Free Windows 10 Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to Windows 10 for Windows and since it's discontinued a lot of people are looking for a replacement. The best free Windows alternative is Debian, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Windows 10 and 14 are free and available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Windows alternatives to Windows 10 are ReactOS, Kali Linux, Revision (ReviOS) and HoloISO.

filter to find the best alternatives

Windows 10 alternatives are mainly Operating Systems, but if you're looking for Linux Distros or Penetration Testing Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows, Linux, Open Source, Windows + Free, EU and Free. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Windows 10.
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Alternatives list

  1. Debian icon
     1184 likes

    The Debian Project is an association of individuals who have made common cause to create a free operating system. This operating system that we have created is called Debian.

    207 Debian alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
     
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    8
  2. ReactOS icon
     296 likes

    ReactOS™ is a FOSS effort to develop a quality operating system based on the architecture of Microsoft® Windows™ NT family of operating systems, that is compatible with applications and drivers written for it (NT4, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 7).

    201 ReactOS alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • ReactOS
     
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    6
  3. Kali Linux icon
     294 likes

    Kali Linux is a Debian-derived Linux distribution designed for digital forensics and penetration testing, originally forked from Backtrack Linux by the Offensive Security team.

    23 Kali Linux alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  4. Windows X-Lite's Optimized Windows Builds are designed to Enhance Performance, Privacy, Stability and Control, and work with all Apps and Games on all PCs. Old or New, Weak or Strong, Desktop or Laptop.

    9 Windows X-Lite alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  5. illumos icon
     20 likes

    illumos is a free and open-source Unix operating system. It derives from OpenSolaris, which in turn derives from SVR4 UNIX and Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD). illumos comprises a kernel, device drivers, system libraries, and utility software for system administration.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  6. MINIX 3 icon
     11 likes

    MINIX is a POSIX-compliant Unix-like operating system based on a tiny microkernel running in kernel mode with the rest of the operating system running as a number of isolated, protected, processes in user mode.

    151 MINIX 3 alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
     
  7. Titan Linux  icon
     1 like

    Titan Linux is an all new distro built on the Debian Stable branch. It's a fully functional yet minimal KDE Plasma desktop experience.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Debian
     
  8. Storm-OS icon
     Like

    Storm OS is a Linux distribution based on Arch, and LFS (Linux from Scratch)! developed by Ben Fitzpatrick with the contributions by silent robot, seeker, rayzer1981, yugiohmaster88, and more. FEATURES = XFCE and KDE desktops (Arch edition only!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • KDE
    • Arch Linux
    • Xfce
     
  9. ZealOS icon
     2 likes

    The Zeal Operating System is a modernized, professional fork of the 64-bit Temple Operating System. Guiding principles of development include transparency, full user control, and adherence to public-domain/open-source implementations.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
     
  10. Based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, BlackBerry QNX has provided foundational software for many of the world’s mission-critical embedded systems since 1982. From nuclear power plants, surgical robots and class III life-critical medical devices to autonomous vehicles and brands like...

    122 BlackBerry QNX alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
     
12 of 14 Windows 10 alternatives