Mobian
Ranked 2 of 3 mobile Linux distributions by recommenders
A GNU/Linux phone system people recommend as a working alternative to Android and iOS. Critics note limited hardware support and missing VoLTE for calls.
A GNU/Linux phone system people recommend as a working alternative to Android and iOS. Critics note limited hardware support and missing VoLTE for calls.
10 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 9
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 90%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 9 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 9 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Works more like desktop GNU/Linux
“Mobian and postmarketOS are more advanced and work more like GNU/Linux.”
Comment from 21 Feb 2026 in “F-Droid: "Keep Android Open"” “I personally prefer GNU/Linux phones running Mobian or PureOS.”
Comment from 13 Feb 2026 in “Welcoming Discord users amidst the challenge of Age Verification” Working alternative to Android and iOS
“Today, we have Mobian, postmarketOS, PureOS and many more GNU/Linux OSes for smartphones.”
Comment from 16 Dec 2025 in “Mozilla appoints new CEO Anthony Enzor-Demeo” “already exist and work on phones”
Comment from 25 Aug 2026 in “Ask HN: Android OS with Linux level customisation”
Other mobile Linux distributions people recommend
The two most recommended other mobile Linux distributions, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| postmarketOS | 98 | 39 | 72% | 12 | 1 mo3 owners | Approved |
| MobianThis page | 9 | 1 | 90% | 7 | — | — |
| Pocketblue | 7 | 2 | 78% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
12 of the 17 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I can have a lot more confidence that I'm not installing anything that will harm me or spy on me”
“How do they let the user control the tech if they don't offer users a proper fine-grained run-time permission model”
“Mobian and PostmarketOS both support VoLTE on the PinePhone now which is good”
“already exist and work on phones”
“postmarketOS, Mobian, PureOS, and many more already exist. Support them, if you think it's important.”
“Mobian and some others possibly worth a mention as well.”
“mobian (if you don't need volte)”
“Mobian and postmarketOS are more advanced and work more like GNU/Linux.”
“I personally prefer GNU/Linux phones running Mobian or PureOS.”
“Unfortunately these OS's don't even support the "phone" use for most hardware.”
“Today, we have Mobian, postmarketOS, PureOS and many more GNU/Linux OSes for smartphones.”
“that's what I am now using as my daily phone, with Mobian installed”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.