Windows users love to underestimate how stable Linux actually is

There's a phrase that gets passed around the internet that goes "Linux is free if you don't value your time." The idea is that, while Linux comes at zero cost, you put in so much elbow grease into getting it to run properly that you spend more of your free time than if you used, say, Windows or macOS.

That may have been true back when it was made in the late 90s by Jamie Zawinski, but I don't think it holds any water these days. In fact, I think that Windows users who claim they don't want to switch to Linux because it's not as stable have either parroted what they heard on Reddit one day, or didn't give the right distro a try. In fact, given what happened to Windows 11 over 2025, I think the reverse is becoming true.

Linux is as stable or unstable as you want it to be

Not all distros are equal

Unlike Windows, Linux has a ton of different distros you can check out. Some are more stable than others, and some require less maintenance than others.

If you find that a distro is a little too unstable for your liking, you can always find something that doesn't crash as often and give that a go instead. Personally, I have had zero qualms with Fedora Linux; it has been as solid as a rock while also receiving regular updates. While I've never personally tried it, I've heard that Debian Stable is also highly dependable.

Once you have found your distro of choice, you can add apps that let you roll back your system to an earlier point if things go south. I've only had personal experience with TimeShift, and I really liked it, but I've heard that the folks over at openSUSE have their own tool called Snapper, which has its own benefits. I'd like to try it one day.

Immutable Linux distros are ironclad

A feature that Windows can't claim it can do

Second, my system always keeps the previous image around. That way, if a new update messes up my PC (which it hasn't yet), I can just use the prior image. And because the images appear in my boot menu, I don't even need to log into the buggy updated version to access my older one; I just hit the down arrow when GRUB appears, and I'm good to go. Far easier than reverting Windows updates, if you ask me.

Windows 11's quality has arguably worsened over 2025

Maybe not as stable as it used to be

So I've been out of the Windows loop for a little while, but from what I've seen, it seems that Windows 11 is proving to be more of a pain to maintain than Linux. It's entirely anecdotal, as I've only got online reports and experiences from friends to go off of, but it does feel like Windows 11 isn't as stable as it used to be.

I mean, Windows has always had issues; it's part of the territory. But this year alone, I've reported on Microsoft breaking the Windows Recovery Environment and reporting that practically all of its core Windows 11 systems are busted right now. That doesn't sound like the regular amount of "Windows-isms" I've seen over the years; in fact, it seems pretty critical.

Again, I might be talking rubbish here, but from what I've seen, people are finding Windows 11 less stable than Windows 10, especially for things like gaming. And with Microsoft adding AI to stuff and inserting ads around its operating system, it feels like Linux is the more stable, untouched OS between the two.

Linux isn't perfect, but don't sleep on it

Regardless of whether Linux truly is more stable than Windows 11, I think the open-source OS scene has gotten far more reliable over time. And if it does turn out that Linux is less stable than Windows 11, I can't imagine the margin between the two being particularly big, or, at least, as big as Windows users tend to make it out to be.

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Posted Monday 5 January 2026 at 6:23 am AEST (my time).

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