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Zorin OS RSS Feed DistroWatch.com: Zorin OS

Zorin OS


Last Update: 2025-03-26 22:40 UTC


Zorin OS is an Ubuntu-based Linux distribution designed especially for newcomers to Linux. It has a Windows-like graphical user interface and many programs similar to those found in Windows. Zorin OS also comes with an application that lets users run many Windows programs. The distribution's ultimate goal is to provide a Linux alternative to Windows and let Windows users enjoy all the features of Linux without complications.

Popularity (hits per day): 12 months: 11 (742), 6 months: 11 (741), 3 months: 10 (826), 4 weeks: 10 (999), 1 week: 11 (773)

Average visitor rating: 8.48/10 from 261 review(s).


Zorin Summary
Distribution Zorin OS
Home Page https://zorin.com/os/
Mailing Lists --
User Forums https://forum.zorin.com/
Alternative User Forums
Documentation https://help.zorin.com/
Screenshots DistroWatch Gallery
Screencasts
Download Mirrors https://zorinos.com/downloadDistroWatch Torrent Archive
Bug Tracker --
Related Websites --
Reviews 17.x: Dedoimedoalternativalinux (Italian) • MichlFranken
16.x: alternativalinux (Italian) • Next INpact (French) • DistroWatchalternativalinux (Italian)
15.x: DistroWatchCMS CriticOMGubuntu
12: DedoimedoDarkDuckDistroWatchDarkDuckCMS CriticderStandard (German)
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2: Viva O Linux (Portuguese)
Where To Donate, Buy or Try The Linux ShopDonate

Recent Related News and Releases
  Releases announcements with download links and checksums:
 • 2025-03-26: Distribution Release: Zorin OS 17.3
 • 2024-09-19: Distribution Release: Zorin OS 17.2
 • 2024-03-07: Distribution Release: Zorin OS 17.1
 • 2023-12-20: Distribution Release: Zorin OS 17
 • 2023-12-04: Development Release: Zorin OS 17 Beta
 • 2023-07-27: Distribution Release: Zorin OS 16.3
 • 2022-10-27: Distribution Release: Zorin OS 16.2
 • 2022-03-10: Distribution Release: Zorin OS 16.1
 • 2021-08-17: Distribution Release: Zorin OS 16
 • 2021-04-15: Development Release: Zorin OS 16 Beta
 • 2020-09-08: Distribution Release: Zorin OS 15.3
 • 2020-03-05: Distribution Release: Zorin OS 15.2
 • More Zorin releases...

  Headlines:
 • 2023-06-30 Zorin OS unveils new upgrade utility
 • 2022-02-22 Zorin launches Help documentation site
 • 2021-12-08 Zorin releases Lite editions for version 16
 • 2021-08-09 Zorin previews Pro edition features
 • 2019-06-21 Zorin partners with Star Labs
 • More Zorin headlines...

Table Notes and Explanations

(Please refer to the table below.)
  • Select view:
  • To compare the software in this project to the software available in other distributions, please see our Compare Packages page.
  • Notes: In case where multiple versions of a package are shipped with a distribution, only the default version appears in the table. For indication about the GNOME version, please check the "nautilus" and "gnome-shell" packages. The Apache web server is listed as "httpd" and the Linux kernel is listed as "linux". The KDE desktop is represented by the "plasma-desktop" package and the Xfce desktop by the "xfdesktop" package.
  • Colour scheme: green text = latest stable version, red text = development or beta version. The function determining beta versions is not 100% reliable due to a wide variety of versioning schemes.
TUXEDO
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Feature 17.3 16.3 15.3 12.4 11 10 9 8.1 7.1 6.4 5.2 4 3.2 2 1 Feature
Release Date 2025-03-26 2023-07-27 2020-09-08 2018-08-13 2016-02-03 2015-08-01 2014-07-15 2014-02-21 2013-10-16 2013-08-28 2011-11-23 2010-12-22 2011-11-10 2010-01-01 2009-07-01 Release Date
End Of Life                               End Of Life
Price (US$) Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Price (US$)
Image Size (MB) 3400-7300 2500-3000 2200-4300 1400-2500                       Image Size (MB)
Free Download ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO Free Download
Installation Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Installation
Default Desktop GNOME, Xfce GNOME, Xfce GNOME, Xfce GNOME, Xfce GNOME, LXDE GNOME GNOME GNOME GNOME GNOME GNOME GNOME GNOME GNOME GNOME Default Desktop
Package Management DEB, Flatpak, Snap DEB, Flatpak, Snap DEB, Flatpak, Snap DEB, Snap DEB DEB DEB DEB DEB DEB DEB DEB DEB DEB DEB Package Management
Release Model Fixed Fixed Fixed Fixed Fixed Fixed Fixed Fixed Fixed Fixed Fixed Fixed Fixed Fixed Fixed Release Model
Office Suite LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice OO.o LibreOffice OO.o OO.o Office Suite
Processor Architecture x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 i386, x86_64 i386, x86_64 i386, x86_64 i386, x86_64 i386, x86_64 i386, x86_64 i386, x86_64 i386, x86_64 i386, x86_64 i386, x86_64 Processor Architecture
Init Software systemd systemd systemd systemd systemd systemd systemd systemd systemd Upstart Upstart Upstart Upstart Upstart Upstart Init Software
Journaled File Systems Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Journaled File Systems
Multilingual Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Multilingual
Asian Language Support -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Asian Language Support
Full Package List 17.3 16.3 15.3 12.4 11 10 9 8.1 7.1 6.4 5.2 4 3.2   1 Full Package List
Package 17.3 16.3 15.3 12.4 11 10 9 8.1 7.1 6.4 5.2 4 3.2 2 1 Package
abiword (3.0.6) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- abiword (3.0.6)
alsa-lib (1.2.14) 1.2.6.1 1.2.2 1.1.3 1.1.0 1.0.29 1.0.28 1.0.27.2 1.0.27.2 1.0.25 1.0.25 1.0.24.1 1.0.23 1.0.22 1.0.20 1.0.18 alsa-lib (1.2.14)
amdgpu (23.0.0) 22.0.0 19.1.0 19.1.0 18.0.1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 8.780 8.723 8.660 8.600 amdgpu (23.0.0)
bash (5.2.37) 5.1 5.0 4.4.18 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.0 3.2 bash (5.2.37)
bind (9.20.8) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- bind (9.20.8)
chromium (135.0.7049.95) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 33.0.1750.115 30.0.1599.66 29.0.1547.57 15.0.874.121 8.0.552.215 15.0.874.106 -- -- chromium (135.0.7049.95)
cups (2.4.12) 2.4.1 2.3.1 2.2.7 2.1.3 2.1.0 2.0.2 1.7.2 1.7.0rc1 1.6.2 1.5.3 1.4.6 1.4.4 1.4.3 1.4.1 1.3.9 cups (2.4.12)
dhcp (4.4.3-P1) 4.4.1 4.4.1 4.3.5 4.3.3 4.3.1 4.3.1 4.2.4 4.2.4 4.2.4 4.1.ESV-R4 4.1.1-P1 3.1.3 3.1.3 3.1.2 3.1.1 dhcp (4.4.3-P1)
e2fsprogs (1.47.2) 1.46.5 1.45.5 1.44.1 1.42.13 1.42.12 1.42.12 1.42.9 1.42.8 1.42.5 1.42 1.41.14 1.41.12 1.41.11 1.41.9 1.41.4 e2fsprogs (1.47.2)
firefox (137.0.2) -- 115.0.2 80.0.1 61.0.1 44.0 39.0 30.0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 3.5.6 3.0.11 firefox (137.0.2)
freetype (2.13.3) 2.11.1 2.10.1 2.8.1 2.6.1 2.5.2 2.5.2 2.5.2 2.4.12 2.4.11 2.4.8 2.4.4 2.4.2 2.3.11 2.3.9 2.3.9 freetype (2.13.3)
gcc (14.2.0) 11.4.0 -- -- 5.3.1 5.2.1 4.9.2 4.8.2 4.8.1 4.7.3 4.6.3 4.5.2 4.4.4 4.4.3 4.4.1 4.3.3 gcc (14.2.0)
gimp (3.0.2) 2.10.30 2.10.18 2.10.14 -- 2.8.14 2.8.14 2.8.10 2.8.6 2.8.4 2.8.6 2.6.11 2.6.10 2.6.8 2.6.7 2.6.6 gimp (3.0.2)
glibc (2.41) 2.35 2.31 2.28 2.23 2.21 2.21 2.19 2.17 2.17 2.15 2.13 2.12.1 2.11.1 2.10.1 2.9 glibc (2.41)
gnome-shell (48.1) 43.9 3.38.4 3.30.2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- gnome-shell (48.1)
gnucash (5.11) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- gnucash (5.11)
gnumeric (1.12.59) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- gnumeric (1.12.59)
grub (2.12) 2.06 2.04 2.02 2.02beta2 2.02beta2 2.02beta2 2.02beta2 2.00 2.00 1.99 1.99rc1 1.98 1.98 1.97beta4 0.97 grub (2.12)
gtk (4.18.4) 4.10.4 3.24.20 3.22.30 3.18.9 3.16.7 3.14.13 3.10.8 3.8.6 3.6.4 3.4.2 2.24.4 2.22.0 2.20.1 2.18.3 2.16.1 gtk (4.18.4)
httpd (2.4.63) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- httpd (2.4.63)
inkscape (1.4.1) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- inkscape (1.4.1)
k3b (25.04.0) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- k3b (25.04.0)
kmod (34.2) 29 27 24 22 21 18 15 9 9 -- -- -- -- -- -- kmod (34.2)
krita (5.2.9) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- krita (5.2.9)
LibreOffice (25.2.2) 24.8.5rc2 7.5.5rc2 6.4.6rc2 5.1.6rc2 5.0.2 4.4.2 4.2.4 4.1.3 4.0.2 3.5.7 3.3.4 3.2.1 3.3.2 3.1.1 3.0.1 LibreOffice (25.2.2)
linux (6.14.2) 6.8 5.15 5.4 4.15 4.2 3.19 3.11 3.11 3.8 3.2 2.6.38 2.6.35 2.6.32 2.6.31 2.6.28 linux (6.14.2)
Package 17.3 16.3 15.3 12.4 11 10 9 8.1 7.1 6.4 5.2 4 3.2 2 1 Package
lxpanel (0.10.1) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- lxpanel (0.10.1)
mariadb (11.6.2) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- mariadb (11.6.2)
mate-desktop (1.28.2) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- mate-desktop (1.28.2)
mesa (25.0.4) 23.2.1 21.2.6 20.0.8 18.0.5 11.0.2 10.5.2 10.1.3 9.2.1 9.1.4 8.0.2 7.10.2 7.9git 7.7.1 7.6.0 7.4.0 mesa (25.0.4)
mysql (9.3.0) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- mysql (9.3.0)
nautilus (48.1) 42.6 3.36.3 3.26.4 3.14.3 3.14.2 3.14.2 3.10.1 3.8.2 3.6.3 3.4.2 2.32.2.2 2.32.0 2.31.1 2.28.1 2.26.2 nautilus (48.1)
NVIDIA (570.133.07) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 260.19.06 195.36.24 185.18.36 180.44 NVIDIA (570.133.07)
openbox (3.6.1) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- openbox (3.6.1)
openjdk (24) -- -- -- -- 7u91 7u79 7u55 7u51 -- -- -- -- 6b20 -- 6b14 openjdk (24)
openssh (10.0p1) 8.9p1 8.2p1 7.6p1 7.2p2 6.9p1 6.7p1 6.6p1 6.2p2 6.1p1 5.9p1 5.8p1 5.5p1 5.3p1 5.1p1 5.1p1 openssh (10.0p1)
openssl (3.5.0) 3.0.2 1.1.1f 1.1.1 1.0.2g 1.0.2d 1.0.1f 1.0.1f 1.0.1e 1.0.1c 1.0.1 0.9.8o 0.9.8o 0.9.8k 0.9.8g 0.9.8g openssl (3.5.0)
perl (5.40.2) 5.34.0 5.30.0 5.26.1 5.22.1 5.20.2 5.20.2 5.18.2 5.14.2 5.14.2 5.14.2 5.10.1 5.10.1 5.10.1 5.10.0 5.10.0 perl (5.40.2)
php (8.4.6) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- php (8.4.6)
plasma-desktop (6.3.4) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- plasma-desktop (6.3.4)
postfix (3.10.1) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- postfix (3.10.1)
postgresql (17.4) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- postgresql (17.4)
Python (3.13.3) 3.10.12 3.8.10 3.6.7 2.7.12 2.7.9 2.7.9 2.7.5 2.7.5 2.7.4 2.7.3 2.7.1 2.6.6 2.6.5 2.6.4 2.6.2 Python (3.13.3)
qt (6.9.0) 5.15.3 5.12.8 5.9.5 5.5.1 5.4.2 5.4.1 5.2.1 5.0.2 5.0.1 4.8.1 4.7.2 4.7.0 4.6.2 4.5.3 4.5.0 qt (6.9.0)
samba (4.22.1) -- -- -- -- 4.1.17 4.1.13 4.1.6 3.6.18 3.6.9 3.6.3 3.5.8 3.5.4 3.4.7 3.4.0 3.3.2 samba (4.22.1)
systemd (257.5) 249.11 245.4 237 229 225 219 204 204 198 -- -- -- -- -- -- systemd (257.5)
thunderbird (137.0.2) 115.18.0 -- 68.2.1 52.9.1 -- -- 24.6.0 24.3.0 24.0 17.0.8 -- -- -- -- -- thunderbird (137.0.2)
vim (9.1) 8.2 8.1 8.0 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.3 7.3 7.3 7.2 7.2 7.2 7.2 vim (9.1)
vlc (3.0.21) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2.0.8 1.1.9 1.1.4 1.0.6 -- -- vlc (3.0.21)
wayland (1.23.1) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- wayland (1.23.1)
xfdesktop (4.20.1) 4.18.1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- xfdesktop (4.20.1)
xorg-server (21.1.16) 21.1.4 1.20.13 1.19.6 1.18.4 1.17.2 1.17.1 1.15.1 1.14.3 1.13.3 1.11.4 1.10.1 1.9.0 1.7.6 1.6.4 1.6.0 xorg-server (21.1.16)

Reader Ratings
Reader supplied reviews for Zorin OS

Average rating
8.5
from 261 review(s)



What are your thoughts on Zorin OS?
Please include a few pros and a few cons, along with your overall impression of the operating system.
Our FAQ page has tips on writing a good mini-review.

Version:

Rating:    out of 10

Your review (minimum 250 words):




Past reviews - sort by:

Version: 17.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-04-18
Votes: 8


Zorin OS is a fantastic operating system that delivers a polished, user-friendly experience out of the box. It offers excellent support for everything I’ve used it for, from day-to-day tasks to more niche software needs. The interface is clean, modern, and welcoming, especially for users coming from Windows or those who are newer to Linux. It strikes a nice balance between being beginner-friendly and powerful enough for more advanced users to customize if they want.

One of Zorin OS’s standout features is its built-in support for running Windows applications through tools like Wine, which are pre-installed in certain editions. This can be a huge plus for users who rely on specific Windows-only programs but want to enjoy the benefits of a Linux-based system.

In terms of hardware, I’ve mostly run it on machines with at least a second-gen Intel i5, and it performs reliably and smoothly. While it’s not quite as lightweight as something like Q4OS or other distros designed specifically for legacy hardware, Zorin OS still holds up well on older systems, provided they meet a basic performance threshold.

Overall, Zorin OS is a great choice if you're looking for an accessible, reliable, and attractive Linux distribution that works well out of the box and can bridge the gap for users transitioning from Windows. For extremely old hardware, I’d recommend something even lighter like Q4OS, but for most users, Zorin OS is more than capable.


Was this review helpful? Yes No
Version: 17.3
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-04-08
Votes: 0


Zorin 17.3 ,this is the second time i have downloaded a distro to use on an Ivy Bridge PC,every time it won't output to an hdmi TV on a Nvidia graphics card,Zorin as Mint before doesn't work,i tried the safe graphics option,but it just got stuck in a checking the file system loop,very poor as it supposed to work on old hardware.



I use rufus as i have installed Windows 11 LTSC Enterprise the same way on another PC,guess what,that worked on a similar Ivy Bridge machine,so why is this a thing as Linux is supposed to work on outdated hardware,is it the nvidia card that's to blame?

Who knows,it just doesn't seem to want to output on my display,no signal so if i can't see what's going on it's no use to me.





Was this review helpful? Yes No
Version: 17.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-04-03
Votes: 28


Best and most reliable distribution next to the Ubuntu based Linux Mint Cinnamon or LMDE version. I have been using LMDE for a few years trouble free and was also using Zorin’s 16 and 17 series concurrently for a few years but because I sold off some machines I kept using LMDE instead. By coincidence I had the itch recently to install Zorin again when 17.3 got released and I am glad I am back. Yes, LMDE does everything I want but Zorin is special too. It is beautiful, fast, reliable, and the theming is so consistent it is a joy to use. The key reasons I like Mint and Zorin is the upgrade tool to the next version. I prfer being closer to Debian only and why it prefer LMDE but Zorin makes using Ubuntua good experience like Mint does even though Zorin keeps Snaps available. I am dual booting both Zorin and LMDE and it’s a great experience. I prefer LMDE but I could lake Zoriin as a daily driver. It looks great and its fast. Some people might complain about their Ubuntu base being older but it has never been a negative despite my using Linux since 2019. I have used everything from Pop!_OS to Ubuntu to Fedora to Solus to Tuxedo OS to Manjaro to MX Linux. Ultramarine Linux is a great Fedora rendition but I don’t seem to get along with with Fedora at all. Manjaora was good but I am not fond of the constant updates. Solus was great but they had problems for a while but are back. Pop is super but has been stuck in development of the newer COSMIC for a couple of years. Tuxedo is fantastic but their updates are numerous. MX Linux is wonderful but KDE always has bugs and I don’t like Xfce or Fluxbox. Ubunutu is super but I always experience problems with their software store. Ubuntu MATE was a good substitute to regular Ubuntu but that led me to Mint and LMDE and I liked the Cinnamon desktop.along the way,I found that Zorin’s rendition of GNOME was better for me too. The Zorin team of two brothers does a fantastic job of making Zorin an easy to use distribution that works great for new Linux users. It makes Linux truly useful for all users making it practical for daily use in all types of use cases. It allows the user to get to work and use the computer system as needed not to work on the operating system for the sake of working on it. With Zorin, there is never any troubleshooting to find a printer or find a file or connect to a NAS or I find software to install from the software center. The developers have polished their distribution to work flawlessly and do it reliably as fast as possible while looking good. Great job Zorin team.


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See all 261 reader reviews of Zorin OS...

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