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New Andronix 10.1 is here: Linux right inside the app, fully automated. How it works

Andronix Get it on Google Play

Compare

Andronix vs UserLAnd vs AnLinux vs proot-distro

Every one of these runs Linux on Android without root, with proot. They differ in how much they set up for you. Here's an honest comparison, checked on October 1, 2026. If you spot something out of date, tell us at support@andronix.app.

AndronixUserLAndAnLinuxproot-distro
Needs TermuxNo (arm64, Android 8 or newer); older phones use TermuxNo, it's a standalone appYesYes, it's a Termux package
How you install a distroPick it in the app and start the installPick a distro in the appThe app gives you commands to paste into Termuxproot-distro install <name> in Termux
DistrosDebian 13, Ubuntu 26.04 and 24.04, Kali, Fedora 44, Arch, Manjaro ARM, Alpine 3.24, VoidSeveral, including Debian and UbuntuUbuntu, Debian, Kali, Parrot, BackBox, Fedora, CentOS, openSUSE, Arch, BlackArch, Alpine, VoidIts built-in list, or any Docker/OCI image
Desktop set up for youXFCE, LXQt, MATE; KDE Plasma on Debian, Ubuntu 26.04 and KaliA graphical session over VNCXFCE, MATE, LXQt, LXDE, KDENo, you set it up yourself
How you see the desktopIn the Andronix app, full screenVNC (or SSH for the command line)VNCYour choice (it can share Termux's X11 socket)
SoundSet up for you--Set up yourself
Normal user with sudoYes, created at first login--Up to you
Backupsandronix backup / restore--proot-distro backup / restore
CostFree distros; optional paid Modded OS and PremiumFree, open sourceFree, open source (Apache 2.0)Free, open source

"-" means the project's own docs don't say, so we don't either.

What they have in common

All four run the distro with proot, on Android's own kernel, as an ordinary app. So they share the same limits: no Docker, Snap or Flatpak, no access to hardware like USB adapters, and little or no GPU acceleration (Andronix has an experimental option in the app), and on Android 12 and newer, Android's phantom process killer can stop the distro with "Process completed (signal 9)" until you turn it off (how to fix signal 9). None of them needs root.

When to pick which

Andronix

If you want a working desktop with the fewest steps. Andronix 10.1 runs Linux in the app: pick a distro and a desktop, set up your user, and the desktop opens in the app, with sound. The free distros are free; Modded OS editions with a themed, ready-made desktop are optional and paid. On a phone with Android 7 or without a 64-bit ARM processor, or if you want the command-line installer, use Andronix with Termux: the Termux guide. Start here.

UserLAnd

A self-contained, open-source alternative. UserLAnd is an app that runs a distro and connects to it over SSH or VNC.

AnLinux

If you want a long list of distros, including Parrot, BackBox and openSUSE, and you're happy to paste setup scripts into Termux and use a VNC viewer.

proot-distro

If you're comfortable on the command line and want full control: it's the official Termux tool, it can create a container from any Docker/OCI image, and you set up the desktop, sound and users yourself.

And Android's own Linux Terminal?

Some newer phones (Pixel, and Exynos versions of some Samsung phones) have Google's Linux Terminal, a Debian virtual machine with its own kernel. It's not available on Snapdragon phones. How it compares with Termux and Andronix: Android's Linux Terminal vs Termux and Andronix.

Installing Kali? See How to install Kali Linux on Android without root.

Sources

Get Andronix on Google Play How to get started