5 of the most unique Linux distros you need to try out

Unlike macOS and Windows, the Linux ecosystem is filled with a host of cool distributions, each featuring its own spin on the open-source platform. But for tinkerers who love working with different distros, you might end up getting tired of installing the same ol’ Debian and Arch-flavored distributions. So, here’s a list of unique Linux distributions that are as useful as they are eccentric.

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It’s like DietPi and Puppy Linux, but even more lightweight

Thanks to their lightweight nature and low-performance overhead, Linux distributions are ideal for resurrecting obsolete hardware. In fact, there’s a slew of Linux operating systems that favor low resource consumption over all else. However, Tiny Core Linux takes the resource-efficient nature of its brethren to the next level with its 17MB ISO file.

Heck, even the GUI version of the OS takes up merely 23MB! So, if you’re looking to bring a dinosaur PC back from oblivion, Tiny Core Linux is worth checking out. While the GUI layout is far from intuitive, it’s still fairly usable in 2025 – so long as you try to run anything more complicated than a web browser.

A coder’s best friend (and worst nightmare)

Ever wanted an easily reproducible operating system where you could install your essential packages by declaring them inside a configuration file? That’s one of NixOS’ many shticks. Thanks to its declarative nature, NixOS lets you modify the entire operating system using simple configuration.nix files, and you can reproduce the same config across multiple PCs and virtual machines using the nixos-rebuilt switch command.

For programmers who despise dependency conflicts as much as I do, you’ll be glad to know that NixOS isolates packages from each other. But if things do go south while updating your packages, you have the option to roll-back to a more stable state. Factor in the massive NixPkg repository, and you have a solid distro for hardcore developers. The caveat? You’ll have to learn an entirely new scripting language called Nix to make full use of the OS.

Privacy first!

If you’re tired of the highly intrusive nature of the newer versions of macOS and Windows, Linux distros can provide some privacy-laden sanctuary to your computing tasks. But for privacy-conscious users who value maintaining their anonymity over convenience and accessibility, Tails OS is worth checking out.

Once you load the Tails ISO onto a flash drive, you can use it to run the entire OS on your PC’s memory. Since RAM is volatile, all traces of your activity are wiped once you shut down the host system. It’s also deeply integrated with the Tor network, which runs your online activity through three different relays to prevent online censorship. Of course, you do have the option to save essential data on the USB drive, and you can further enhance your privacy by encrypting the files inside the persistent storage.

No more distro-hopping with this all-in-one OS

The more popular Linux distros like Fedora, Debian, and Arch Linux have their own package managers, libraries, and other utilities. As such, you could run into issues when attempting to install a niche package belonging to, say, an Ubuntu PPA repository on Manjaro, Garuda Linux, or other Arch-based distros.

Thankfully, BlendOS can put an end to package compatibility issues by letting you run entire distros inside containers. As with other immutable distributions, the core BlendOS files are read-only, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally breaking the OS. Like NixOS, BlendOS is also declarative in nature, though you don’t have to worry about learning an entirely new language since the system.yaml file uses the simple YAML syntax.

A virtualization-heavy distro for your security needs

Whereas Tail OS is more of a privacy-oriented distro, Qubes OS is all about maintaining the security of your workstation. Qubes OS achieves this by running apps and services inside virtualized environments using the Xen hypervisor. Each environment – or rather “qube” – is completely isolated from the others, thereby lowering the risk of malware escaping a compromised qube.

Plus, you’re free to control the OS templates for your sandboxed environments, with Qubes OS supporting a host of useful operating system templates – including those based on Windows. Although the virtualization-heavy nature of Qubes OS can result in slightly lower performance than running your apps on a bare-metal distro, it’s by far one of the best operating systems for users who value security over all else.

Which obscure Linux distro is your favorite?

Despite their unique functionalities, the distributions I’ve highlighted so far have their use cases. But if you’re on the hunt for unhinged distributions, I’ve got a couple of recommendations. For Hannah Montana fans, there’s a Linux distro that goes by the same name. Likewise, you’ve also got Justin Bieber Linux and Hello Kitty Slackware. Then there’s Wubuntu, which is based on Ubuntu but comes with a Windows makeover. But Suicide Linux wins the prize for the most deranged Linux distribution, with the whole premise of the OS being that it will wipe your storage drives clean anytime you input a wrong command.