Easy to install and use. Most popular distribution to test and develop Linux application for. Offers LTS releases that receive security updates for longer time, and other releases supported for few months of tests. Widely frowned upon by elitists for trivial reasons: systemd use (industry standard utilized on most distributions), "Amazon integration" (was only there for a brief time in non-LTS version), and use of snaps (opt-out optional package management system which aims to improve stability and security by allowing unattended security updates safer to system).

Website Download page
Latest LTS release Ubuntu Desktop 24.04 LTS
LTS release support period 5 years
DE
GNOME- with custom theme
Lightweight
no- still, lighter than Windows
Install difficulty low
Maintenance difficulty
none - you don't have to click anything to retain safe system
Third-party compatibility
high - most software that works on Linux works well on Ubuntu and its flavors
Corporate backing Canonical
Package management apt, snap
Based on Debian

Releases

Unlisted are EOL with no offer of support from Canonical. Always consult official sources: release cycle
Number LTS Name Released End of standard support End of Ubuntu Pro support End of legacy support
24.04 Noble Numbat 2024-04 2029-04 2034-04 2036-04
23.10 Mantic Minotaur 2023-10 2024-06 Not available Not available
22.04 Jammy Jellyfish 2022-04 2027-04 2032-04 2034-04
20.04 Focal Fossa 2020-04 2025-04 2030-04 2032-04
18.04 Bionic Beaver 2018-04 2023-04 2028-04 2030-04
16.04 Xenial Xerus 2016-04 2021-04 2026-04 2028-04
14.04 Trusty Tahr 2014-04 2019-04 2024-04 2026-04