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Solus RSS Feed DistroWatch.com: Solus

Solus


Last Update: 2026-01-17 13:49 UTC


Solus is a Linux distribution built from scratch. It uses a forked version of the PiSi package manager, maintained as "eopkg" within Solus, and its flagship edition uses the Budgie desktop environment. Budgie was originally developed-in-house, but is now maintained as a separate project by the Buddies of Budgie team. Solus is available in GNOME, KDE Plasma and Xfce editions.

Popularity (hits per day): 12 months: 33 (325), 6 months: 44 (305), 3 months: 35 (341), 4 weeks: 61 (255), 1 week: 73 (256)

Average visitor rating: 7.6/10 from 241 review(s).


Solus Summary
Distribution Solus
Home Page https://getsol.us/
Mailing Lists --
User Forums https://discuss.getsol.us/
Alternative User Forums
Documentation https://help.getsol.us/
Screenshots DistroWatch Gallery
Screencasts
Download Mirrors https://getsol.us/download/DistroWatch Torrent Archive
Bug Tracker https://dev.getsol.us/maniphest/
Related Websites GitHub
Reviews 4.8: FOSS Force
4.7: DistroWatch
4.5: DistroWatch
4.4: DistroWatchMichlFranken (German)
4.x: DistroWatchDistroWatchLinuxzasve (Croatian) • DistroWatchOrdinatechnicDedoimedoAverage Linux UserCMS CriticHeise (German) • DedoimedoDistroWatch
3: OrdinatechnicDistroWatchCMS CriticLinux.comPro-Linux (German)
2017.x: DedoimedoDarkDuckDistroWatch
1.x: DedoimedoDistroWatchFreedom PenguinLWN
Where To Donate, Buy or Try Open Collective

Recent Related News and Releases
  Releases announcements with download links and checksums:
 • 2025-11-29: Distribution Release: Solus 4.8
 • 2025-01-26: Distribution Release: Solus 4.7
 • 2024-10-15: Distribution Release: Solus 4.6
 • 2024-01-09: Distribution Release: Solus 4.5
 • 2023-07-08: Distribution Release: Solus 4.4
 • 2021-07-11: Distribution Release: Solus 4.3
 • 2021-02-03: Distribution Release: Solus 4.2
 • 2020-01-25: Distribution Release: Solus 4.1
 • 2019-03-18: Distribution Release: Solus 4.0
 • 2017-08-15: Distribution Release: Solus 3
 • 2017-04-18: Distribution Release: Solus 2017.04.18.0
 • 2017-01-02: Distribution Release: Solus 2017.01.01.0
 • More Solus releases...

  Headlines:
 • 2026-01-10 New release of Budgie switches from X11 to Wayland
 • 2025-10-11 Solus approaches a new epoch
 • 2024-07-15 Solus dropping AppArmor and Snap support
 • 2023-04-18 Solus team planning a come-back
 • 2023-02-13 Solus project status updates
 • 2021-09-14 Solus to replace GTK in Budgie desktop
 • 2019-10-03 Solus updates supported desktops
 • 2019-03-21 Budgie 10.5 shipped with Solus 4.0
 • 2019-01-15 Solus roadmap for 2019
 • 2018-11-02 Solus team regaining account access
 • More Solus 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.
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Feature 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.4 4.3 4.1 4.0 3.9999 3 2017.04.18.0 1.2.1 Feature
Release Date 2025-11-29 2025-01-26 2024-10-15 2023-07-08 2021-07-11 2020-01-25 2019-03-17 2018-09-20 2017-08-15 2017-04-18 2016-10-19 Release Date
End Of Life                       End Of Life
Price (US$) Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Price (US$)
Image Size (MB) 3300-3900 3000-3300 2400-2900 2200-2600 1800-2100 1600-1900 1400-1500 1400-1500 1100-1200     Image Size (MB)
Free Download ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO Free Download
Installation Calamares Calamares Calamares Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Installation
Default Desktop Budgie, GNOME, KDE Plasma, Xfce Budgie, GNOME, KDE Plasma Budgie, GNOME, KDE Plasma Budgie, GNOME, KDE Plasma, MATE Budgie, GNOME, KDE Plasma, MATE Budgie, GNOME, KDE Plasma, MATE Budgie, GNOME, MATE Budgie, GNOME, MATE Budgie, GNOME, MATE Budgie, GNOME, MATE Budgie, MATE Default Desktop
Default Browser                       Default Browser
Package Management Flatpak, eopkg Flatpak, eopkg Flatpak, eopkg Flatpak, eopkg, snapd Flatpak, eopkg, snapd Flatpak, eopkg, snapd Flatpak, eopkg, snapd Flatpak, eopkg, snapd Flatpak, eopkg, snapd Flatpak, eopkg eopkg Package Management
Release Model Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Release Model
Office Suite LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice LibreOffice -- Office Suite
Processor Architecture x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 Processor Architecture
Init Software systemd systemd systemd systemd systemd systemd systemd systemd systemd systemd systemd Init Software
Journaled File Systems Btrfs, ext4, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext4, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext4, ReiserFS, XFS ext4 ext4 ext4 Btrfs, ext4, ReiserFS, XFS ext4, ReiserFS ext4, ReiserFS ext4, ReiserFS ext4, ReiserFS Journaled File Systems
Multilingual Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes         Multilingual
Asian Language Support Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes         Asian Language Support
Full Package List 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.4 4.3 4.1 4.0 3.9999 3 2017.04.18.0 1.2.1 Full Package List
Package 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.4 4.3 4.1 4.0 3.9999 3 2017.04.18.0 1.2.1 Package
alsa-lib (1.2.15.3) 1.2.14 1.2.13 1.2.12 1.2.9 1.2.4 1.1.9 1.1.5 1.1.5 1.1.4.1 1.1.3 1.1.1 alsa-lib (1.2.15.3)
amdgpu (25.0.0) 23.0.0 23.0.0 23.0.0 23.0.0 19.1.0 19.1.0 19.0.0 18.0.1 -- -- -- amdgpu (25.0.0)
apparmor (4.1.4) -- -- -- 3.1.3 3.0.1 2.13.3 2.11.0 2.11.0 2.11.0 -- -- apparmor (4.1.4)
apt (3.1.15) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- apt (3.1.15)
bash (5.3) 5.3 5.2.37 5.2.32 5.1.16 5.1 5.0 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.3 bash (5.3)
bind (9.20.18) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- bind (9.20.18)
chromium (144.0.7559.132) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- chromium (144.0.7559.132)
cinnamon (6.6.6) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- cinnamon (6.6.6)
cups (2.4.16) 2.4.15 2.4.11 2.4.11 2.2.13 2.2.13 2.2.8 2.2.8 2.2.8 2.2.3 2.2.3 2.1.0 cups (2.4.16)
e2fsprogs (1.47.3) 1.47.3 1.47.1 1.47.1 1.47.0 1.45.6 1.44.6 1.44.6 1.44.4 1.43.4 1.43.4 1.42.13 e2fsprogs (1.47.3)
ffmpeg (8.0.1) 7.1.1 7.1 4.4.5 4.4.4 4.4 4.2.2 4.1.1 3.4.4 3.3.3 2.2.4 2.8.6 ffmpeg (8.0.1)
firefox (147.0.3) 145.0.1 134.0.2 131.0.3 114.0.1 89.0.2 72.0.2 65.0.1 62.0 55.0.1 52.0.2 49.0.1 firefox (147.0.3)
flatpak (1.16.3) 1.16.0 1.14.10 1.14.10 1.14.4 1.10.2 1.0.9 -- -- -- -- -- flatpak (1.16.3)
freetype (2.14.1) 2.13.3 2.13.3 2.13.2 2.13.0 2.10.4 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.6.1 freetype (2.14.1)
gcc (15.2.0) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- gcc (15.2.0)
gimp (3.0.8) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- gimp (3.0.8)
git (2.53.0) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- git (2.53.0)
glibc (2.43) 2.42 2.40 2.40 2.36 2.33 2.29 2.29 2.27 2.25 2.25 2.24 glibc (2.43)
gnome-shell (49.3) 49.1 47.3 46.5 43.5 40.2 3.34.3 3.28.3 3.28.3 3.24.3 3.24.1 -- gnome-shell (49.3)
grub (2.14) 2.12 2.12 2.12 2.04 2.04 2.04 2.02 2.02 2.02beta2 2.02beta2 2.00beta2 grub (2.14)
gtk (4.20.3) 4.20.2 4.16.12 4.14.5 4.10.4 3.24.29 3.24.13 3.22.30 3.22.30 3.22.18 3.22.12 3.18.9 gtk (4.20.3)
httpd (2.4.66) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- httpd (2.4.66)
inkscape (1.4.3) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- inkscape (1.4.3)
kmod (34.2) 33 33 33 30 25 25 25 25 24 17 17 kmod (34.2)
krita (5.2.15) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3.1.0 -- krita (5.2.15)
LibreOffice (26.2.0) 25.2.6 24.8.4 24.2.5 7.5.3 7.1.4 6.3.4 6.2.1 6.1.0 5.4.0 5.3.2 -- LibreOffice (26.2.0)
Package 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.4 4.3 4.1 4.0 3.9999 3 2017.04.18.0 1.2.1 Package
libselinux (3.10) 3.8.1 3.7 3.3 3.3 git git git git git -- -- libselinux (3.10)
linux (6.18.8) 6.17.8 6.12.9 6.10.13 6.3.8 5.13.1 5.4.12 4.20.16 4.18.5 4.12.7 4.9.22 4.8.2 linux (6.18.8)
mariadb (12.1.2) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- mariadb (12.1.2)
mate-desktop (1.28.2) -- -- -- 1.27.1 1.24.2 1.22.2 1.20.4 1.20.3 1.18.0 1.18.0 -- mate-desktop (1.28.2)
mesa (25.3.4) 25.2.6 24.3.3 24.2.3 23.0.3 21.1.3 19.3.2 19.0.0 18.1.6 17.1.6 17.0.4 12.1.0 mesa (25.3.4)
mysql (9.6.0) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- mysql (9.6.0)
nautilus (49.4) 49.1 47.1 46.2 43.4 40.2 3.26.4 3.26.4 3.26.4 3.24.2 3.24.0 3.20.3 nautilus (49.4)
NVIDIA (590.48.01) -- 565.77 560.35.03 535.54.03 465.31 440.82 418.43 390.87 384.59 375.39 370.28 NVIDIA (590.48.01)
openjdk (25) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- openjdk (25)
openssh (10.2p1) 10.2p1 9.9p1 9.9p1 9.3p1 8.6p1 8.1p1 7.7p1 7.7p1 7.5p1 7.5p1 7.3p1 openssh (10.2p1)
openssl (3.6.1) 3.3.5 3.3.2 3.3.2 1.1.1u 1.1.1k 1.0.2u 1.0.2r 1.0.2p 1.0.2l 1.0.2k 1.0.2j openssl (3.6.1)
perl (5.42.0) 5.38.4 5.38.2 5.38.2 5.36.0 5.32.1 5.30.1 5.28.1 5.26.2 5.24.1 5.24.1 5.22.1 perl (5.42.0)
php (8.5.2) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- php (8.5.2)
plasma-desktop (6.5.5) 6.5.3 6.2.5 6.1.5 5.27.5 5.22.2 5.17.5 -- -- -- -- -- plasma-desktop (6.5.5)
postfix (3.10.7) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- postfix (3.10.7)
postgresql (18.1) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 10.5 -- -- -- postgresql (18.1)
Python (3.14.3) 3.12.11 3.11.11 3.11.10 3.10.11 3.7.11 3.7.6 2.7.16 2.7.15 2.7.13 2.7.13 2.7.12 Python (3.14.3)
qt (6.10.2) 6.9.3 6.8.1 6.7.3 6.3.0 5.15.3 5.13.2 5.12.1 5.11.1 5.9.1 5.6.2 5.6.1 qt (6.10.2)
samba (4.23.5) 4.22.5 4.19.9 4.19.6 4.16.10 4.13.9 4.10.11 4.8.8 4.7.9 4.6.6 4.3.13 4.3.11 samba (4.23.5)
systemd (259) 257.10 254.23 254.18 251.15 247.7 244 239 239 218 218 218 systemd (259)
thunderbird (147.0.1) 140.5.0 128.6.0 128.3.1 102.12.0 78.11.0 68.4.1 60.5.2 60.0 52.2.1 52.0.1 45.4.0 thunderbird (147.0.1)
vim (9.1) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- vim (9.1)
vlc (3.0.23) -- -- -- 3.0.18 3.0.16 3.0.8 3.0.6 3.0.3 2.2.6 2.2.4 2.2.4 vlc (3.0.23)
wayland (1.24.0) 1.24.0 1.23.1 1.23.0 1.22.0 1.19.0 1.16.0 1.16.0 1.14.0 1.12.0 1.12.0 1.10.0 wayland (1.24.0)
xfdesktop (4.20.1) 4.20.1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- xfdesktop (4.20.1)
xorg-server (21.1.21) 21.1.21 21.1.15 21.1.13 1.20.14 1.20.12 1.20.6 1.20.3 1.19.6 1.18.4 1.18.4 1.18.4 xorg-server (21.1.21)

Reader Ratings
Reader supplied reviews for Solus

Average rating
7.6
from 241 review(s)



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Past reviews - sort by:

Version: 4.8
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-02-01
Votes: 0


The first Linux operating system that has worked perfectly on my computer from the very beginning! Even virtual machines with VirtualBox or Quemu/KVM run flawlessly. I was previously using Linux Mint, since version 9 (Isadora), as was my father (84), and we are now very, very happy to be using Solus OS! I hope the Solus OS project continues for a long time! Solus OS is a fantastic experience, and I wonder why I only discovered it now... Linux Mint wasn't bad; it's what made us never go back to Windows!


Was this review helpful? Yes No
Version: 4.8
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-24
Votes: 0


Solus ist eine Recht gute distribution, ich bin immer am wandern gewesen,Linux Mint 22 und dann lmde 7, manjaro ,deepin 25 usw. Jedoch fühlt sich solus,wirklich gut an, es ist sehr schnell und sehr ansprechend gestaltet. Beacom Treiber werden über des Software Manager installiert...also fehlende Software... Das hat mich sehr überrascht. Das habe ich vorher nirgends gesehen. Einfach eine echt tolle distribution. Bitte so weiter machen. Bin ja mal gespannt wie es mit den Updates so funktioniert. Also auf die nächste Version. Die 4.8 ist echt eine saubere und leistungstarke Version im KDE ! Macht weiter so.


Was this review helpful? Yes No
Version: 4.8
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-18
Votes: 7


With Solus, you can sail comfortably from one port to the next and completely forget that you are on a rough sea. It is simply a large, stable boat if you choose the Gnome edition. I haven't explored the depths yet, but these are explained excellently in a documentation and you can also chat with other fishermen. Thanks to Flathub, you can now go fishing in the big sea of software. No Debian, no Fedora, no Arch brings so much calm to the helm and a clear view of the seagulls. Thank you, Solus!




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See all 241 reader reviews of Solus...



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