Comparison of operating systems


These tables provide a comparison of operating systems, of computer devices, as listing general and technical information for a number of widely used and currently available PC or handheld operating systems. The article "Usage share of operating systems" provides a broader, and more general, comparison of operating systems that includes servers, mainframes and supercomputers.
Because of the large number and variety of available Linux distributions, they are all grouped under a single entry; see comparison of Linux distributions for a detailed comparison. There is also a variety of BSD and DOS operating systems, covered in comparison of BSD operating systems and comparison of DOS operating systems. For information on views of each operating system, see operating system advocacy.

General information

NameCreatorInitial public releasePredecessorCurrent stable versionRelease dateCost, availabilityPreferred licenseTarget system type
AIXIBM1986UNIX System V Release 37.22015, October 5Server, NAS, workstation
AndroidAndroid, Inc., Google2008-102019, September 3Smartphone, tablet computer, education
AmigaOS classicCommodore International, Haage & Partner, Hyperion Entertainment1985TRIPOS 3.9 BB22002, March 20, open source clone available under AROS Public LicenseWorkstation, personal computer
AmigaOS 4Hyperion Entertainment2004AmigaOS classic4.1 Final Edition2014Workstation, personal computer
Chrome OSGoogle2009Chromium OS75.0.3770.1022019, March 5: Google OS Terms of ServiceChromebook, Chromebox, Chromebase and tablets
DragonFly BSDMatthew Dillon2003FreeBSD5.6.12019, June 19Server, workstation, NAS, embedded
FreeBSDThe FreeBSD Project1993386BSD12.02018, December 11Server, workstation, NAS, embedded
GenodeGenode Labs2008-19.052019, May 29Desktop, Embedded, Server
GhostBSDEric Turgeon2009FreeBSD19.102019, October 26Desktop, workstation
eComStationSerenity Systems, Mensys BV2001OS/22.12011Server, workstation, personal computer
EPOC32Psion PLC1996ER51999PDA
GNU/LinuxNotable contributors include: Richard Stallman for GNU Project and Linus Torvalds for Linux and the Unixes they emulated; Red Hat, Debian Project See: Comparison of Linux distributions and Linux Kernel#Development1991, See: Comparison of Linux distributions and History of Linux-5.6 2020, March 29 See: Comparison of Linux distributions
HaikuHaiku Inc.2009BeOS R5R1/Beta2018, September 29Personal computer
HP-UXHP 1983UNIX System V11i v3 Update 162017, MayServer
IBM iIBM1988OS/4007.32016, April 15Server
InfernoBell Labs1997Plan 9Fourth Edition2009, June 30NAS, server, embedded
iOSApple Inc.2007macOS13.12019, September 24 higher level API layers; open source core system : APSL, GNU GPL, othersSmartphone, music player, tablet computer
IRIXSGI1988UNIX System V6.5.302006Server, workstation
Classic Mac OSApple Inc.1984-9.2.22000Workstation, personal computer
MVSIBM1972OS/360MVS/ESA SP - JES3 Version 5 R2.21995, September 29IBM mainframe
macOSApple Inc.2001NeXTSTEP, BSD10.15.1 Catalina2019, October 29 higher level API layers; open source core system : APSL, GNU GPL, othersWorkstation, personal computer, embedded
macOS ServerApple Inc.2001NeXTSTEP, BSD10.12 / September 20, 20162016, September 20 higher level API layers; open source core system : APSL, GNU GPL, othersServer
MPEHP1974-MPE-V1988Server
MCPUnisys1961-CP OS 17.02015, AprilServer
MPE/XLHP1987MPE7.52002Server
MINIX 3Andrew S. Tanenbaum2005Minix23.3.02014Workstation
NetBSDThe NetBSD Project1993386BSD8.12019, May 31NAS, server, workstation, embedded
NetWareNovell1985S-Net6.5 SP82009, May 6Server
NeXTSTEPNeXT1989Unix3.31995Workstation
OpenBSDThe OpenBSD Project1995NetBSD 1.06.52019, May 1Server, NAS, workstation, embedded
OpenIndianaMany, based on software developed by Sun Microsystems and many others2010OpenSolaris2019.042017, May 3Server, workstation
OpenVMSDEC 1977RSX-11M9.02020, May 15Server, workstation
OS/360IBM1966-Operating System/360 R21.81972, AugustIBM mainframe
OS/390IBM1995MVSOS/390 Version 2 R102000, September 29IBM mainframe
OS 2200Unisys1967 as Exec 8eExec 8, OS 1100CP OS 16 2015, February 27Server
OS/2IBM and Microsoft1987MS-DOS4.522001Personal computer, server
Plan 9Bell Labs1993UnixFourth Edition2003 Workstation, server, embedded, HPC
QNXQNX Software Systems1982Unix, POSIX7.0.02017, MarchAutomotive, medical, smartphones, consumer, industrial, embedded, safety
SolarisSun 1992SunOS11.42018, August 28Server, workstation
SymbianSymbian Ltd.1998EPOC329.52009Phones
Symbian platformSymbian Foundation2010 Symbian3.0.42010embedded
Windows Server Microsoft1993OS/2, Windows 3.x and MS-DOSWindows Server 2019 2018, October 2; Source-availableServer, NAS, embedded
Windows Microsoft1993OS/2, Windows 9x and MS-DOSWindows 10 2020, May 27; Source-availableWorkstation, personal computer, media center, Tablet PC, embedded
Windows Microsoft1995MS-DOS, Windows NT 3.5Windows Me 2000Personal computer, media center
RISC iXAcorn Computers1988BSD 4.31.21c1993Workstation
RISC OSAcorn Computers1987Arthur, also the BBC Master OS3.711997Education, personal computer
RISC OS 4RISCOS Ltd, Pace plc1999RISC OS4.392004Education, personal computer
RISC OS 5Castle Technology, RISC OS Open2002RISC OS 45.242018Education, personal computer
RISC OS 6RISCOS Ltd2006RISC OS 46.202009Education, personal computer
ZETAyellowTAB2005BeOS R51.52007Personal computer, media center, workstation
STOP 6, XTS-400BAE Systems2003STOP 5, XTS-3006.52008, August+; bundled with XTS hardware and OEM licensedServer, workstation
ReactOSReactOS development team1996Windows NT0.4.132020, April 9Workstation, personal computer
TrueOSPC-BSD Software2006FreeBSD10.12014, November 16Personal computer, workstation, server
VxWorksWind River Systems1987VRTX72014 MarchEmbedded Real-time systems
z/OSIBM2000OS/390Version 2.3 2017, September 29IBM mainframe
z/VSEIBM2007VSE/ESA6.22017, December 1IBM mainframe
z/VMIBM2000VM7.12018, September 21IBM mainframe
HP NonStopHP 1974GuardianH06.24/J06.132012HP Nonstop Servers
NameCreatorInitial public releasePredecessorCurrent stable versionRelease dateCost, availabilityPreferred licenseTarget system type

Technical information

Security

Commands

For POSIX compliant systems like FreeBSD, Linux, macOS or Solaris, the basic commands are the same because they are standardized.
FeatureAROSFreeBSDLinux-basedHP-UXOpenVMSmacOSSolarisWindows Windows
List directorylist, dirlslslsdirlslsdirGet-ChildItem
Clear consoleclearclearclearclearclearclearclsClear-Host
Copy filecopycpcpcpcopycpcpcopyCopy-Item
Move filemovemvmvmvmvmvmoveMove-Item
Rename filerenamemvmv, renamemvrenmvmvren Rename-Item
Delete filedeletermrmrmdelrmrmdel Remove-Item
Delete directorydeletermdirrmdirrmdirdelrmdirrmdirrd Remove-Item
Create directorymakedirmkdirmkdirmkdircreate/dirmkdirmkdirmd New-Item
Change current directorycdcdcdcdset defcdcdcd Set-Location
Run shell script with new shellshell file.shellsh file.shsh file.shsh file.sh@ file.comsh file.shsh file.shcmd /c file.cmdpowershell file.ps1
Kill processeskill, killallkillall, pkill, kill, skillkillstopkill, killallkill, pkilltaskkillStop-Process
Change process prioritychangetaskprinicenice, chrtniceset proc/prionicenicestart /low, start /normal, start /high, start /realtimeStart-Process, wmic
Change I/O priorityioniceset proc/prionice
Create file systemformatnewfsmkfsnewfsinitmkfsnewfs, zpoolzfs createformatFormat-Volume
File system check and recoveryfsckfsckfsckanalyze/diskfsckfsckchkdskRepair-Volume
Create software raidatacontrol, gmirror, zfs createmdadm -Cdiskutil appleRAIDmetainit, zpool creatediskpart diskpart
Mount devicemountmountmountmountmountmount, diskutil mountmountmountvolNew-PSDrive
Unmount deviceassign drivename: dismountumountumountumountdismountumount, diskutil unmountumountmountvol /dRemove-PSDrive
Mount file as block devicemdconfig + mountmount -o loophdidlofiadm + mount
Show network configurationifconfigip addr, ifconfigifconfig, lanadmintcpip sh net ifconfigifconfigipconfigGet-NetIPInterface, ipconfig
Show network routenetstat -r, route get, route monitorip route, routenetstat -rtcpip sh routenetstat -r, route get, route monitornetstat -rrouteGet-NetRoute
Trace network routetraceroutetraceroutetraceroutetcptracetraceroutetraceroutetracertTest-NetConnection
Trace network route with pingstraceroute -Itraceroute -I, mtrtcptracetraceroute -Itraceroute -Ipathpingpathping
FeatureAROSFreeBSDLinux-basedHP-UXOpenVMSmacOSSolarisWindows Windows

NOTE: Linux systems may vary by distribution which specific program, or even 'command' is called, via the POSIX alias function. For example, if you wanted to use the DOS dir to give you a directory listing with one detailed file listing per line you could use alias dir='ls -lahF'.

Operating system comparisons