This entry is compiled from primary sources: elementary OS's own documentation, release notes, and licensing or pricing pages.
It has not been hands-on tested by us. Where a limit, a price or a requirement is stated below, it is the published figure at the time of writing rather than a measured result.
Anything we have not verified is left out instead of guessed at.
elementary OS Review (2026) — Honest Take for Free Users
Freeelementary, Inc.
elementary OS, from elementary, Inc., is a free, open desktop Linux distribution. It is free to use, with no paywall on the core experience.
Below: what you actually get for free, where the limits sit, and who should skip it.
What it does well
- Genuinely free; the useful parts are not locked behind a paywall.
- Practical defaults; it works without a steep learning curve.
- Actively maintained by elementary, Inc.; Mac-like is a current highlight.
Pros
- The most visually coherent desktop in Linux. Pantheon is designed rather than assembled, and it shows.
- A curated AppCenter of native apps that follow one human interface guideline, instead of a grab-bag of toolkits.
- Sensible privacy posture and no telemetry by default.
- Ubuntu LTS underneath, so the base is stable and the wider software ecosystem is still available.
Cons
- The download page pre-fills $10. Payment is genuinely optional — you type 0, or click the free-download link that sets it to 0 — but the default is not zero, and plenty of people assume they have to pay. Roughly 99.9% download without paying.
- Pantheon is opinionated to the point of rigidity: limited customisation, no desktop icons, and window controls that are not where you expect.
- Release cadence is slow and irregular; gaps between major versions have run long.
- The curated AppCenter is small, so in practice you are installing Flatpaks from elsewhere anyway.
What it costs
Nothing, if you set the amount to zero — but you do have to set it. The download form arrives with $10 already entered, and there is a separate link that zeroes it for you.
This is a pay-what-you-want model rather than a paywall: nothing is withheld from non-payers, and the same applies to most AppCenter apps.
Worth saying plainly because the pattern looks like a price when it is actually a suggestion.
Best alternatives
- Zorin OS — A similarly design-led experience, though it has an actual paid edition (linux).
- Ubuntu — elementary's base, with a conventional GNOME desktop and no payment prompt (linux).
- Linux Mint — If you want polish without Pantheon's rigidity (linux).
FAQ
Is elementary OS free? Yes — it is free to use.
Do I need a card? No, to start.
Best for? a free, open desktop Linux distribution without paying.
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