Linux Mint vs LMDE: Which Should You Choose?
Linux Mint and Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) scored the highest in our Linux Distro Reviews series, but which should you choose?
Mainline Linux Mint and LMDE are both excellent distros. While Linux Mint collectively is often referred to as a ‘new user distro,’ in reality, Linux Mint is one of the few distros that is equally adept at serving the needs of new and experienced users.
The mainline Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu LTS. As of the time of writing, Linux Mint 21.x is based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Within the next couple of weeks, however, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will be released. It usually takes the Mint team a couple of months to rebase on the new Ubuntu release, meaning we should see Linux Mint 22 around June or July.
In contrast, LMDE—as the name implies—is based on Debian. As of the time of writing, LMDE 6 is based on the latest Debian 12 Bookworm. Like Ubuntu LTS, there is usually a Debian release every two years or so, with the newest version of LMDE following suit a couple of months later. LMDE 6 was released in September 2023, just a couple of months after Debian 12. LMDE 7 will be based on Debian 13, likely in mid-2025.