Andronix
UserLAnd and Andronix both run a real Linux distro on an Android phone without root, using proot. If UserLAnd works for you, there’s no need to switch. If you want newer distro versions, a choice of desktops, or a full-screen desktop on the phone, Andronix is worth a try, and the two can live side by side.
How they compare
| UserLAnd | Andronix | |
|---|---|---|
| Root | Not needed | Not needed |
| How it runs Linux | proot, inside the UserLAnd app | proot, inside the Andronix app (10.1, arm64 with Android 8 or newer) or inside Termux |
| Distros | Debian, Ubuntu, Kali and Arch, per its getting-started guide | Debian 13, Ubuntu 26.04 and 24.04 LTS, Kali, Fedora 44, Arch, Manjaro, Alpine and Void |
| Desktops | Connect with SSH, VNC or XSDL | XFCE, LXQt, MATE or KDE Plasma, in the Andronix app, full screen with Termux:X11, or over VNC |
| Get it | F-Droid and Google Play | The Andronix app on Google Play; in Termux, the free one-command installer |
| Recent releases | Latest GitHub release v2.8.3, October 2021 | Andronix 10.1, October 2026; the app and the installer are updated regularly |
| Extras | Single apps as well as full distros | Back up and restore a distro, dev packs (Python, Node.js, Java, Go, PostgreSQL), paid Modded OS editions with a themed desktop |
The UserLAnd details are from its own GitHub README, getting-started guide and releases page. Andronix’s are in our docs.
What Andronix does differently
- Current distro versions. Andronix installs Debian 13, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and Fedora 44, among nine distros. See Supported distros.
- A desktop you choose, set up for you. Pick XFCE, LXQt, MATE or KDE Plasma, and the app installs the desktop, Firefox and sound in one go.
- The desktop opens in the app. Andronix 10.1 runs Linux and its desktop inside the Andronix app on arm64 phones with Android 8 or newer, without a VNC viewer or a second app. See Install in the app.
- A normal user with
sudo, set up during the install, not root. - Easy to look after: your distros are on Home under Your Linux, where you open, stop and remove them. See Your Linux on Home.
Try Andronix next to UserLAnd
Andronix doesn’t touch UserLAnd’s files, so you can keep both.
- Install Andronix from Google Play. On Home, under Install Linux, tap Linux distros.
- Pick a distro, for example Debian, and a desktop, for example XFCE.
- On Set up your user, enter a User name (lower-case letters and numbers) and a Password (at least 4 characters).
- Wait for the install (usually 5 to 30 minutes; it keeps going in the background), then tap Open the desktop.
Later, your distro is on Home under Your Linux. The full walkthrough: How to install Debian on Android.
On Android 7 or a phone without a 64-bit ARM processor, Andronix runs Linux in Termux instead: see Andronix with Termux.
Moving your files from UserLAnd
There’s no automatic import, but your files move easily through your phone’s storage:
- In UserLAnd, copy what you want to keep to your phone’s shared storage.
- In Andronix, open Settings › Linux › Android files in Linux, tap Import, and pick the files. They’re copied into your Linux home. See Android files in Linux.
Programs you installed in UserLAnd need to be installed again with the new distro’s package manager.
What neither can do
Both run Linux on top of Android’s kernel without root, so the same limits apply: no Snap, Flatpak or Docker, and no VPNs or USB hardware. In the Andronix app, GPU acceleration is experimental and off by default (GPU acceleration). See Limitations.
Next steps
- Linux in the app: how Andronix 10.1 runs Linux on Android.
- What is Andronix: how the pieces fit together.
- Is Termux safe?
- Questions? Ask on Discord.
