Ubuntu Budgie

What Ubuntu Budgie does

Ubuntu Budgie is a community-developed Linux distribution that integrates the Budgie Desktop Environment with Canonical's Ubuntu base and is one of the official Ubuntu flavors. It is maintained by volunteer contributors and distributed globally as free ISO downloads (x86_64 and ARM64) and torrents, with additional physical distribution via a TheLinuxShop partnership for preloaded USB drives. The product targets general desktop users, programmers, and OS switchers from Windows or macOS, emphasizing a clean, modern, lightweight interface, low hardware requirements (2.4 GHz processor, 4 GB RAM, 60 GB disk), and a polished first-boot experience through Budgie Welcome.

The technology stack is built on the Ubuntu core with the Budgie Desktop Environment (developed upstream by Buddies of Budgie) and, as of the April 2026 26.04 LTS release, transitioned to a Wayland-only architecture using the labwc compositor. Differentiated components include Budgie Welcome, a library of Budgie Applets (Weather, Drop By, Budgie Screencast, Quick Note, Network Manager, Brightness Controller, Light Pad), Crystal Dock, and a custom SDDM greeter. The 26.04 LTS is supported for three years by the Ubuntu Budgie team on top of five years of Ubuntu core stability.

The project has no commercial revenue model. Funding comes from voluntary community donations through OpenCollective (tiers from £5 to £100), an external merchandise storefront on Launchcart (T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers), and a percentage-of-sale rebate from TheLinuxShop USB drives. The operating entity is a non-incorporated community effort with no parent company, no funding rounds, no disclosed headcount, and no enterprise customers. Strategic partners include Canonical (Ubuntu base), Buddies of Budgie (upstream desktop), DigitalOcean (infrastructure), Discourse (community forum platform), and TheLinuxShop (physical distribution).

Name

Ubuntu Budgie

Legal name

Ubuntu Budgie

Website

https://ubuntubudgie.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ubuntu Budgie is a community-developed Linux distribution that pairs the Budgie Desktop Environment with Canonical's Ubuntu base. It targets individual desktop users, developers, and OS switchers with a free, lightweight, Wayland-native OS distributed via global ISO downloads and supported by donations and merchandise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations: Community donations through OpenCollective platform with tiered options at £5 (backer), £10 (supporter), £20 (bold supporter), and £100 (sponsor). Donations fund continued development.
2. Merchandise Store: Official merchandise store selling T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and stickers. A percentage of each sale goes directly to Ubuntu Budgie development.
3. Custom USB Drives: Partnership with TheLinuxShop for custom USB drives preloaded with Ubuntu Budgie releases. A percentage of each USB sale goes back to Ubuntu Budgie for funding development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ubuntu Budgie is a community-developed Linux distribution that integrates the Budgie Desktop Environment with Ubuntu at its core. It is distributed as free ISO images for x86_64 desktop/laptop systems and ARM64 Raspberry Pi hardware, including LTS releases (24.04 LTS supported until April 2027, 26.04 LTS supported until April 2029). The distribution is bundled with proprietary Ubuntu Budgie components including Budgie Welcome, Budgie Applets, Crystal Dock, and a custom SDDM greeter, with the 26.04 LTS marking a full transition to Wayland using the labwc compositor.

Product overview

Ubuntu Budgie is a single, unified desktop Linux distribution that integrates the Budgie Desktop Environment with Ubuntu at its core. The product portfolio consists of the main Ubuntu Budgie OS distributed as ISO images (with separate versions for standard x86_64 desktops and Raspberry Pi ARM64 hardware), supplemented by built-in desktop extensions including Budgie Welcome (a first-boot configuration portal), various applets (Light Pad for application dashboard, Weather widget, Drop By for file access, Screencast for recording, Workspace Switcher, Quick Note, Network Manager, Brightness control), and Crystal Dock. The 26.04 LTS release marks a major architectural shift to Wayland-only operation using labwc compositor. Additional offerings include an official merchandise store and a community Discourse forum for user support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ubuntu Budgie 26.04 LTS Long-term support release of Ubuntu Budgie featuring a full Wayland transition with Budgie Desktop 10.10.2, labwc as the default compositor, Crystal Dock, and a custom SDDM greeter. Wayland-only with no Xorg session provided. Targeted at desktop and laptop users seeking 5 years of Ubuntu core stability.
• Ubuntu Budgie 24.04 LTS Long-term support release featuring a new installer, hotcorner and window shuffler, updated themes and icons, and a reworked Budgie Welcome application. Available for x86_64 desktops and laptops with 4GB+ RAM. Supported until April 2027.
• Ubuntu Budgie 24.04.4 for Raspberry Pi ARM64 image for Raspberry Pi 4 Model B and Raspberry Pi 5, built using Ubuntu's official ubuntu-image tool with first-boot OEM setup. Provides Ubuntu Budgie desktop experience on single-board computers for hobbyists, educators, and home automation users.
• Budgie Applets Suite Suite of modular desktop extensions distributed with Ubuntu Budgie, including Drop By (file browsing), Budgie Screencast (screen recording), Workspace Switcher, Quick Note, Network Manager, and Brightness & Backlight controller. Available from the budgie-extras GitHub repository.
• Light Pad Applet Application Dashboard that brings OS X-style start menu functionality to Ubuntu Budgie desktop, triggered by clicking the start menu or pressing the Super key. Designed for users transitioning from macOS.
• Weather Widget Applet Built-in weather applet that displays current weather conditions directly on the Ubuntu Budgie desktop without requiring a browser tab to be open.
• Crystal Dock Dock application enabled and configured out-of-the-box in Ubuntu Budgie 26.04 LTS, providing taskbar/dock functionality with Wayland-specific fixes for launching applications.
• Budgie Welcome Welcome center portal bundled with Ubuntu Budgie that provides drivers, themes, and applets configuration from first boot. Included with all Ubuntu Budgie installations.
• Ubuntu Budgie Official Merchandise Store External e-commerce store selling T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and stickers featuring Ubuntu Budgie artwork and branding. A percentage of each sale goes directly to Ubuntu Budgie development.
• Ubuntu Budgie Community Forum (Discourse) Discourse-based community forum for support, discussions, bug reports, and feature requests related to Ubuntu Budgie. Used by the community for asking questions and reporting issues.
• Ubuntu Budgie Custom USB Drives (via TheLinuxShop) Custom USB drives preloaded with Ubuntu Budgie releases sold through partnership with TheLinuxShop. A percentage of each USB sale goes back to Ubuntu Budgie for funding development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26.04 LTS provides 5 years of stability with Ubuntu core
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DiscoursecoreTechnology or IntegrationDiscourse provides the community forum platform for Ubuntu Budgie discussions, support, and announcements.
• TheLinuxShopminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership to offer custom USB drives preloaded with Ubuntu Budgie releases. A percentage of each sale goes back to Ubuntu Budgie for funding development.
• Buddies of BudgiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpstream project developing Budgie Desktop Environment. Ubuntu Budgie integrates Budgie Desktop with Ubuntu and contributes feedback and code to the upstream project. Development roadmap for Budgie 11 is being shaped in collaboration with upstream.
• Canonical LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanonical provides the Ubuntu base for Ubuntu Budgie. As an official Ubuntu flavor, Ubuntu Budgie benefits from Ubuntu's infrastructure, package ecosystem, and LTS support cycle.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lubuntu: Lubuntu is the official Ubuntu flavor shipping LXQt, focused on very low-spec hardware. It competes with Ubuntu Budgie on the lightweight desktop segment and is regularly compared against it in reviews.
• Kubuntu: Kubuntu is the official Ubuntu flavor shipping KDE Plasma. It targets the same audience (Ubuntu-based desktop users seeking a polished, customizable experience) and competes head-to-head with Ubuntu Budgie for the same official-flavor mindshare.
• Xubuntu: Xubuntu is the official Ubuntu flavor shipping Xfce. It overlaps directly with Ubuntu Budgie on the lightweight, low-RAM, Windows-migrant value proposition and is its closest official-flavor competitor for hardware-constrained users.
• Ubuntu MATE: Ubuntu MATE is an official Ubuntu flavor using the MATE desktop. It targets the same newcomer-from-other-OS use case and competes for the same pool of community contributors and donors.
• elementary OS: elementary OS is a commercial-friendly Ubuntu derivative built around the Pantheon desktop. It directly competes for design-conscious newcomers from macOS/Windows and offers a paid AppCenter model that contrasts with Ubuntu Budgie's donations-only approach.
• Linux Mint: Linux Mint (Cinnamon/MATE/Xfce editions) is the most widely used Ubuntu-derived consumer desktop distro and is the primary non-flavor competitor for Ubuntu Budgie's target audience of Windows switchers and general desktop users.
• Zorin OS: Zorin OS is a commercial Ubuntu derivative explicitly marketed at Windows switchers with a polished layout switcher. It competes for the same newcomer segment and shows an alternative monetization path (Pro tier) for the same audience Ubuntu Budgie addresses.

Emerging players

• Pop!_OS: Pop!_OS, from System76, is an Ubuntu-derived distro aimed at developers and creators. While it overlaps with Ubuntu Budgie's programmer segment, it bundles commercial hardware and a curated app store, differentiating it from the purely community-driven Ubuntu Budgie model.

Broad incumbents

• Fedora Workstation: Fedora Workstation (Red Hat-backed) is one of the leading community Linux desktops and a frequent comparison point for newcomers evaluating Ubuntu Budgie. It overlaps on the developer/power-user persona but is a broader, upstream-aligned offering rather than a focused flavor.

Others

• Buddies of Budgie: Buddies of Budgie is the upstream organization that develops the Budgie Desktop Environment which Ubuntu Budgie integrates. It is not a competing distro but the upstream dependency whose Budgie 11 roadmap Ubuntu Budgie is actively aligning with.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UbuntuBudgie
• GitHubgithub.com/UbuntuBudgie
• Facebookfacebook.com/UbuntuBudgie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ubuntu-budgie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ubuntu Budgie