AntiX Linux has announced the release of antiX 26 as a new major version of this lightweight Debian-based distro without the systemd init system. The distribution, named after Stephen Kapos, arrives as a particularly lean variant of Debian 13 for users working with older machines or those seeking an alternative to systemd's design philosophy.
The most striking feature of antiX 26 is its extreme resource efficiency. AntiX 26 needs about 200 MB of RAM, a figure that becomes remarkable when contrasted with fuller desktop environments. By comparison, BunsenLabs Carbon takes just over half a gigabyte of RAM but antiX 26 uses less than half as much.
This release offers five init systems, giving users a level of choice rarely seen in modern Linux distributions: runit, SysVinit, dinit, s6-rc, and s6-66, with runit being the default. The init system can be selected at boot time and becomes the default after installation, allowing users to experiment and switch freely. Between two kernel versions, five init systems, four window managers, and two file managers, this means 130 different possible login configurations out of the box.
For users weighing the distribution's practicality, antiX has never claimed to be minimalist, but provides core editions for those that want full control over what to install. The full edition weighs around 2 GB and ships with LibreOffice, Firefox ESR, and multimedia tools like mpv for video and xmms for audio. The smaller core edition, around 660 MB, lets users build from scratch.
A key differentiator from Debian itself: antiX 26 offers a 32-bit version based on Trixie, considering Debian itself no longer makes those. Both flavours remain available for 32-bit hardware, a sustained commitment that is one of the things that genuinely separates antiX from almost every other active distribution in 2026. The 32-bit edition uses the older Linux 5.10 LTS kernel, while 64-bit systems can opt for either 5.10 or the newer 6.6 LTS.
The systemd-free philosophy runs through every corner of antiX 26. The distribution ships without systemd, libsystemd0, elogind, or libelogind0, and uses eudev in place of udev. This architectural choice has consequences: Devuan still offers KDE Plasma, but this is not the case in antiX. Users cannot run GNOME, KDE, Flatpak, or Snap applications due to their deep systemd dependencies.
The rationale behind such strict removal choices reflects a philosophical stance. Systemd is the init system used by virtually every mainstream Linux distribution today. It is powerful, but also complex, opaque, and tightly integrated in ways that make it difficult to remove cleanly.
AntiX Linux is one of the parent distros of MX Linux, which is much more friendly to non-techies. This includes using the same installation program. AntiX 26 simplifies the download process considerably compared to previous releases. Whereas antiX 23 had 16 different download options available, antiX 26 has been simplified to just four: the choice is Full or Core, 32-bit or 64-bit, and that's it.
AntiX is one of the most flexible systemd-free distributions available. For those concerned about bloat, system complexity, or simply seeking to stretch hardware lifespan, the distribution offers a genuinely alternative path within the Linux ecosystem.