--- title: ReactOS Reviews meta_title: 'ReactOS Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 29 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how ReactOS works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.1 review_count: 29 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-06-24' parent_category: name: IT Infrastructure url: https://www.g2.com/categories/it-infrastructure --- # ReactOS Reviews **Vendor:** ReactOS Foundation **Category:** [Operating Systems](https://www.g2.com/categories/operating-system) **Average Rating:** 4.1/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 29 ## About ReactOS ReactOS is a free and open-source operating system designed to be compatible with Windows applications and drivers. It aims to provide a familiar user experience by replicating the look and feel of Windows, enabling users to run their favorite Windows software in an open-source environment. ReactOS is developed from scratch, ensuring that it is not a derivative of Linux, but a standalone system with its own architecture. Key Features and Functionality: - Windows Compatibility: ReactOS is capable of running a wide range of Windows applications and drivers, offering users the flexibility to use software they are accustomed to. - Familiar Interface: The operating system mirrors the appearance and functionality of Windows, reducing the learning curve for new users. - Open Source: Being open-source, ReactOS allows users and developers to view, modify, and distribute its source code, fostering a collaborative development environment. - Active Community: The project is supported by a global community, providing opportunities for collaboration, skill enhancement, and contribution to the development of the operating system. Primary Value and User Solutions: ReactOS addresses the need for a free and open-source operating system that maintains compatibility with Windows software and drivers. This is particularly beneficial for users and organizations seeking an alternative to proprietary systems without sacrificing the ability to run essential Windows applications. Additionally, ReactOS serves as an educational platform for those interested in learning about operating system development and Windows internals, offering practical experience in a real-world project. ## ReactOS Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users appreciate the **open-source compatibility** of ReactOS with Windows, enjoying a lightweight and familiar environment. (5 reviews) - Users value the **Windows compatibility** of ReactOS, appreciating its lightweight, open-source nature for legacy software use. (3 reviews) - Users appreciate the **hardware support** of ReactOS, enabling efficient use of older systems and applications. (3 reviews) - Users love ReactOS for its **lightweight size** , enabling efficient performance on older hardware without licensing fees. (3 reviews) - Users love the **hardware compatibility** of ReactOS, effectively reviving old systems and running legacy Windows applications. (2 reviews) - Users enjoy the **customization and personalization** options in ReactOS, enhancing their development and testing experiences. (1 reviews) - Users appreciate the **easy setup** of ReactOS, making installation quick and enhancing the overall user experience. (1 reviews) - Users value the **free and open-source** nature of ReactOS, making it a great choice for organizations. (1 reviews) - Linux/Ubuntu OS (1 reviews) - Powerful Features (1 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users report **system crashes** and instability due to ReactOS being in early development, making it unreliable for use. (4 reviews) - Users experience **driver issues** with ReactOS, leading to instability and limited compatibility with modern applications. (3 reviews) - Users often face **limited software support** with ReactOS, making it challenging to rely on for everyday tasks. (3 reviews) - Users report significant **compatibility issues** with ReactOS, especially concerning modern applications and hardware support. (2 reviews) - Users face **hardware limitations** with ReactOS, leading to incomplete features and stability issues for daily use. (2 reviews) - Users experience **slow updates** with ReactOS, leading to stability issues and limited compatibility with drivers and applications. (2 reviews) - Users experience **unstable and limited software compatibility** with ReactOS, hindering usability and performance in various applications. (2 reviews) - Lack of Support (1 reviews) ## ReactOS Reviews ### 1. Easy-to-Use, Lightweight Windows-Like OS with Great Driver Compatibility **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** HASHAMI M. | TL, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 30, 2026 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** ReactOS is an open-source operating system. It’s easy to download and install, and its graphics feel very similar to Windows. It can run Windows executable files and apps, and it has an old-school Windows look from the early 2000s, like Windows XP. Overall, it’s very user-friendly and easy to use and understand, without demanding high system resources. It’s also highly compatible with Windows drivers and can be used to run older, classic Windows applications. It doesn’t require much hardware, and technically it can be an alternative to the modern Windows 11 look if you want a more classic Windows-like experience. It’s easy and convenient to use, not resource-hungry, and it works very easily in VirtualBox as well. The version I used felt stable, and I can see it being used as an everyday OS. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** React OS is good, but because it uses an old Windows-style look and graphics, it sometimes feels like an outdated experience. At times, these older visuals make it less attractive, and I don’t feel like spending a lot of time using React OS. It also has some limitations, and the settings can be hard to access; they aren’t very straightforward, so it’s not easy to set up the proper environment for use. Sometimes it becomes unresponsive or lags, and it can feel unstable and buggy. It also has a very unpopular GUI similar to Windows NT, which, in my opinion, isn’t very appealing to users today. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** It’s very closely compatible with Windows, so we haven’t had issues setting up drivers. With Windows, driver setup can be a very hectic task for users, and it often consumes a lot of time and effort. ReactOS saves that time and effort. It also has a very similar look to older versions of Windows. On top of that, it supports running executable files (.exe), so we mostly use ReactOS when we want to design software with that old, classic look. ### 2. A Lightweight Open-Source Platform for Windows-Compatible Legacy Software **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Broadcast Media | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 30, 2026 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** What I like best about ReactOS is its goal of being fully compatible with Windows applications and drivers while remaining open-source and lightweight. It offers a familiar Windows-like environment without licensing costs, gives transparency and control over the OS, and is especially useful for learning, experimentation, and running legacy software on modest hardware. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** What I dislike about ReactOS is that it is still in an early development stage, which means stability issues, incomplete hardware driver support, and limited compatibility with some modern Windows applications. Bugs and crashes can occur, documentation is sometimes sparse, and it is not yet suitable for daily production use. As a result, it works better as an experimental or educational system than a reliable everyday OS. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** ReactOS is solving the problem of dependence on proprietary Windows licensing and limited control over the operating system, especially for legacy or specialized applications. It benefits me by providing a free, open-source Windows-compatible environment where I can test, learn, and experiment without licensing costs, reuse older software and hardware, and better understand how Windows internals work. This makes it particularly useful for development, education, and legacy system testing rather than full production use. ### 3. Open-Source Windows Compatibility in a Lightweight, Familiar Environment **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sourabh B. | Software Engineer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 20, 2026 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** The best thing about ReactOS is its vision to provide Windows application and driver compatibility while being completely open source. It allows users to explore a familiar Windows-like environment without licensing costs. Its lightweight nature and open codebase make it very useful for learning, experimentation, and testing legacy applications. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** ReactOS is still in an early development stage, which makes it unreliable for daily or production use. Many features are incomplete, system stability can be an issue, and hardware and driver support is limited. The community support and documentation are helpful but not yet as mature as other operating systems. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** ReactOS helps solve the problem of dependency on proprietary Windows systems by offering an open-source alternative with similar compatibility goals. It is especially beneficial for developers and learners who want to test Windows-based software, study operating system internals, or work with legacy applications in a free and lightweight environment. ### 4. Free, Open-Source Windows Alternative That Cuts OS Licensing Costs **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Hospital & Health Care | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 29, 2026 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** ReactOS is an alternate to windows and offers free and open source operating system designed to run windows compatible applications. It offers most of the Windows familier features and saves OS license cost at the same time. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** ReactOS has a small community and its not stable to run enterprise grade applications. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** We have small low priority IT support applications run on ReactOS which are not business critical and helped us to save significant OS licensing cost. These are legacy appliations and runs perfectly on ReactOS platform. ### 5. Revives Legacy Applications with Ease **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Accounting | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 28, 2025 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** I appreciate ReactOS for its valuable role in providing real-world learning tools for developers interested in understanding the Windows kernel. For six months, I have found it particularly helpful in running older applications and for evaluation and testing purposes. I love its capability to use FAT16 or 32 for boot partitions, which aligns well with my testing needs. Moreover, ReactOS bridges the gap by running older applications that aren't backward compatible with other operating systems, which includes my usage of DOSBox. The performance of these applications on ReactOS impresses me, running smoother compared to other platforms. ReactOS is not hardware intensive, which is beneficial as it extends the life of aging systems and repurposes outdated hardware. I like the familiar Windows interface which makes it user-friendly and less intimidating. Additionally, the fast boot process is a feature I find appealing too. The straightforward setup and the ability for quick installation further enhance its user-friendly nature, making the experience pleasant and efficient overall. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** I find the lack of NTFS support in ReactOS a limitation. It prevents me from using larger drives efficiently, which could enhance my experience significantly by allowing better utilization of storage resources and handling of larger files. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use ReactOS to run older applications smoothly, bridging compatibility gaps other OS can't. It extends the life of aging systems, offers a user-friendly Windows-like interface, and a fast boot process. ### 6. Promising Open-Source Alternative to Windows **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** andré P. | WEB DEVELOPER, Computer Software, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 07, 2025 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** I like that ReactOS aims to provide full compatibility with Windows applications while being completely open source. It’s lightweight, fast to boot, and works surprisingly well on older hardware. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** It’s still in an alpha stage, so stability can be an issue. Some drivers and applications don’t work perfectly yet, and updates come slowly compared to mainstream operating systems. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** It provides a way to run Windows-compatible software without licensing costs or heavy system requirements. It’s especially useful for testing legacy applications or setting up lightweight virtual environments. ### 7. Versatile Features and Reusable Components Enhance Productivity **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Mehafooz P. | Software Engineer, Computer Software, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 17, 2025 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** The wide range of features and we can reuse the components. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** For large code bases it is taking time to build. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** Data visualization ### 8. Great for Old Hardware, But Limited Support **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 11, 2025 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** ideal for reviving old hardware and open-source Windows-like OS that runs old Windows apps and drivers **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** Limited Hardware and Software Support and Slow Development **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** Proprietary Lock-in and Licensing Costs, and eliminating licensing costs, and giving users and developers full access to the source code for review ### 9. Promising **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Financial Services | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 17, 2024 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** Free, open-source Windows compatible alternative. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** Unstable and limited software compatibility. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** ReactOS solves the need for a free, open-source way to run Windows apps and drivers. It beenfits me by offering Windows compatibility without licensing costs. It also allows to run older software on resource limited hardware. ### 10. Feature Review for the product **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 12, 2024 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** I like ReactOS for some reasons which are listed below - 1. Compatibility -It is compatible with Windows applications and drivers. And, our organization windows so we use this freely. 2. Free and Open Source - The best part is it's free. 3. Familiar Interface - It has a good UI. 4. Potential for Customization - As it is open source, we can customize it according to our business needs. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** It has limited hardware support and sometimes a slow development pace. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** Vendor Lock-In- ReactOS offers an alternative that allows users to break free from vendor lock-in by providing compatibility with Windows applications and drivers. Cost - Due to open source, it is free to use and customize. ### 11. Perfect alternative to Windows **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Hospital & Health Care | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 22, 2024 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** If you wish Windows was open source, you should look into ReactOS Even if it is in alpha stage, it is getting more stable every release. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** You can't open MSI installers, which is a very significant problem. Also, Game Maker Studio games don't open for some reason. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazing experience the installation, tests and running! I tested some applications: Arduino, Cura, Lazarus and Scribus. There wasn't a deep test, but I have no problems. None problem with this apps. ### 12. Good alternative to windows and Mac OS **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Amaury R. | Mechanical and Software Team Member, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 28, 2023 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** Its most appealing feature is its commitment to be a free and open-source alternative to Windows, making it a potential solution for older hardware or situations where a Windows license is cost-prohibitive. The familiarity it offers for those used to the Windows environment can also be a considerable advantage. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** While it aims for Windows compatibility, it doesn’t fully support all applications or drivers, which can be limiting. There are also potential security concerns, given its development stage. The progress, albeit steady, has been slow, and it lacks some modern UI features present in newer Windows versions. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** For me, it’s been beneficial in testing legacy software in an environment that’s familiar yet distinct from Windows. Moreover, being open-source gives me peace of mind about transparency, potentially avoiding proprietary constraints. ### 13. Very cool and fast **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** rana n. | Software Engineer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 21, 2023 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** It's is great combination of windows and opersource. We can freely access this os. The installation is very easy in just few clicks not need other device. No need any license to use this OS **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** Data integrity is primary concern. The OS is primarily good but it's didn't work on may machines. Crashed so frequently **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** It's free to use and no license required. Additionally it's easy to use and light weighted ### 14. Very easy and easy to access **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Neha S. | Senior Software Engineer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 21, 2023 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** Easy to integrate.optimized the cost as it's free to use. Easy implementation **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** No comment all good. Happy with product. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** Reduce my cost for os licencing ### 15. ReactOs is free and amezing **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Santosh M. | Salesforce Commerce Cloud Developer , Information Technology and Services, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 23, 2022 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** ReactOS allows us to connect any Windows unit without any special library or program. But the newest thing is the compatibility with Windows 10 and Windows 8 apps, compatibility that did not yet exist and that from this version will allow us to install certain applications and typical Windows 10 apps. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** I mean if you Linux then it's good for you to use ReactOS if you do not know Linux commands then you will not like to use ReactOS ,so basically ReactOS is based on Linux **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** problem-solving like trying to practice Reactos and its command because it's necessary to know,There is currently no other operating system that implements the kernel architecture design of MS Windows NT™ so if you are unhappy with the direction or goal of Windows there is little real alternative. ReactOS was started as a “clone” of Windows NT to alleviate this situation. To demonstrate the concept of o/s cloning, GNU/Linux is the best for comparison here: Linux was started as a “clone” of Minix and Unix, eventually going on to be a Unix replacement. ### 16. ReactOS lightweight **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Aditya K. | Junior Software Engineer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 22, 2022 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** Its installation is very easy its can be installed with a mouse click and no cd are required for the installation and also configuration is very fast and system is also clean from junk and separately programs and easy to find and delete junk files and virus. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** Basically some systems not to capable this os because its suitable new generation system os so its okay and its security issues are faced every time virus are detected and new software instalation not to easy because its showing the warning message. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** Its lightweight operating system, easy to use and open source Os so its very limited subset its have a very small chance of allowing yo you cause of the problem and actually fixing. ### 17. A Commendable Windows Open-Source Replacement **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** John Paul D. | Content Writer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 04, 2022 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** The main distinguishing feature was that it doesn't monitor any of my activities which is the bane of the latest Windows, especially 10 and 11. Plus, it's free! **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** The UI leaves a lot to be desired, especially if you are coming from Windows OS. Although it lacks the bells and whistles of Windows, it is still able to run most of the common Windows applications. **Recommendations to others considering ReactOS:** Go for it if you are looking for an alternative solution to Windows and it's privacy intrusive practices. By sacrificing a bit of glossly aero UI, you stand to gain a smooth experience even on decade old hardware. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** It has helped me remain worry-free from the activity tracking and the additional ad-related snooping done by Windows. Additionally, it is able to run smoothly on decade old hardware, which helps in giving new life to older laptops, which can be used for Word processing, as I'm a content writer. ### 18. Best OS to get the taste of Windows + Open source **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** JAYARAJ J 1. | Developer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 29, 2021 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** ReactOS is all about the porting of Windows applications to a Linux environment which gives the power of open source and freedom to users. Though the OS is not very much user-friendly, it has powerful options for customization, which makes it rather a better option to choose. If you ask me to choose Windows or ReactOS, I will go with ReactOS, since it is extremely developer-friendly, and I like to work in the development of the OS too. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** The UI still looks like decades-old Windows XP. Which is very very bad for a better user experience. We could switch to KDE or GNOME for a better User experience. That would bring the power of Linux + Windows together. **Recommendations to others considering ReactOS:** Try to engage in the open-source community of ReactOS **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** The problem of using emulators like WinE for using Windows apps on Linux has been solved up to some extend. Still, the UX is very bad, and it's better to go with other major distros. I like open-source contributions hence I like to stick with the Linux environment rather than switching to Windows to build its apps specifically. Hence this gives a better choice to use rather than using Windows. ### 19. An open source Windows **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** jim p. | Freelance Photographer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 25, 2021 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** If you want to run windows applications, but don't like the close source, privacy issues of windows, this is a good solution. It is easy to use and install for anyone familiar with windows. Look and feel similar to older version of windows, which many still prefer. It's a cool project to check out and even support. no cost. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** It's not really windows just yet 😀 still in early development stages. many applications won't run or install properly. doesn't support all the hardware windows does old look and feel (pro and a con) not stable to use as main OS. **Recommendations to others considering ReactOS:** Do not use it as the main OS, test it in a virtual machine **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** free, open source, private operating system. good option to anyone who refuse to run windows for those reasons. Can run in a virtual machine under your main OS. ### 20. ReactOS - Open Source Operating System **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 28, 2022 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** ReactOS is free to use and has flexibility of opensource. So, we can expect great features in the future. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** The user interface looks a bit odd and old. It would be nice if we get a feel of future while working on it. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** I explore different technologies. I used it as a secondary operating system. ### 21. the operating system is essentially the best free Windows-compatible out in the market **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 18, 2021 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** 1.ReactOS is able to run Windows 2.softwareReactOS is able to run Windows 3.driversReactOS looks-like WindowsReactOS is a free and open-source **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** it has a bit of similarity in installation procedure; cause well, yeah I first tried installing in Virtualbox too so in truth, the guide will work just as well. **Recommendations to others considering ReactOS:** 1. A platform I can bundle and distribute with my own customisations - a ReactOS distro. 2. A platform that I can use multiple instances of for testing. 3. A platform that I can build into any x86/AMD64 computer by default. 4. No licensing restrictions 5. Full DOS gaming under NTVDM. 6. All/most older/current 32bit Windows apps should just function. 7. All/most older/current 32bit Windows drivers should just function. 8. Access to all legacy apps that stopped working under NT6+ 9. ReactOS is open source, so we have full access to the source code if required for bug-fixing or even just for analysis. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** 1. Safe browsing in a virtual ReactOS sandbox (Firefox) 2. A platform for development using legacy environments (VB6) 3. A platform for widget desktop development and packaging (Yahoo Widget Engine) 4. A platform for graphical design (Photoshop CS ver 8.0 - the oldest and still the best) ### 22. It allows you to use windows as an open source but at the price of interface. **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Karan G. | Senior Information Technology Recruitment Consultant, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 29, 2021 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** It lets me use windows as open source. Of course, it's easy to install and as it gives the old look of windows system that is also familiar. If you are a windows user, then you can use it easily. and it's free !! **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** The first thing is that it takes you to old-time and it doesn't support a few applications as well. **Recommendations to others considering ReactOS:** It's effortless to install. You can use it with an ace as it will give you a familiar look. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** The only problem that it solved was the windows privacy issue which if you see from privacy concerns, then is excellent. ### 23. Best Linux - If switching from windows to Linux. **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Piyush G. | Programmer Analyst, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 10, 2021 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** What I really like the most is that there are many other Linux distributions as well, which try to look like windows, but they are not that compatible like Zorin, Ubuntu-mate, etc. And on the other hand, we have React OS, which is really compatible can be a complete replacement for Windows. It supports most of the applications I was working on my windows machine earlier. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** The interface can be upgraded. It looks I am working on Windows XP with the power of Windows 10 **Recommendations to others considering ReactOS:** As I said earlier, it is the best Replacement for windows. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** Using Windows Applications in an open-source Linux machine, what can it offer more? ### 24. ReactOS review **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 24, 2021 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** As of me the most helpful for me is: - Virtual sandbox for safe development and browsing - Free of license restrictions - Free of charge - Very small image file to setup ReactOS, something about several hundred megabytes only **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** - Not 100% polished and user friendly OS as Windows - No x64 applications support, so you have to choose which version of app to install - Also I had troubles with running Python on ReactOS - resolved only by installing earlier version of Python - Hard to install on some specific devices, like Dell laptops. So you can spend several hours or even days on installing specific version of ReactOS on specific hardware. There are lots of videos on Youtube on resolving possible issues. - No tools to check health of HDD/SDD **Recommendations to others considering ReactOS:** First review if you actually have at least small experience as a developer. If not, carefully consider other more user-friendly OS, like Windows or MacOS. Second, check if someone already tried installing ReactOS on your type of hardware. Review carefully what type of problems users like you facing during installation. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** Safely and freely run applications. Use several instances without paying for each license. Secure browsing. Free OS that I can play installing and comparing with previous version. ### 25. Good Open Source OS **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in E-Learning | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 29, 2021 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** 1. It is free and open source. 2. Easily compatible with applications. 3. Written in Easy to understand language C and JavaScript. 4. Written from scratch and is Linux-based, which is well known for a time. 5. Development is easy. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** 1. User data safety is the primary concern. 2. It is less stable though provides good functionality. 3. It Doesn't stand out from its other competitors in the market. 4. Still under development stage **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** My purpose is to learn the basic concept of OS and hence made a sample project using it. The significant advantage of ReactOS is that it’s free, and it doesn’t involve any re-learning for Windows users as switching to Linux or Mac does, and customization is easy ### 26. OS that supports windows software **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 23, 2021 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** It is an OS that supports windows software what we need more while testing an OS, It looks like windows only and also are free. Open-source. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** It is not stable till now. We cannot take it in everyday use. The files result to be corrupted. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** There are many problems as it is in the alpha stage that is not stable. we need to maintain it manually and the OS is the one on which we actually depend any harm to it would result in a great loss. ### 27. Windows OS with little less functionality **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Gagan K. | Senior SDET, Computer Software, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 28, 2021 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** It is open source and DOS mode enables easy installation of apps and other functionalities **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** It is not flashy and less attractive compared to windows when it comes to user interface **Recommendations to others considering ReactOS:** U can use other OS If ur not comfortable with the user interface **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** There are apps which are built in react js which are best tested on this OS ### 28. Great OS Let's bring open source to legacy applications. **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Glen Elvis M J A. | Senior Associate , Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 26, 2020 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** Very interesting project : "an open source Windows". You know (and can check) that there are no code spying your data. Obviously, it is a very big work: construct a compatible Windows, not a clone, from bare metal. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** While not all programs made for Windows can be ran flawless, a lot of them do. It is not perfect, since the work is in progress, but considering the effort done, this project deserves a full 10 ! **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** Developmental activities for multiple clients. Opensource windows alternative which brings down the overall costing of the project and pocket friendly for small and medium sized clients ### 29. Open source Operating System for natively running Windows applications. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** ravi m. | Software Development Engineer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 20, 2019 **What do you like best about ReactOS?** So, taking a look at ReactOS, it's a free and open-source operating system that has been built from the ground up to run native Windows programs. **What do you dislike about ReactOS?** Things like wscript and cscript may not exist in reactOS. Corrupting the boot partition or MBR is still possible. Nothing will work 100%. (ReactOS will corrupt itself before we will get malware.)  **Recommendations to others considering ReactOS:** Highly recommend it to others. **What problems is ReactOS solving and how is that benefiting you?** I've known ReactOS for a few years, now. This is something that I really would like to see finished and fully operational. It has a lot of potential as well. It was also useful for understanding how files are stored in FS. ## ReactOS Discussions - [What is the features of each OS?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-the-features-of-each-os) - [Is ReactOS dead?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-reactos-dead) - [What is the point of ReactOS?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-the-point-of-reactos) - [What can ReactOS do?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-can-reactos-do) - [when will you g](https://www.g2.com/discussions/when-will-you-g) - 1 upvote - [View ReactOS pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/reactos/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-06-25+02%3A30%3A43+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=54ad16b6-d1cd-40f8-bb72-6f8b2bd25ecc&secure%5Btoken%5D=0664e54579f09a03500dbd76f7b813b9def323445370dcc864a8010dedcbb627&format=llm_user) ## ReactOS 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 ReactOS Alternatives - [Linux Mint](https://www.g2.com/products/linux-mint/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (186 reviews) - [Windows 7](https://www.g2.com/products/windows-7/reviews) - 4.2/5.0 (870 reviews) - [Windows 11](https://www.g2.com/products/windows-11/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (4,106 reviews)