Linux Doubles Its Market Share Since 2015, Windows And Mac Adoption Slows Down

ByAdarsh Verma September 5, 2017May 20, 2021

We’ve been hearing the phrase “year of the Linux desktop” from times immemorial. The FOSS and Linux community tosses up this idea at the beginning of a new year and expects the Linux adoption to rise exponentially in the upcoming months. While a complete Linux dominance in the desktop scene looks like a far-fetched dream, Tux continues to make slow strides.

According to the latest data from NetMarketShare, Linux is running on 3.37% desktop computers and laptops. This Linux market share number is from August 2017.

If we go two years back, in September 2015, this number was 1.74%, which is about half the current market share. Notably, last month Linux desktop share was just 2.53%. So, the market share witnessed a good jump in recent past.

Looking at other counterparts of Linux, Windows adoption has slowed down. Compared to the percentage share throughout the first half of 2017, the last few months turned out to be bad for Windows. On the one hand, Windows 7 is losing its market, and on the other, Windows 10 is growing at a snail’s pace.

Mac, the third major player in the desktop world, has also suffered a similar fate. Compared to ~8% share in 2015-16, Mac’s share has dipped to 6%.

You can take a look at the entire Windows and Linux market share trend of past two years here at NetMarketShare.

Don’t forget to check out our lists of best Linux distros and let us know your favorite ones:

Adarsh Verma

Fossbytes co-founder and an aspiring entrepreneur who keeps a close eye on open source, tech giants, and security.
Get in touch with him by sending an email — [email protected]