ZDNET Picks RefreshOS 3.0 Over Linux Mint for New Linux Users
Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Jun 27
ZDNET Picks RefreshOS 3.0 Over Linux Mint for New Linux Users
1 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Jun 27
Summary
RefreshOS got ZDNET’s nod as the best Linux distro for new users, beating Linux Mint by a narrow margin after a head-to-head comparison.
KDE Plasma 6.3.6 drove the decision: the analyst said it is easy for beginners to adopt yet flexible enough for experienced users, while RefreshOS 3.0 added polish and a more elegant interface.
Linux Mint still scored strongly on simplicity, stability and onboarding, especially its Welcome app, familiar Cinnamon desktop and broad out-of-the-box software selection.
RefreshOS lacked a dedicated welcome app but matched Mint on performance, shipped more preinstalled apps, used Brave instead of Firefox, and kept Flatpak support for easy software installs.
The verdict marked a break from Mint’s long-standing status as the default beginner recommendation, with the analyst arguing RefreshOS now edges ahead on usability plus design.