Switcher 2026: Some Thoughts on the Alternatives ⭐️

We live in trying times, obviously, but we also live in a time of wonder when it comes to personal technology and the choices we have. My April focus month on potentially switching platforms from Windows has been an eye-opening experience, not because I’m unfamiliar with the alternatives, but because they keep getting so much better.

But it’s May now, and this is a busy month between us returning to Pennsylvania and some other travel and events, and I’ve decided to extend the switcher focus into this month. That isn’t entirely unexpected given the volume of choice out there, but I’m also going to expand beyond OS platforms to including crucial software and services. So there will be a web browser article soon to kick off that little side quest.

Before that, however, I’d like to provide a mid-focus check-in and see where things are at. This is some commentary and then a series of checklists with notes about the work I’ve done over the past few months examining alternatives. And maybe it will help me–and you–level set on how these choices all compare at a high-ish level.

What’s the intent?

Switching platforms is a bit like decluttering your home. It may feel daunting if you start thinking about how much there is to do if this is the route you choose. But if you take it a day at a time and tackle small projects first, you can see what works and what doesn’t to some degree. First up, of course, you have to ask yourself an important question: What is it that you’re trying to accomplish here?

If the goal is to just remove Windows from your life, I guess I get that, but—spoiler alert–I also still personally prefer Windows 11 to the alternatives. And I know, because I wrote a book and an article series about it, that it’s possible to de-enshittify Windows 11 such that all the offensive behaviors are removed or, in a few edge cases, at least minimized.

If your goal is broader than that, to lessen the impact of Big Tech, then I get that, too. Here, I’ve started writing extensively about what I call Little Tech and, to a lesser degree, something I call Little AI as well. And I don’t just get it, I’m onboard: This is an ongoing concern for me as well and something I’m working on myself.

There is just one problem. Ridding ourselves of Big Tech is literally impossible unless you see a Unabomber-like future for yourself–minus the terrorism, hopefully–in which you live the life of an ascetic in a cabin in the woods. Minimizing one’s exposure to Big Tech, however, is both desirable and healthy, and that, to me, is the real goal here.

And on that note, one might argue that trading Windows 11 for the Mac, or trading Microsoft for Apple, is like being cured of one kind of cancer only to succumb to another. You can’t escape Big Tech truly unless you switch to Linux and that’s just not for everyone.

Overcoming your aversion to change

One of the theories I’ve seen suggests that we should simply not expect anything to work the same on whatever alternative platform and that we will somehow gain peace by jettisoning all our workflows, apps, and services to embrace this new thing. That, to me, is ridiculous. I’m as open to change as I think I can be, at least in this space, but familiarity is key to any change. It’s how one makes that leap more easily.

In the same way that one can learn something new by comparing it to something we already understand, one can more easily make a platform switch if the place we’re going is at least something like the place we’re at now. This is why Chrome OS, Chrome OS Flex, and the new Android Desktop Mode all have Start menu, Taskbar, and Desktop equivalents; they’re familiar. These are not necessarily the best ways to do things, but they are the ways most people understand. It’s why some Linux distributions, like Zorin OS, specifically target Windows switchers with Windows-like user experiences.

Even Apple, that bastion of thinking differently, knows this. When Mac OS X failed to make a dent with developers or in usage, for example, Apple introduced Boot Camp so that the curious could at least boot back into Windows when needed to run some app that wasn’t on the Mac. And as its mobile platforms succeeded beyond all measure, Apple brought those UIs to the desktop, again in a bid to win over those who were familiar with another, more popular thing. This is just smart.

What matters to you day to day?

We all have different needs and wants. But for this conversation, I think it’s fair to say that we all have similar needs and wants, too. And when I think about my own day-to-day work, I can break it down like so.

I need a web browser that supports the extensions I rely on or, at the very least, the capabilities that those extensions provide. This is an easy one, as all the platforms in question have access to at least one high-quality, full-featured, and extensible web browser.

I need a Markdown editor so that I can write. This, too, is easy enough, though I have a strong preference for Typora, which, thankfully, is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and thanks to that latter option, on Chrome OS and Chrome OS Flex too. But I could get by with an alternative, like iA Writer on the Mac and iPad, or Ghostwriter on Linux. (Visual Studio Code can work in a pinch and is available across platforms.)

I need access to a cloud storage provider of some kind, ideally Synology Drive, Google Drive, or OneDrive. In a perfect world, that access would include offline sync via a Files on Demand capability, which is available on Windows and Mac, natively, but not on Linux. However, the ability to just access that cloud storage while online–Linux distributions usually let you sign-in to the underlying account and then access the cloud storage as if it were network-attached storage–is mostly doable. I could work offline when needed and store and new files locally until I’m online and then move them to the cloud storage as needed. This is the big workflow issue for me in switching, other than on the Mac, where things work as they do in Windows. (Or on ChromeOS and ChromeOS Flex where this works with Google Drive.)

I want/need a plain text editor and, ideally, a Microsoft Paint-like app. Finding something that works well here–meaning, looks/works like Notepad and Paint–is surprisingly difficult and a weird personal blocker for me. These are basic apps. But I use them every day and rely on them.

I need a more capable image editing application that can easily–and, ideally, with full keyboard shortcut support–crop, resize, and export images so that I can use them on the website. This can and has been, over the years, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Affinity Photo, and now Affinity, but I am open to any tool that works as well as these do and, as importantly, doesn’t have a big learning curve. Even apps like Paint.NET and The GIMP are problematic in this regard.

I need a simple video editor and, here, thankfully, Clipchamp is web-based and thus works everywhere. I’ve used the web version of Clipchamp in Chrome on the Mac, and it worked normally and as expected, so this isn’t likely a big problem for any platform. But there are free and cross-platform apps of various kinds that are also interesting.

I have work/podcast-related calls every day across apps/services that include Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, and web-based solutions like Restream. These are non-negotiable, but most tend to work across various platforms, and I can even do some calls on my phone, which can simplify matters.

And that may be it for the needs. Beyond that, there are preferences and wants, I guess. Those are mostly highly personal and what I’ve found over the course of this work is that sometimes a platform, app, or service just “clicks” for me. It’s nice when that happens.

The Switcher 2026 checklist

With those high-level thoughts out of the way, here’s where I’m at when it comes to the topics I found myself, ahem, focusing on.

Try before you switch

🟢 Linux

🔴 ChromeOS, ChromeOS Flex, iPad, macOS

Linux has the edge here, as most distributions let you create a bootable USB installer you can use to try the distribution without installing it first. This is ideal if you’re concerned about hardware compatibility, in particular. And you are.

Cost

🟢 ChromeOS Flex, Linux

🟠 ChromeOS

🔴 iPad, macOS

Linux and ChromeOS are both free, but hardware compatibility will vary. ChromeOS is purchased with a new Chromebook or Chromebook Plus laptop, which can cost under $200 or as much as $1000 depending on the model. Macs and iPads are like Windows PCs, with various price points and model choices.

Security/authentication

🟠 macOS, some Linux distributions

🔴 ChromeOS, ChromeOS Flex, iPad, Linux

All the platforms I’ve discussed are secure, but none of the alternatives can touch Windows 11 when it comes to the security and convenience of Windows Hello facial, fingerprint, and PIN authentication. Most Linux distributions require a password, and some support fingerprint authentication. ChromeOS can support fingerprint recognition, but that will depend on the Chromebook. ChromeOS and Chrome OS Flex support PIN sign-ins, but only with 6 or more characters (compared to 4 on Windows). And aside from the expensive iPad Pro models, most iPads support only PIN and Touch ID (fingerprint) authentication.

Look and feel

🟢 macOS, iPad

🟠 ChromeOS, ChromeOS Flex, iPad, Linux,

This is about familiarity and consistency, and it’s difficult to beat Apple in this regard. That said, many Linux distributions offer highly polished user experiences, and the customization capabilities of that platform mean there’s something for everyone. ChromeOS and ChromeOS Flex are also surprisingly solid in this area. And all of these platforms, shockingly, outdo Windows 11 in some areas. For example, you will find the implementation and consistency of Dark mode to be superior on all of these platforms. One important note: Linux does require some command line knowledge, though I don’t see this as a huge downside. You should be using the command line in Windows, too, especially winget.

Hardware compatibility

🟢 ChromeOS, iPad, macOS

🟠 ChromeOS Flex, some Linux

🔴 Some Linux

Hardware compatibility isn’t a concern on ChromeOS, iPad, and macOS because you have to buy a new computer, and each offers broad support for common peripherals. But this can be a concern on ChromeOS Flex and Linux because it’s possible that the PC you already own either won’t work at all (rare) or some components won’t be compatible. With Linux, you can at least try it before you install a distribution. But ChromeOS Flex is tough: You have to install it before you find out if the PC is going to work.

Software compatibility

🟢 macOS

🟠 ChromeOS, ChromeOS Flex, iPad, Linux

This is a big “it depends” category, but if your goal is to try and use as much of the same software as you do in Windows, then a Mac is the best choice. But the iPad is surprisingly a strong second, ChromeOS gets you web, Linux, and Android apps, ChromeOS has web and Linux apps, and, well, Linux can be problematic. Some distributions help more than others in that regard; Zorin OS, for example, recommends alternatives when you search for a Windows app in its store (Software) or try to install a Windows binary.

Services compatibility

🟢 macOS

🟠 ChromeOS, ChromeOS Flex, iPad, Linux

Here, again, the Mac comes out on top, but I was surprised by the broad and capable coverage I see on the iPad too: In addition to Big Tech options like Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, you can use a nice Synology Drive client. ChromeOS and ChromeOS Flex are great for Google services like Google Drive. And Linux only offers online access to OneDrive and Google natively that works much like accessing a network share. I was surprised to discover that this wasn’t a huge issue given how much I rely on Files on Demand-like live sync, but there you go.

Where I’m at

This is not all or nothing, but forced to choose, which is an artificial construct, my preferences as of this writing are for the following, in this order:

🟢 Windows 11 on Arm. If you’re looking for the best platform to switch to, you don’t have to look to far, though it will require a new PC purchase. Windows 11 on Arm running on Snapdragon X/X2 offers superior performance, reliability, efficiency, and battery life, and you don’t have to learn new UIs, apps, or services to escape from the biggest problems with Windows 11. The only downside is for those who want to play AAA games.

🟢 Windows 11. Most PCs are still sold with AMD or Intel x86-based chipsets, and while they are still less reliable than those based on Windows 11 on Arm and Snapdragon, there are more choices, many cheaper options, and they can play AAA games incredibly well if they have the most recent chipsets and/or dedicated graphics.

🟢 macOS. I’ve used my MacBook Air M3 on this trip more than I’d expected, and as I wrote in Switcher 2026: The Mac is for People, Not Businesses ⭐️, it’s been an easier transition thanks to a virtualized Windows 11 install and some key utilities.

🟠 Linux. This one is tough because my experiences varied so much depending on the distribution and the PC(s) I chose. But Linux can be surprisingly refined, offers good software support, and can even play games if you have good enough PC components.

🟠 Chromebook. I was surprised my how much I liked using the cheap little Chromebook I bought here in Mexico. This is a solid experience, with the one caveat that you’re stuck with Android titles if you want to game at all. With the Linux capabilities, there’s even some solid software development capabilities.

🟠 iPad. This one also surprised me, which may sound odd given how often I wrote about this last summer. But in trying to use the iPad with a Magic Keyboard like a desktop platform, I could see that it so close, for me. It may already be there for others.

🟠 ChromeOS Flex. I was surprised this didn’t work out as well, but it wasn’t horrible despite a few glitches. If you’re in the Google ecosystem at all and have a spare PC, it’s certainly worth trying.

A few points worth noting.

These are personal choices and subjective. Others may feel differently.

I think it’s notable that there are no big losers here, no complete non-starters. All the platforms I’ve tried are excellent in some ways and none are disastrous.

These choices often play different roles. Linux is interesting because it can work on older or secondary PCs you already own, for example, and it will appeal to technical people more than mainstream users. A Mac, an iPad, or a good Chromebook will be expensive, but then so will a new PC.

None of this is absolute. Few people reading this use a single personal computing device, and many will have multiple PCs. You can mix and match as needed.

What’s next

As noted up top, I’m thinking through some Switcher write-ups tied to apps, services, and more. On the apps front, I’ve already started writing a web browser post, but I will look at productivity and creator apps, and may write up gaming as its own thing too. For services, this is mostly about top-level Big Tech cloud services like Microsoft 365/OneDrive and Workspace/Google Drive, but also alternatives like the one I use, Synology Drive.

I will definitely write up more Linux distributions. I’ve used and started writing about CachyOS, Debian, Fedora KDE Edition, and Zenclora already. So that could expand out quite a bit.

And then there’s this idea I have about mobile platforms expanding into desktop OS capabilities. Here, there are two possibilities. I might get an iPad Air or Pro with a larger (13-inch) display. And I am very curious about Google’s work to bring Android to laptops via what’s now called Aluminum OS. Hopefully, we’ll learn more at Google I/O, which is coming up quick.

So there’s no rest for the wicked. I will absolutely have more soon.