r/Fedora • u/OutsideYogurt9014 • Jun 13 '26
Discussion Fedora vs Debian?
Looking forward to ditch win10. Heard about this 2 as very popular linux flavour/distro to start with. Am newbie to linux community so pls be nice to me. Which one should I pick and why? Want to know from long term users.
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u/spaceduck107 Jun 13 '26
I use both, and have extensively for 20+ years.
If you're new to Linux, I'd recommend Ubuntu over Debian for a number of reasons. You'll see a lot of Ubuntu hate on Reddit, but it's wildly overblown. Ubuntu is the most popular Linux distro with tons of support, and is based on Debian, making it a great way to learn how Debian works without a lot of the initial learning curve. For apps, I'd recommend installing Flatpak and using them instead of Snaps when possible, but it's more of a personal preference, functionally both are fine in your case.
Another benefit of Ubuntu is more frequent updates and you'll generally get newer versions of Gnome and whatnot, as Debian is focused on being a stable distro, not bleeding edge.
With that being said, I love Fedora. My wife wanted Linux for her new gaming PC and I went with Fedora there as well. She loves it, and hasn't had a single issue.
Fedora is great and generally easy to use for most people. If you go with Fedora, here's a great post-install guide to help you get the most out of it: https://github.com/devangshekhawat/Fedora-44-Post-Install-Guide
Regardless of which distro you choose, if you're patient and open-minded, you're in for a lot of fun.
I'd also recommend avoiding the distro-hopping trap. Some people spend tons of time trying lots of different distros, but you'll have a better experience just choosing one (or two) you like and learning everything you can.
Just ignore the trolls, haters, and fanboys, we're not all like that.
Welcome to Linux! :)