Mint vs MX Linux
Mint draws more interest (#2 vs #3).
you want a desktop that feels like Windows.
you like KDE Plasma and lots of settings.
| Mint #2 · Debian | MX Linux #3 · Debian | |
|---|---|---|
| Popularity rank (12 months) | 2 | 3 |
| Rank last month | 2 | 4 |
| Index | 299 | 299 |
| Family | Debian | Debian |
| Based on | Ubuntu | Debian |
| First released | 2006 | 2014 |
| Latest release | 22.3 LTS | 25.3 |
| Supported until | Apr 2029 | Aug 2028 |
| GitHub stars | 5,652 | 23 |
| Commits, last 30 days | 103 | 0 |
| Telemetry (OS default) | None | - |
Pros and cons
Mint
Good
- Windows-style Cinnamon desktop that feels familiar
- Media codecs and drivers offered at install
- Built on Ubuntu LTS, so most Ubuntu guides apply
Trade-offs
- Newest apps and kernels arrive later than on Fedora or Arch
- Wayland support is behind GNOME and KDE
- No official ARM builds
MX Linux
Good
- Handy graphical MX Tools for common tasks
- Light enough for older computers
- Debian stable base
Trade-offs
- Xfce default looks dated to some
- Older software than rolling distros
- Smaller community than Mint or Ubuntu
Questions
Is Mint or MX Linux more popular?
Mint draws more interest over the last 12 months (#2 vs #3 in our popularity ranking). That measures interest, not installs.
Which is better for beginners, Mint or MX Linux?
Both suit people new to Linux. The choice mostly comes down to the desktop you prefer.
Rankings from our composite index: English Wikipedia article views, DistroWatch page hits, GitHub stars and views on this site, built 2026-11-12. All of these measure interest, not installs. Repository activity from GitHub. Ratings come from signed-in LinuxStatistics users. "Pick if", pros and cons are LinuxStatistics editorial notes based on each project's own documentation. Release dates and support from endoflife.date (CC BY-SA 4.0).