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Artix Linux RSS Feed DistroWatch.com: Artix Linux

Artix Linux


Last Update: 2025-12-03 15:28 UTC


Artix Linux is a fork (or continuation as an autonomous project) of the Arch-OpenRC and Manjaro-OpenRC projects. Artix Linux offers a lightweight, rolling-release operating system featuring the OpenRC init software. (Alternative spins feature the runit and s6 init software.) Several editions of Artix Linux are available, featuring either a plain command line or one of several desktop environments.

Popularity (hits per day): 12 months: 59 (206), 6 months: 46 (259), 3 months: 46 (300), 4 weeks: 60 (269), 1 week: 71 (248)

Average visitor rating: 9.2/10 from 206 review(s).


Artix Linux Summary
Distribution Artix Linux
Home Page https://artixlinux.org/
Mailing Lists --
User Forums https://artixlinux.org/forum/
Alternative User Forums
Documentation --
Screenshots DistroWatch Gallery
Screencasts
Download Mirrors https://artixlinux.org/download.php
Bug Tracker --
Related Websites  
Reviews 2021: DistroWatch
2020: All Things LinuxDistroWatch
2017: DistroWatch
Where To Donate, Buy or Try

Table Notes and Explanations

(Please refer to the table below.)
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  • 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 20250407 20240823 20230814 20220713 20210726 20200210 20181004 20170808 Feature
Release Date 2025-04-07 2024-08-23 2023-08-14 2022-07-17 2021-07-28 2020-02-10 2018-10-04 2017-08-08 Release Date
End Of Life                 End Of Life
Price (US$) Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Price (US$)
Image Size (MB) 900-3600 700-1700 700-1700 700-1700 600-1400 600-1200 400-900 300-700 Image Size (MB)
Free Download ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO Free Download
Installation Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Graphical Installation
Default Desktop Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, KDE Plasma, Xfce Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, KDE Plasma, Xfce Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, KDE Plasma, Xfce Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, KDE Plasma, Xfce Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, KDE Plasma, Xfce Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, KDE Plasma LXQt i3, LXQt Default Desktop
Default Browser                 Default Browser
Package Management Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Package Management
Release Model Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Release Model
Office Suite -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Office Suite
Processor Architecture x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 Processor Architecture
Init Software Dinit, OpenRC, runit, S6 Dinit, OpenRC, runit, S6 Dinit, OpenRC, runit, S6 Dinit, OpenRC, runit, S6 OpenRC, runit, S6, Suite66 OpenRC, runit, S6 OpenRC, runit OpenRC Init Software
Journaled File Systems ext3, ext4 ext3, ext4 ext3, ext4 ext3, ext4 ext3, ext4 ext3, ext4 ext3, ext4 ext3, ext4 Journaled File Systems
Multilingual                 Multilingual
Asian Language Support                 Asian Language Support
Full Package List 20250407 20240823 20230814 20220713 20210726 20200210 20181004 20170808 Full Package List
Package 20250407 20240823 20230814 20220713 20210726 20200210 20181004 20170808 Package
alsa-lib (1.2.14) 1.2.13 1.2.12 1.2.9 1.2.7.1 1.2.5.1 1.2.1.2 1.1.6 1.1.4.1 alsa-lib (1.2.14)
amdgpu (25.0.0) 23.0.0 23.0.0 23.0.0 22.0.0 19.1.0 19.1.0 -- -- amdgpu (25.0.0)
apparmor (4.1.2)                 apparmor (4.1.2)
apt (3.1.12) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- apt (3.1.12)
bash (5.3) 5.2 5.2 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.0 4.4 4.4 bash (5.3)
bind (9.20.16) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- bind (9.20.16)
chromium (143.0.7499.40) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- chromium (143.0.7499.40)
cinnamon (6.4.13) 6.4.9 6.2.9 5.8.4 5.4.2 4.8.4 4.4.8 -- -- cinnamon (6.4.13)
cups (2.4.16) 2.4.11 2.4.10 2.4.6 2.4.2 2.3.3 -- -- -- cups (2.4.16)
e2fsprogs (1.47.3) 1.47.2 1.47.1 1.47.0 1.46.5 1.46.2 1.45.5 1.44.4 1.43.4 e2fsprogs (1.47.3)
ffmpeg (8.0.1) 7.1 7.0.2 6.0 5.0.1 4.4 4.2.2 4.0.2 -- ffmpeg (8.0.1)
firefox (145.0.2) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- firefox (145.0.2)
flatpak (1.16.1) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- flatpak (1.16.1)
freetype (2.14.1) 2.13.3 2.13.3 2.13.1 2.12.1 2.10.4 2.10.1 2.9.1 -- freetype (2.14.1)
gcc (15.2.0) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- gcc (15.2.0)
gimp (3.0.6) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- gimp (3.0.6)
git (2.52.0) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- git (2.52.0)
glibc (2.42) 2.41 2.40 2.38 2.35 2.33 2.30 2.28 2.25 glibc (2.42)
gnome-shell (49.2) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- gnome-shell (49.2)
grub (2.12) 2.12 2.12 2.12 2.06 2.04 2.02 2.02 2.02 grub (2.12)
gtk (4.20.3) 4.18.3 4.14.5 4.10.5 4.6.6 3.24.24 3.24.13 3.24.1 3.22.18 gtk (4.20.3)
httpd (2.4.66) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- httpd (2.4.66)
inkscape (1.4.2) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- inkscape (1.4.2)
kmod (34.2) 34.2 33 30 30 28 26 25 24 kmod (34.2)
krita (5.2.13) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- krita (5.2.13)
LibreOffice (25.8.3) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- LibreOffice (25.8.3)
Package 20250407 20240823 20230814 20220713 20210726 20200210 20181004 20170808 Package
libselinux (3.9) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- libselinux (3.9)
linux (6.18) 6.13.8 6.10.6 6.4.10 5.18.10 5.13.4 5.5.2 4.18.10 4.9.41 linux (6.18)
mariadb (12.1.2) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- mariadb (12.1.2)
mate-desktop (1.28.2) 1.28.2 1.28.2 1.27.0 1.26.0 1.24.1 1.22.2 -- -- mate-desktop (1.28.2)
mesa (25.3.1) 25.0.3 24.1.6 23.1.5 22.1.3 21.1.5 19.3.3 18.2.1 17.1.5 mesa (25.3.1)
mysql (9.5.0) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- mysql (9.5.0)
nautilus (49.2) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- nautilus (49.2)
NVIDIA (580.105.08) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NVIDIA (580.105.08)
openjdk (25) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- openjdk (25)
openssh (10.2p1) 9.9p2 9.8p1 9.4p1 9.0p1 8.6p1 8.1p1 7.8p1 7.5p1 openssh (10.2p1)
openssl (3.6.0) 3.4.1 3.3.1 3.1.2 1.1.1q 1.1.1k 1.1.1d 1.1.1 1.1.0f openssl (3.6.0)
perl (5.42.0) 5.40.1 5.38.2 5.38.0 5.36.0 5.32.1 5.30.1 5.28.0 5.26.0 perl (5.42.0)
php (8.5.0) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- php (8.5.0)
plasma-desktop (6.5.3) 6.3.4 6.1.4 5.27.7.1 5.25.3 5.22.4 5.17.5 -- -- plasma-desktop (6.5.3)
postfix (3.10.7) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- postfix (3.10.7)
postgresql (18.1) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- postgresql (18.1)
Python (3.14.2) 3.13.2 3.12.4 3.11.3 3.10.5 3.9.4 3.8.1 3.7.0 3.6.2 Python (3.14.2)
qt (6.10.1) 6.9.0 6.7.2 5.15.10 5.15.5 5.15.2 5.14.1 5.11.2 2.0.0 qt (6.10.1)
samba (4.23.3) 4.22.0 4.20.4 4.18.5 4.16.2 4.14.6 4.10.10 -- -- samba (4.23.3)
systemd (258.2) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- systemd (258.2)
thunderbird (145.0) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- thunderbird (145.0)
vim (9.1) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 8.0 vim (9.1)
vlc (3.0.22) 3.0.21 3.0.21 -- -- -- -- -- -- vlc (3.0.22)
wayland (1.24.0) 1.23.1 1.23.0 1.22.0 1.21.0 1.19.0 1.17.0 1.16.0 1.13.0 wayland (1.24.0)
xfdesktop (4.20.1) 4.20.1 4.18.1 4.18.1 4.16.0 4.16.0 -- -- -- xfdesktop (4.20.1)
xorg-server (21.1.21) 21.1.16 21.1.13 21.1.8 21.1.4 1.20.12 1.20.7 1.20.1 1.19.3 xorg-server (21.1.21)

Reader Ratings
Reader supplied reviews for Artix Linux

Average rating
9.2
from 206 review(s)



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Past reviews - sort by:

Version: 20250407
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-12-05
Votes: 0


I've always loved Devian. When it decided to force SystemD as the only option I diliked the decision a lot. Sometime after Devuan was born and I moved to it. I've used a lot of distros over the yeas but fell in love with Artix. OpenRC was simple to use (I've used Gentoo for a time) and I loved the almost bleeding edge experience. Problems? Sure, every single distro has those. But Artix gave me a good balance. I've decided to stick with it and I'm lovin'. Devuan is still used on my home server and Debian on my other machine. So much as I dislike SystemD I am no fool to not keep track of it and know how to use it and there is no better way than using it to keep my skills sharp. I am no fool. Maybe some day I will be forced to use SystemD on my main machine and notebook, but not today.


Was this review helpful? Yes No
Version: 20250407
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-11-14
Votes: 8


Artix Linux is my favorite among all distributions. The first reason is the absence of systemd; the second is the up-to-date NVIDIA drivers, which didn’t cause any errors on Wayland—unlike other distributions where Wayland didn’t work with the older 550 and 535 drivers.

I tested CUDA workloads and games through Proton/Steam, and I didn’t encounter any errors or crashes during gameplay. I compared it with a Windows session, and it seemed to me that under the same conditions I was getting 5–10 FPS more on Artix Linux compared to Windows 11 Pro. This felt strange and even impossible, since the game uses DX12 and should theoretically run with lower FPS, but I didn’t notice any drop. In older DX9 games, the FPS was clearly higher than on Windows—by at least around 20 FPS. The only important thing is to update the system right after installation to avoid critical issues, including problems with the ntfs-3g driver.

The choice of init systems and the intuitive graphical installer make switching to Artix easier. Of course, there are occasional issues, but they’re mostly related to KDE’s DE bugs, which is why I’m thinking of trying Hyperland instead of KDE. Overall, I liked Artix, and I should keep exploring it to make sure everything works well. So far, I’ve tested the key things that matter to me, and Artix handled them successfully. It’s probably the best Arch-based distribution with a rolling model and full freedom in choosing an init system.


Was this review helpful? Yes No
Version: 20250407
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-11-12
Votes: 6


Artix is what Linux as a whole should be: up-to-date packages, the sheer amount of variety of packages (thanks in large part to Arch and the AUR), doesn't discriminate politically or otherwise which packages/maintainers are allowed, entirely community-managed, not buying into corporate Linux agenda, generally a no-bull distribution.

If you're the kind that wants to wrestle control of your desktop system from the clawing hands of soulless enterprise Linux, then Artix is for you: init alternatives and first-class support for XLibre (a non-RedHat controlled, modernized fork of Xorg).

Like as said, the distro does not discriminate. That means Wayland/systemd/Hyprland/[insert bikeshedded project] enjoyers can still use these on Artix, unlike on Void, Alpine or ChimeraOS, with defaults as shipped by upstream, the Arch way, without any politics attached.

Technical downsides:

- Being a non-systemd distro, you're (mostly) on your own when it comes to anything init or supervision-related. Definitely not a distro for newcomers.
- Anything niche that you employ in your system will make the system as good as the niche thing itself. For example, VPN packages may not have the service file for your variety of supervisor. This is already observed in the AUR with borked or straight up nonexistent systemd services, so it's not the fault of Artix, nor Arch for that matter.
- This is a smaller community-run distro, and they have their own repos that are slightly behind Arch ones. Do not expect version parity or even compatibility with Arch packages. That said, while they host their own servers, they're still miles better than Void's when it comes to availability, for example.


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