--- title: GhostBSD Reviews meta_title: 'GhostBSD Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 13 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how GhostBSD works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.1 review_count: 13 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-06-24' parent_category: name: IT Infrastructure url: https://www.g2.com/categories/it-infrastructure --- # GhostBSD Reviews **Vendor:** GhostBSD **Category:** [Operating Systems](https://www.g2.com/categories/operating-system) **Average Rating:** 4.1/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 13 ## About GhostBSD GhostBSD is an operating system based on FreeBSD for home and office users. ## GhostBSD Pros & Cons **What users dislike:** - Users find the **hardware limitations** of GhostBSD challenging due to the 8GB RAM requirement for the live environment. (1 reviews) - Users find the **RAM issues** of GhostBSD limiting, as it requires at least 8GB to run properly. (1 reviews) ## GhostBSD Reviews ### 1. GHOST BSD PRINCIPALS **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jeffrey K. | VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 28, 2025 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** PROFESSIONAL USES OFFER AN EXCELLENT CHOICE FOR PROFESSIONALS SEEKING A RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT OPERATING SYSTEM. PROFESSIONAL USE FOCUSES ON MULTIMEDIA SUPPORT PROVIDING A FREE BSD-BAISED OPERATING SYSTEM DESIGNED FOR EVERYDAY USERS. **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** GHOST BSD HAS LIMITED HARDWARE, SINCE IT REQUIRES A MINIMUM OF 8GB OF RAM TO RUN THE LIVE ENVIRONMENT. **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** PROFESSIONAL USES ALLOW USERS TO CUSTOMIZE THEIR SYSTEMS AS WELL AS SIMPLIFY SETUP AND INSTALLATION PROCESSES. PROFESSIONAL USES EMPHASIZES SECURITY, STABILITY, AND USABILITY, MAKING IT SUITABLE FOR VARIOUS APPLICATIONS. ### 2. Beautiful BSD based Distro **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rachmat H. | Principal DevOps Engineer, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 07, 2023 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** This unix based distribution is based on FreeBSD so it is have many packages supported but with beautiful GUI which will ease of use for user, it can used ports like its predessesor **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** we need more official documentation contributor which will hard to get because usually only few people will be trying new distribution for BSD, and also BSD community also less than other unix-linux distribution **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** solve the need of good looking BSD based unix with powerfull compatibility with Free BSD package management, it is solving also fast and very less resource and also blue screen free operating system ### 3. user-friendly design and pre-installed selection of applications make it a great choice **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Luis M. | IT Manager, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 01, 2023 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** One of the main advantages is its ease of use. Unlike some other BSD-based systems, GhostBSD has been designed with the desktop user in mind. The graphical installer makes it easy to set up and configure the system, even for users who may not be familiar with BSD. Another advantage of GhostBSD is its pre-installed selection of applications. GhostBSD comes with a variety of applications that are commonly used by desktop users, such as LibreOffice, Firefox, and VLC media player. This means that users can start using the system right away without having to spend time searching for and installing applications. GhostBSD is also known for its stability and security. Being based on FreeBSD, GhostBSD inherits many of FreeBSD's security features and benefits from its reputation as a reliable and stable operating system. This is particularly important for users who need a system that is stable and secure for their work. Finally, GhostBSD's community is another advantage. There is an active and helpful community of users and developers who are always ready to answer questions and provide support. This means that if I have any issues or questions, I can turn to the community for help and support. Overall, I believe that GhostBSD is a great choice for users who want a user-friendly, stable, and secure desktop operating system based on BSD. Its ease of use, pre-installed applications, stability, and community support make it a strong contender in the operating system market. **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** While GhostBSD does come with a selection of pre-installed applications, there are fewer options available compared to systems like Windows or Linux. This can make it difficult to find certain software or applications that are not included by default. However, this can often be overcome by using alternative applications or by installing additional software through the package management system. Overall, while this can be a minor inconvenience, I still find GhostBSD to be a reliable and user-friendly operating system for my needs. **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** Overall, GhostBSD's focus on providing a user-friendly, desktop-oriented BSD-based system is solving the problem of making BSD more accessible to a wider range of users. This benefits those who are looking for a more secure and stable operating system, but who may not have the technical expertise to use a more traditional BSD-based system. ### 4. My journey with GhostBSD **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 27, 2022 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** GhostBDS is Unix based OS which comes with MATE as the default Graphical Interface in it. A person with no exposure to Linux/UNIX-based systems is easily able to work on it. It is mostly suitable for the production environment for users. It also comes with customer support we can call/email them if we are facing any kind of issue in the system. It supports most Unix-based software which is used by Organizations for their production. The best thing about this Operating system is it supports the old software which is currently used in the market. **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** The only problem we face in this is it does not support most of the advanced software which is used for the development of application/ software. Sometimes we face issues with system crashes while using heavy excel sheets. Sometimes we also face issues while upgrading OS. **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** Previously we are using paid OS for our organization. But when we heard about Ghost BDS we switch our users to it. It helps us to save costs on the operating system because it has a free Operating system licence, which helps us to save cost and time for deploying applications. ### 5. My experience of using ghostBSD **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 16, 2022 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** GhostBSD is a Unix-based os (TRUE OS) with MATE as the default desktop envirnoment. It is an easily adaptable system, it comes with a default GUI. newly users are also able to work on it easily without any problem. Support is also available when required. It is compatible with most software which is generally used in the market. It also supports legacy hardware. **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** Installation is a bit tricky for users who don't have experience in installing Linux/Unix-based OS. As its shows the old terminal way of installation. Configuration of os on a physical disk is also tricky. Its also lack the support for advanced software for the development team. **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** We generally use it for our marketing/ sales team its best for those teams which don't have much heavy work. It also helps users to reduce the cost of OS as it comes with a free Simplified BSD License. We can also reuse it multiple times as we capture the image of it and use it when required. ### 6. GhostBSD is a fantastic option for lower end hardware making desktop experience customizable **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 20, 2022 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** GhostBSD is a free (TRUE OS) BSD-based UNIX OS that is extremely lightweight and very simple to use. It has a friendly-looking theme at first boot. Their customer service is a very attractive part as well because they are always available and very knowledgeable. **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** The installation process of GhostBSD is confusing, tedious and not so straightforward. There isn't an icon to install so you have to get inside the terminal and run the command. You may have to read the documentation to figure it out at first if you're not aware of what you're doing. As good as Ghost BSD is, unfortunately there is a lot of improvement left to catch it's rivals and counterparts. **Recommendations to others considering GhostBSD:** The first impressions of installation can be daunting but don't get put off by it and discover this beautiful piece of software. The MATE is extremely functional and even if you find certain issues, let the support know and they will fix in the next update. **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** I've a UNIX alternative OS in addition to my windows terminal and that solves a lot of my issues I am better off financially and consider myself more productive in the field of work. ### 7. GhostBSD 21.05.11 - Sleek end-user graphical operating system that is based on FreeBSD. **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Roger M. | Sole Proprietor, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 26, 2018 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** The amount of available packages is impressive. The OS is stable with regular updates/patches from the FreeBSD distribution. You're also able to create a ZFS root mirror during installation which is convenient. Before updates are applied using Update Station, the OS takes a snapshot in case you need to roll back. **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** As with all BSD-based derivatives, hardware support may not be on par with the likes of other widely used operating systems. **Recommendations to others considering GhostBSD:** BSD-based systems fill a certain niche and this is the easiest of them all to install, configure, administer and use as a daily driver. Since it receives upstream updates from FreeBSD, you can be assured that the stability of the system will be retained. **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** We are able to provide a secure and solid desktop operating system for advanced users to benefit from upstream FreeBSD features such as Jails and ZFS. Power users within our department appreciate using open source alternatives to closed source ones and GhostBSD puts it all in a pretty package. ### 8. User friendly desktop in BSD world **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Chi Wai H. | Global Enablement Engineer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 05, 2020 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** It provides reasonable responsiveness on my slow and outdated desktop computer. It has the drivers to connect to the speaker, USB headset and video display. The user experience is similar to a Linux desktop except that it is more rock solid than Linux. I can still run most of the open source software that I run on a Linux desktop. This even includes VirtualBox, Qemu, Wine and Atari. **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** When application crashes, a core dump is created. This is BSD style. However, I expect a notification on the desktop. Otherwise, I do not know what is happening. I hope more contributors can bring in more open source software to BSD world. I am still more familiar with Linux environment. Thus I still prefer Linux desktop for work related activities as I can join Microsoft Team, Zoom meetings and compile Android application using Android Studio. **Recommendations to others considering GhostBSD:** This is for advanced users. Due to the different licensing terms, only certain software is allowed to run on BSD systems. **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** GhostBSD proves that it is possible to convert a slow and outdated computer to a desktop computer for home entertainment (like movies watching and music listening). I realize that I have another choice besides Linux desktop. ### 9. One of best FreeBSD OS i had ever use. **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Peeyush J. | software developer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 17, 2021 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** GhostBSD helps me out with my old low-budget laptop for fast working. For user experience, it's similar to Parrot OS. **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** It's suitable for your personal use with all Linux features but advanced tools and software. I always refer you to use Ubuntu. **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** It solves my budget problem to buy high featured laptop ### 10. My Review for GhostBSD **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer & Network Security | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 17, 2021 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** What I like the most about GhostBSD is its simplicity. I have used many linux distributions and sometimes I got stuck in between but Ghost BSD is so simple that a new unix user can easily use it. **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** In GhostBSd, the creators tried to give a windows like experience to the user due to which it lacks process speed sometimes. **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** Using it as an alternate OS for my windows because there is much to do in it. ### 11. Ghost BSD **Rating:** 2.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Medical Practice | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 17, 2021 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** Easy to install. Very familiar look which made me more comfortable to use. It was great for my slow desktop. **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** I didn't like when it crashed. I didn't know when it was happening. **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** My friend is a computer technician. When my desktop, the only one I had, slowed down, he used this to make it faster and allow me to use it. ### 12. In my opinion GhostBSD is more efficient then unix **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Hospital & Health Care | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 15, 2021 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** I like that GhostBSD is very fast and doesn't take much disk space **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** I dislike the duration between new versions **Recommendations to others considering GhostBSD:** give it a try as it is easy to install and ready to use **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** I am solving the problem of not being able to find a unix alternative ### 13. Easy-to-use and user-friendly operating system. **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Legal Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 26, 2018 **What do you like best about GhostBSD?** GhostBSD is easy to adapt to due to it's user-friendly system. It's also compatible with many other software systems. Another feature I liked is it's customer service, when needed. **What do you dislike about GhostBSD?** It doesn't run as fast as I'd like, but there might be other factors to that (i.e. updates on my computer, etc.). **What problems is GhostBSD solving and how is that benefiting you?** This is used at my business mainly for desktop environment that creates a familiar workspace and for data rescue. ## GhostBSD Discussions - [Why is BSD better than Linux?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/why-is-bsd-better-than-linux) - [What is GhostBSD based on?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-ghostbsd-based-on) - [Why use GhostBSD?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/why-use-ghostbsd) - [How good is GhostBSD?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-good-is-ghostbsd) - [View GhostBSD pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/ghostbsd/reviews?open_modal_url=%2Fde%2Fproducts%2Fghostbsd%2Fwishlists%3Fhost_path%3D%252Fproducts%252Fghostbsd%252Freviews%26source%3Dpdp_avatar§ion=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-06-28+18%3A20%3A44+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=8cb9ef71-3f61-4a6e-b18d-177ad0cff465&secure%5Btoken%5D=ed83b7608806b1df342eac027ee2314d93c2283c5ca23f3278f7f8287e3b85d0&format=llm_user) ## GhostBSD Features **Memory Management - Operating System** - RAM management **Device Management - Operating System** - I/O management **Backup and Recovery - Operating System** - Data backup **Error Detection - Operating System** - System operations monitoring ## Top GhostBSD Alternatives - [Ubuntu](https://www.g2.com/products/ubuntu/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (2,337 reviews) - [Debian](https://www.g2.com/products/debian/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (219 reviews) - [Windows 11](https://www.g2.com/products/windows-11/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (4,106 reviews)