Zorin OS
Dresses up as Windows or macOS and walks newcomers through the door. Gentle to a fault.
Facts
- Family
- ubuntu
- Based on
- Ubuntu 24.04
- Release model
- LTS
- Current
- 18.1
- Init system
- systemd
- Default desktop
- Zorin Desktop (GNOME); Lite uses Xfce
- NVIDIA
- Offered in the installer or through Additional Drivers.
- Systemd-free
- No
- 32-bit support
- No
- As of
- 2026-10-09
On the DistroWatch top 10
Leave Windows without your muscle memory noticing.
Zorin OS is built on Ubuntu 24.04 and made in Dublin by the Zorin brothers, first released on 2009-07-01. The pitch is a layout that feels like Windows, so a switch does not require retraining. Zorin OS 18 appeared on the same day Windows 10 support ended, which is the kind of timing people write marketing plans around, and it reached one million downloads in five weeks. The current release is 18.1, from 2026-04-15. There is a free edition, a paid Pro edition, and the Xfce-based Lite edition is back. For people tired of the layout moving every time Windows updates, familiar is a feature, and Zorin sells it plainly.
How the chooser scores it
Scores run from 1 to 5, and 5 is best for the user. They are opinion with a spreadsheet.
- StabilityStability: 4 out of 5
- Easy installEasy install: 5 out of 5
- Daily comfortDaily comfort: 5 out of 5
- Docs and helpDocs and help: 3 out of 5
- Fresh softwareFresh software: 2 out of 5
- GamingGaming: 4 out of 5
- DevelopmentDevelopment: 3 out of 5
- Old hardwareOld hardware: 3 out of 5
- ControlControl: 2 out of 5
- LightnessLightness: 3 out of 5
- NVIDIA, recent cardsNVIDIA, recent cards: 5 out of 5
- NVIDIA, older cardsNVIDIA, older cards: 4 out of 5
Caveats
- Some layouts and extras sit behind the paid Pro edition.
- Ubuntu 24.04 underneath, so freshness lags.
Community
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