Artix Linux

Reader supplied reviews for Artix Linux Average rating 9.2 from 246 review(s) What are your thoughts on Artix Linux? 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: -- 202604022025040720240823202308142022071320210726202002102018100420170808 Rating:    -- 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 out of 10 Your review (minimum 250 words): Past reviews - sort by: DateVotes Version: 20260402 Rating: 4 Date: 2026-07-09 Country: New Zealand Votes: 0 There's a reason I normally steer clear of Arch derivatives. installed Artix out of curiosity, its systemd free so I thought lets see what its like. Downloaded the OpenRC version with Plasma. Booted fine but warned me to install in off line mode as on line was experimental. Why offer on line then? Installed fine but after using syu to update the system I immediately had problems installing UFW firewall, something I've never experienced with Arch. I spent time trying to resolve this issue with no success. Even commands and solutions that were supposed to work, didn't. I tried resetting my system and Artix failed to boot. What can i say, I'm well and truly "out". This project, at least in my experience needs a lot of work before I could recommend it to anyone. Its hardly the only systemd free linux distro either. Maybe I'll come back in a few years when its hopefully matured. Was this review helpful? Yes No Version: 20260402 Rating: 10 Date: 2026-05-31 Country: United States Votes: 61 I like to tinker, so even after enjoying Artix, I have been kicking around with multiple systems, yet keep coming back to Artix. Why? Well, it is one of the best options for those who want to work with a different init other than systemd (for either philosophical, political, or other reasons). I've used dinit (fast), runit (faster, maybe), and OpenRC (my favorite so far), and each is completely viable with Artix. There's the benefit of being in the Arch world without some of the design decisions Arch makes. By choosing a new init and setting up the Artix repos, Artix has positioned itself to be isolated from some of the potential trajectory of Arch while still enjoying the benefits of that ecosystem. Beyond no systemd, however, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Artix forums. There's a tradeoff and benefit to being a spinoff from another distro--in this case, the Artix forums (and subreddit) are a little more patient and kind with newcomers, which is important--both in general, but especially when your distro has a couple extra steps to get up and going. There have been a lot of mentions of Artix as a "protest distro" (dismissively), but that seems silly to me. Anyone checking out Artix will see this isn't some fly-by-night iteration. Additionally, most Linux distros began as a pushback or counter to some other issue or movement. Artix is a great distro in its own right. Check out one of the many, many isos with your init and Desktop Environment of choice, and give it a try. I do think they could make the website a little more inviting for new users, but with the distro itself, I am very happy indeed. Was this review helpful? Yes No Version: 20260402 Rating: 10 Date: 2026-05-13 Country: Sweden Votes: 61 I've been comparing both Void Linux and Artix recently, and while I have a great deal of respect for both those distros, Artix has kept its place as my daily driver distro of choice, supplanting previous choices like CachyOS, Debian, and Pop!. -I appreciate the choice of inits. Replacing systemd is not an issue everyone cares about, I know, but my boot times are so much faster now, and I feel like there's no longer this leviathan with tendrils in everything for my system. -The Artix community is solid. No, it isn't as big as the Arch community, but it is still in the Arch world or neck of the worlds, and there is plenty of support. The wiki is pretty strong (and yes, the Arch wiki still works for plenty of knowledge topics). -Artix users retain access to the AUR, which is a big selling point for anyone who appreciates having a large selection of packages and programs. -This is a rolling release distro--some people get scared off by that sort of thing, but in my experience, there's not a lot of serious breakage (very rarely, between Cachy and Artix), and none with Artix so far. I like to have the newest and best if at all possible. -Artix has indicated they do not want any piece of the age verification legislation coming down the pike. They're one of the few distros to firmly plant themselves against that (kudos to Void, as well!). Really, if there's any criticism at all, I'd encourage them to take the next steps and make some of the initial setup and repo selection even more user-friendly. It isn't enough to bring them down from a 10 (9.8, maybe?), but it is something that could make Artix even more popular. It's a good time for Linux users and the Linux curious to really give some thought to what their distro stands for in terms of privacy, policy, and security in the world we find ourselves in. Was this review helpful? Yes No See all 246 reader reviews of Artix Linux...