubuntu Debian Linux.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
  7. Windows 11 icon
     46 likes

    Experience the latest Windows OS with a new Start menu, integrated Teams, and gaming technologies like Auto HDR. Improved security with stricter requirements enhances protection, and seamless Microsoft Account integration makes it ideal for modern devices.

    171 Windows 11 alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  8. Nobara Linux icon
     34 likes

    The Nobara Project, to put it simply, is a modified version of Fedora Linux with user-friendly fixes added to it. Fedora is a very good workstation OS, however, anything involving any kind of 3rd party or proprietary packages is usually...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
  9. Red Hat is the leader in development, deployment, and management of Linux and open source solutions for Internet infrastructure - ranging from embedded devices to secure Web servers. Red Hat was founded in 1994 by visionary entrepreneurs Bob Young and Marc Ewing.

    189 Red Hat Enterprise Linux alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
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    1
  10. Haiku icon
     103 likes

    Haiku is an open-source operating system that specifically targets personal computing. Inspired by the BeOS, Haiku is fast, simple to use, easy to learn and yet very powerful.

    230 Haiku alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Haiku
     
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    1
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