Cyclop OS

Cyclop OS
	The Cyclop OS 4.0 desktop
Developer	Cyclop Technologies OÜ
Written in	C, Python, Rust, JavaScript
OS family	Linux (Ubuntu based)
Working state	Current
Source model	Open source base, with paid editions
Initial release	May 12, 2023; 3 years ago (3.0)
Latest release	4.0.2 / October 28, 2026; 9 days ago
Marketing target	Schools, small businesses, gamers, home users
Available in	39 languages
Update method	APT, Flatpak
Package manager	dpkg, Cyclop Store
Platforms	x86-64
Kernel type	Monolithic (Linux kernel)
Default user interface	GNOME 46 (customized)
License	Mainly GPL and other free software licenses; paid editions under a commercial license
Official website	cyclop-tech.com/cyclop-os

Cyclop OS is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu and developed by Cyclop Technologies OÜ, a company registered in Estonia in 2026 and founded by the Tunisian engineer Bilel Rahmouni. Version 4.0 is built on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ("Noble Numbat") with a customized GNOME 46 desktop.

The project presents itself as an alternative for users and organisations that want a desktop with a low cost of ownership, a long life on existing hardware, privacy by default and support in many languages. Its main targets are schools, small and medium businesses, cybercafés and gamers, in Europe and in Africa.

Cyclop OS ships as a free edition, Community, and several paid editions (Education, Pro and Gaming) that add software through licence-gated package repositories.

History

The project started in 2021 as a set of PPAs on Launchpad, under the name Cyclop OS.

Cyclop OS 3.0 was released on 12 May 2023, based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and GNOME 43.
Work on version 4.0, a move to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and GNOME 46, began in April 2026. Version 4.0 was announced on 14 July 2026.
The first public 4.0 ISO image was published on 1 October 2026.
4.0.2 followed on 28 October 2026, as the second cumulative update ("Patch 2") of the 4.0 series.

Since 4.0, updates are delivered as regular patches through the Cyclop package repositories, with a new ISO image built for each patch.

Features

Desktop

The desktop is GNOME 46 with Cyclop's own theme, icon set and extensions. From the settings, the user can switch between four complete desktop layouts in one click: a Cyclop layout, an Ubuntu-style layout (dock and top bar), an Apple-style layout and a Windows-style layout (taskbar and start menu). Each layout sets the panel, dock, application menu and hot corners together.

Other desktop features include:

accent colours, dark mode, cursor themes and Cyclop wallpapers, with a live preview;
a system tray arrow that groups status icons;
animated video wallpapers (Gaming edition), paused when a window covers them, on battery or when the machine is idle.

Cyclop Settings

Cyclop Settings replaces the standard GNOME settings application. Its sidebar is organised by use (Home, Accounts, Personalization, Network, Devices, Privacy, Accessibility, System, Updates). The Updates page shows the real state of the system packages, their history and the update settings actually in force, through a privileged helper.

Cyclop Store

Cyclop Store is the software centre. It merges three catalogues into one: the Ubuntu archive, the Cyclop repositories and Flathub, for about 4,850 applications on a typical installation.

The catalogue is stored on the disk and browses offline, a choice made for schools with poor connections; only screenshots need the network.
It installs Debian packages through the same privileged helper as the settings, and Flatpak applications without administrator rights.
Applications that belong to a paid edition are shown in full, with screenshots and description, and a button naming the edition that includes them.
It respects parental controls: an application blocked for a child account stays visible but does not open.
It is translated into 39 languages.

Cyclop applications

Application	Purpose	Editions
Cyclop Settings	System settings	All
Cyclop Store	Software centre	All
Cyclop Video	Default video and music player, based on Clapper (GStreamer, GTK4). Automatic subtitles, resume where you left off, frame capture, media keys	All
Cyclop Performance	Live graphs, process list, reversible tuning advice	Education, Pro, Gaming
Cyclop Office	Office suite based on LibreOffice, with Cyclop styling	Education, Pro, Gaming
Cyclop Connect	Links the computer with a phone (notifications, clipboard, ringing the phone) on the same network	Education, Pro, Gaming
Cyclop Vault	Password manager using the KeePass (KDBX 4) format, with browser extensions, auto-type and import from common password managers	Education, Pro, Gaming
Cyclop Gaming	Gaming setup: signed NVIDIA driver, 32-bit libraries, a readiness score out of 100, launchers (Steam, Heroic, Lutris, Bottles, RetroArch and others), controllers and streaming tools	Gaming
Cyclop Windows Apps	Runs Windows programs (.exe, .msi) through Wine, each program in its own installation	Education, Pro, Gaming

Parental controls

Since September 2026, the Family page in the settings manages child accounts:

allowed applications, with explained suggestions;
age rating for new installations;
allowed hours, daily screen time and time per application, with warnings before the end;
blocked websites by domain, adult and malware categories, and safe search on Google, Bing and YouTube;
a one-day time extension or an immediate lock;
a 30-day usage report that records durations only, never content, addresses or keystrokes.

The child can read the rules that apply to them but cannot change them.

Security and privacy

Cyclop OS enables several protections by default:

a configured firewall (ufw);
desktop kernel hardening settings (sysctl);
a tracker and advertising domain block list;
automatic security updates;
SSH access off unless the user turns it on in the settings.

Ubuntu's crash reporters (apport, whoopsie, kerneloops) are removed, and Ubuntu's news and advertising messages are turned off. The only machine count is an anonymous daily signal that sends the system version, and it can be switched off in the settings.

European infrastructure

The project puts the services the system talks to in Europe where it can:

Ubuntu updates come from the official mirror of RWTH Aachen University in Germany, over HTTPS;
network time comes from PTB (Germany) and Netnod (Sweden);
the connectivity check goes to Cyclop's own server;
DNS uses DNS4EU, then Quad9;
in Firefox, telemetry, studies and sponsored content are turned off, and the default search engine is Qwant.

Firefox updates (from Mozilla) and Flathub remain outside this scope.

Windows compatibility

In the paid editions, double-clicking a Windows installer opens Cyclop Windows Apps. It checks the file type, warns about where the file came from, and installs each program in a separate Wine environment, so that settings made for one program do not affect the others. Installed programs appear in the application menu with their icon.

The project keeps a public compatibility list. Applications reported as working include Adobe Creative Cloud and Streamlabs Desktop (account, webcam, recording, live streaming). The developer states that compatibility is decided by Wine and is not guaranteed for any given program.

Installation

The installer is a modified Calamares translated into 37 languages. It has its own edition page (Community, Pro, Gaming), where each card lists what the edition installs, and it lets the user sign in to or create a Cyclop account. When a paid edition is chosen, the installer activates the matching package repository for that machine. On first boot, a window shows the installation progress of the edition's applications.

Backups are preconfigured with Timeshift.

Localisation

The Cyclop applications are translated into 39 languages, including French, Arabic and Swahili. The project describes Africa-first localisation as one of its goals.

Package repositories

Packages are published at packages.cyclop-tech.com and signed with the project's GPG key. The free community repository is public. Each paid edition unlocks its own repository on top of it. Access is checked per device, with a token that can be revoked.

A public package search lists every package of the Community repository, together with the names of the packages in the paid editions.

Editions

Edition	Price	Intended for	Adds
Community	Free	Everyone	The base system, Cyclop Settings, Cyclop Store, Cyclop Video, security and privacy defaults
Education	Annual subscription	Schools and universities	Cyclop Office, Performance, Connect, Vault, Windows Apps
Pro	Annual subscription	Small businesses, professionals	Cyclop Office, Performance, Connect, Vault, Windows Apps
Gaming	Annual subscription	Gamers, cybercafés	Cyclop Gaming, Performance, Connect, Vault, Windows Apps, animated wallpapers

An Enterprise edition is under study. Current prices are listed on the official website.

Company

Cyclop OS is developed by Cyclop Technologies OÜ, a private limited company registered in Tallinn, Estonia, on 19 October 2026. The company was founded by Bilel Rahmouni, a Tunisian student in security and network engineering at EFREI Paris. It describes itself as a European company with North African roots, building for Europe and Africa.

The company is supported by the EFREI Paris incubator and by PEPITE CréaJ IDF.

Awards and recognition

First prize, Prix du Printemps Entrepreneur, EFREI Paris (2025).
Prix PEPITE (2026).
Represented small technology companies at VivaTech 2025.

External links