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$25 per workstation per year
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What is Ubuntu
Ubuntu is a Linux-based operating system distributed by Canonical and used across desktops, servers, and cloud images. It targets IT teams and developers who need a general-purpose OS for application hosting, development environments, and infrastructure workloads. Ubuntu is commonly deployed with Canonical-supported packaging and update mechanisms (APT/Snap) and is available in long-term support (LTS) releases for stable enterprise use.
Broad deployment footprint
Ubuntu runs across desktop, server, and cloud environments and is widely available as a standard image from major cloud providers. This reduces friction when standardizing environments between developer workstations and production servers. It also supports multiple CPU architectures, which helps teams that operate mixed hardware or edge deployments.
Strong package and update tooling
Ubuntu uses APT for system packages and supports Snap packages for application distribution and confinement. The distribution provides predictable release channels, including LTS versions with extended maintenance options through Canonical. These mechanisms simplify patching and dependency management compared with building and maintaining custom distributions.
Ecosystem for containers and DevOps
Ubuntu is commonly used as a host OS for container runtimes and Kubernetes distributions, and it is a frequent base image for container builds. Canonical provides adjacent tooling (for example, Kubernetes distributions and automation) that integrates with Ubuntu deployments. This makes Ubuntu a practical default for teams building CI/CD pipelines and running containerized workloads.
Not a container engine
Ubuntu itself is an operating system, not a container engine or container runtime. Organizations still need to select, deploy, and operate a container runtime and orchestration layer separately. This adds architectural choices and operational overhead compared with platforms that bundle a more opinionated container stack.
Compliance requires extra services
While Ubuntu includes security updates and supports hardening, formal compliance workflows often require additional configuration, auditing, and reporting tools. Canonical offers paid services and tooling for extended security maintenance and compliance-oriented features, which may be necessary for regulated environments. Teams should plan for policy management, evidence collection, and continuous assessment beyond the base OS.
Snap adoption can be divisive
Snap packaging introduces a separate packaging model and runtime behavior that differs from traditional distribution packages. Some organizations prefer to standardize on APT-only workflows for predictability, minimal footprint, or internal packaging policies. This can create governance decisions about which packaging formats are allowed in production.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop / WSL (workstation/year) — Self-Support | $25 per workstation/year | Ubuntu Pro desktop self-support: 10-year security maintenance (Main+Universe), Livepatch, ESM; free for personal use on up to 5 machines. |
| Desktop / WSL (workstation/year) — Full support (24/7) | $300 per workstation/year | Includes phone & ticket 24/7 support and full stack coverage. |
| Server with unlimited VMs (machine/year) — Self-Support | $500 per machine/year | Ubuntu Pro for servers; 10-year security maintenance (Main+Universe) and ESM-Infra coverage. |
| Server with unlimited VMs (machine/year) — With Infra support (24/7) | $1,775 per machine/year | Adds infrastructure-level support (24/7) and expanded stack coverage (Kubernetes, LXD, OpenStack, MAAS). |
| Server with unlimited VMs (machine/year) — Full support (24/7) | $3,400 per machine/year | Full enterprise support with 24/7 phone & ticket support and highest SLA response times. |
Notes / Additional pricing (official site):
- Ubuntu Pro is free for personal users on up to 5 machines (and up to 50 machines for active Ubuntu Community members).
- Public cloud (AWS): Ubuntu Pro on AWS is billed as a percentage of the underlying EC2 instance cost (starts at ~20% for the smallest instances); example combined EC2+Ubuntu Pro hourly totals are listed (e.g., t3.nano $0.009, t3.medium $0.045, c5.large $0.089, etc.).
- MAAS managed-machine annual fees (additional to Pro) — Self-Support $30 / Year, Weekday support $50 / Year, 24/7 support $100 / Year (per managed machine).
- Ceph additional cluster capacity tiers and per-TB charges for capacity beyond included thresholds are listed on the pricing page (tiered amounts; e.g., up to 150 TB additional per-TB $33.33; larger tiers reduce per-TB price).
Seller details
Canonical Ltd.
London, United Kingdom
2004
Private
https://canonical.com/
https://x.com/Canonical
https://www.linkedin.com/company/canonical-ltd-/
