9 Reasons Why Manjaro Is Better Than Ubuntu.

It’s high time for the “most popular” distribution to give way to a faster and more convenient competitor.

1. Manjaro app store is faster and more convenient

After installing the system, newbies will most likely head to the Ubuntu "App Store" first. And they will be amazed at how slower and more inconvenient it is than the Microsoft Store on Windows, and even more so the App Store for macOS.

Searching by program name here takes a whole millennium, as does installation. In addition to the Store, there are many other ways to install programs in Ubuntu - but, frankly, they are overwhelming. You can use a third-party package manager like Synaptic, install software from Flatpack or Snap, download a DEB installer... And if the Ubuntu library does not have the programs you need, you will have to connect third-party repositories through the terminal. More or less experienced users are used to all this, but for a beginner it causes great difficulties.

In Manjaro, you can install and manage absolutely all programs through the convenient Pamac manager.

There is no need to search for official sites and copy lines from there to the list of repositories, wait several minutes for search results to load or install a DEB file, and also understand programs in the terminal.

You open Pamac, enter the names of the applications you need, check the boxes, and click OK. Everything will be downloaded, updated and installed in a matter of seconds. After Ubuntu, Mint and other distributions, Manjaro in this regard amazes with its speed and convenience.

2. There is much more software in the AUR repository

Arch User Repository (AUR) is a special feature of Arch Linux, and therefore Manjaro, which is based on it. The AUR is a centralized software library where the Arch and Manjaro user community collects packages that are not included in the official repositories. There are a huge number of them: the latest versions of programs, beta versions, specialized tools and many other applications that are not in other repositories.

If you use Ubuntu and cannot find the program you need in the “App Store”, and the developers do not provide their own repository, you will most likely have to build the application from source code - which for a beginner may be too tricky a task.

In Manjaro, it will be enough to enable search in AUR in the Pamac settings, enter the name of the desired program - and it will be found and installed automatically. There is no need to connect personal package archives (PPA) or understand the manual assembly process - the system will do everything for you.

3. Installing and updating drivers in Manjaro is much easier

In Ubuntu, there are two main ways to install or update drivers for the same graphics card - which is necessary if you intend to game on your system. The first is through the built-in “Additional Drivers” tool in “System Settings”. You open this section and select the desired driver. The problem is that it is often not available for installation.

Then the second method comes into play - through the terminal. You will have to go through a whole quest to add a driver PPA via the command line, which is not very easy for a person who does not understand Linux and just wants to run a couple of games from Steam after work.

In Manjaro, the process of installing and updating drivers is much simpler. You open the “Hardware Configuration” tab in “System Settings” and check the latest version of the driver, reboot - and it is installed. No fuss with PPA import and command line.

4. Manjaro offers more recent kernel versions

The Linux kernel is the main part of the operating system that provides interaction between the computer hardware and programs. The newer it is, the better the equipment will be supported: video cards, wireless adapters, etc.

In Ubuntu, the kernel is updated as new versions of the operating system are released. And if you use a more stable, but at the same time older version, you may well not have all the features of your video card working or have problems with Bluetooth. Of course, you can update the kernel manually via the terminal, but this is a very difficult process for a beginner.

In Manjaro, as in Arch, it is always fresher than in Ubuntu, thanks to which this distribution supports more hardware and it works faster. In addition, if you need to update the kernel or, conversely, roll it back to an older and proven version, you don’t need to go through a quest with a terminal or wait six months for a new system release.

Just open “Settings”, find the “Kernel” tab and select the one you need from the list. And voila, as if by magic, after a reboot your Wi-Fi will work, your discrete video card will be activated, or your wireless headphones will finally connect.

5. Manjaro does not need to be reinstalled when updating

Manjaro, like Arch Linux, is a rolling release distribution. Rolling Release is a software development model in which the system is constantly updated and new versions of programs and components are gradually released to the repositories - without the need to release fixed versions of the OS.

This is roughly what Microsoft tried to do at one time when it was going to appoint a “ten” of its latest OS, which would be endlessly updated and improved, but did not change the name. But in the end, the corporation abandoned its plans and delighted users with the release of Windows 11, and now it is thinking about Windows 12.

Ubuntu releases new versions of the operating system on a regular schedule - standard ones come out every 6 months and are updated for 9 months, and LTS every two years, receiving support for 5 years. If your OS is too old, Canonical will not release patches for it, but will unobtrusively recommend updating.

But often, after changing the major version, the OS begins to behave somehow strangely. There are slowdowns and freezes, and repositories with necessary but old programs fall off. In general, it turns out to be much easier to download the ISO of the new LTS release of Ubuntu and perform a “clean” reinstallation from a flash drive, rather than clicking the “Update system” button in the program manager.

Just like switching from Windows 10 to Windows 11, yes.

Manjaro, with its “rolling release”, does not require unnecessary movements with flash drives and ISO images. You install the system once, after which it is periodically updated without the need to reinstall. It's comfortable.

6. New versions of applications are always available in Manjaro

Ubuntu is based on Debian, a Linux distribution known for its conservativeness and stability. Of course, Ubuntu's software is somewhat more up-to-date than its predecessor, but it's still not the latest.

As mentioned above, long-term support releases are released every two years, and milestone releases are released every six months. And during this time, users have to be content with only critical fixes without changing the versions of most programs.

In Manjaro, if an application receives a new version, you will immediately see it in the list of updates. You will always use the latest software - from the graphics desktop shell, emulator for Windows programs or video card driver to the player and PDF viewer. You don't have to wait six months for a feature that was announced a long time ago to appear in your file manager or document editor.

So, in order to have the latest version of the KDE desktop on Ubuntu, you need to download the special KDE Neon distribution and install it from a USB flash drive.

And to achieve the same in Manjaro, just click on the “Update” button in the tray.

Keeping software fresh is especially important for users who need to run Windows apps or games on their Linux system. And in Manjaro, they will have access to the latest Wine releases, which have fewer compatibility issues. Unlike Ubuntu, where you have to work hard to connect test versions of Wine-Staging.

7. Manjaro loads and runs faster

Both Ubuntu and Manjaro feel like very fast and responsive systems—Windows 11 can’t compete with them, especially on low-power hardware. But Manjaro still loads and runs faster than Ubuntu.

Try running the following command and see the list of active processes on your system:

systemctl list-unit-files --state=enabled --no-pager

While Ubuntu launches 96 daemons immediately upon boot, Manjaro only needs... 18. Arch, on which this distribution is based, is much less demanding on the amount of RAM than Ubuntu. Fewer processes mean not only lower RAM consumption, but also more careful battery consumption, which is important for laptops.

8. Manjaro has an extremely detailed user manual

Since Manjaro is based on Arch, answers to any questions related to this distribution, no matter how specific, can be found on ArchWiki. This is a community-supported web resource that provides extensive documentation and information about Arch.

Arch Wiki includes manuals on installation, configuration, maintenance of the distribution, information about its software, hardware configuration and much more. If you have a problem or need some information, search the Arch Wiki. The user manuals of Ubuntu and other Linux distributions are noticeably inferior to the Arch Wiki in detail and meticulousness.

9. Manjaro is developed by the community, not a corporation

Ubuntu is supported by Canonical, one of the largest corporations investing in open source software development. She tried to find a way to make a profit from the free OS, which caused criticism from users.

Thus, Canonical tried unsuccessfully for a long time to hook users onto its Ubuntu One cloud storage for a modest fee - the service, however, never took off. Also, for almost 8 years, the company collaborated with Amazon, inserting its web store into its distribution, as well as adding advertising to the search in the main menu.

Like some kind of Microsoft, by God.

Now Canonical has given up trying to monetize the home version of Ubuntu, but still adds offers to subscribe to the Ubuntu Pro commercial support service in the terminal, which annoys users.

In addition, the company focused on corporate clients, and hid the distribution for mere mortals on its website so deeply that you can’t immediately figure out whether it exists at all. If you don’t believe me, take a look at Ubuntu.com and try to find references on the main page not to enterprise solutions, but to systems for the home.

Manjaro, on the other hand, is developed by a small team, does not collect telemetry, does not try to persuade you to buy commercial support or watch ads. This distribution is aimed at home users, and not at corporate clients, like the brainchild of Canonical or Red Hat. So, if you are not going to start your own business on Linux, but just want to watch movies, listen to music, surf the Internet and play games, Manjaro looks like a more attractive option.