OSes

Plus news from its Dublin neighbors, Linux Mint

The latest point release of Zorin OS is here, as an interesting alternative to Linux Mint for those still searching for a replacement for Windows 10 as the dust settles over the ruins.

Zorin OS 18.1 is out. This is the first point release of the company's Ubuntu Noble-based series, arriving some six months after Zorin OS 18, whose beta version we looked at in September last year. This release picks up the updates from February's Ubuntu 24.04.4, including kernel 6.17 from the Ubuntu Questing Quokka release.

The subsequent Ubuntu LTS release, 26.04, is due later this week, and last month we looked at the Resolute Raccoon beta. Zorin, though, moves to its own beat, with a policy of releasing new versions when they're ready. Version 18.1 also has additional updates of its own, over and above the core OS components it inherits from Ubuntu such as the latest version of LibreOffice, release 26.2, and new versions of its many customizations to the desktop environment.

The announcement says that this version has broader hardware support and better performance, which is mainly thanks to the updated components from the upstream Ubuntu LTS enablement stack. The desktop still uses the same GNOME version – specifically version 46.7 – but Zorin OS customizes this significantly with a suite of GNOME extensions – for instance, the company sponsors development of the Dash-to-Panel extension. In this release, there are 27 separate extensions. Among other improvements, there's improved window tiling, with more layout options, and the ability to bring groups of related windows to the front with a single click. The panel now offers layouts aimed at scripts that read right-to-left, such as Arabic and Hebrew, which reverse the order of the components in the panel. Also in the panel, status icons can be turned on and off.

Zorin OS offers some of the best handling of Windows apps in the Linux world. This vulture has given friends Linux machines a few times in the past, and something we've seen more than once is naïve users trying to download Windows applications. The Zorin OS desktop tries to identify these downloads, and where native Linux versions exist, it suggests installing those instead. If there is no native version, it will suggest suitable alternatives or replacements. If even that isn't an option, it will offer to install WINE 10 for you, and then try to install the app that way. In this release, the list of Windows apps it can handle has been increased by 40 percent.

Although this is only a point release, there is one change from Zorin OS 18.0 that will be significant for some users: the welcome return of Zorin OS Lite. Zorin OS Lite looks very similar to the flagship Zorin OS distro, but rather than the GNOME desktop, the Lite edition uses Xfce instead. When version 18 appeared last year, only the GNOME edition got updated – the Xfce edition was not included. The only version of Zorin OS Lite available was the previous release, the Ubuntu Jammy-based Zorin OS 17.3. With 18.1, the Xfce edition rejoins its GNOME-based siblings: the free Core and Education editions and the paid-for Zorin OS Pro.

The new Zorin OS 18.1 Lite uses Xfce 4.20. Released at the end of 2024, it is the current release, and notably is newer than what is included in Zorin's upstream Ubuntu 24.04 "Noble Numbat", which still offers 2022's Xfce 4.18. There are a couple of reasons we're pleased to see the return of Zorin OS Lite.

First is our general growing fondness for Xfce. Over the last few years manning the Reg FOSS desk, this vulture has tried a great many different FOSS desktop environments across multiple FOSS Unix-like OSes, and Xfce is our firm favorite. It hits the sweet spot between excellent functionality, rich customization, a slow, measured release cycle, while also being relatively small. For once, you get "good," and "fast" (in performance), and "cheap" (in the sense of light resource usage).

Second, though, is that it counters one of the most frequent accusations we see levelled against Xfce – that it looks dull, or old-fashioned, or boring. The Zorin OS edition shows that ain't necessarily so: Xfce can look great, and in this incarnation, it shines. In our opinion, Zorin OS offers the snazziest config of Xfce on any OS. It looks almost identical to the flagship GNOME edition. GNOME's graphical design is excellent, and Zorin builds on this with bright, high-contrast themes and attractive wallpapers.

Sadly, that said, the company's statement that it plans to "sunset" Zorin OS Lite remains. The future Zorin OS 19.x release cycle will be GNOME-only. We are torn on this. Personally, this vulture much prefers Xfce, and Zorin's config of this desktop is one of its finest showcases. On the other hand, focusing on one desktop environment will reduce the company's workload and simplify the support workload. The company observes:

This is fair. Even 2008 hardware is now capable of running GNOME well: when we tested GNOME 48 on a Core 2 Duo a year ago, we were honestly impressed at how well it worked. There's no 32-bit version, so it won't help with truly geriatric kit, but even high-end kit from 20 years ago has a decent chance of running this well.

The three free editions are all fairly similar: Lite has Xfce, Core and Education have GNOME, and all offer a similar choice of Windows or GNOME-like layouts with the very easy Zorin Appearance app to simplify switching between them. They all include a range of standard Linux apps, including the Brave browser, media and image handling tools, and some handy extras such as the Zorin Connect tool to link to a smartphone.

The paid-for Pro version bundles a large assortment of leading FOSS apps in Flatpak form, multiple additional desktop layouts, and more valuably it includes customer support. Pricing is unchanged from the previous release: whether US dollars, euros, or pounds Sterling, it's 47.99. Any machine that came with Windows 10 should run it very well, and we'd expect it to be considerably quicker than Windows on the same hardware.

News from the other side of Dublin

Zorin OS is one of the leading contenders to replace Windows, alongside Linux Mint. Zorin OS goes further in trying to make Windows migrants feel at home, and while it offers fewer desktops, it has more tools to customize them and a bright appearance theme. And, of course, the flagship edition costs money.

Conversely, Linux Mint offers a choice of desktops, although all have the same Windows-like layout, and it doesn't offer any additional tools to customize the desktops' layouts. It has a much darker, more sober and businesslike theme. It also includes easier system-maintenance tools, but there are no special measures to help people trying to install Windows apps.

And, of course, all versions of Linux Mint are free to download: there's no paid-for premium edition here. The project survives on donations.

The March 2026 Mint blog shows that it received over $26,000 in donations. In comparison, the Zorin OS 18.1 announcement claims an impressive 3.3 million downloads since version 18 appeared.

We looked at the previous Mint blog in February, which warned of a slowing in the project's release lifecycle. Now, this is confirmed: the next version of Linux Mint, version 23 "Alfa", won't appear until Christmas 2026. This will be based on the imminent Ubuntu "Resolute", and by then, Wayland should be officially supported, complete with screensavers. Also, the plan is that the mainstream Ubuntu-based Mint and Linux Mint Debian Edition will converge somewhat, sharing the same installation program.

The slower release schedule may slow Mint down to something slightly comparable to Zorin's lifecycle, which is no bad thing. These distros are not aimed at the most highly technical users, and frequent updates are not a desirable feature. ®