New check

Comparison

GrapheneOS vs CalyxOS

GrapheneOS and CalyxOS both land on Depends.

GrapheneOS

apps.grapheneos.org

Depends

Confidence: Medium

Buy it if you are a privacy-focused Pixel owner . it is free and offers the strongest Android hardening available.

Read the full report

CalyxOS

Depends

Confidence: Medium

Worth installing if you're a privacy-minded individual with a supported Pixel or Fairphone and can flash a device . it's free and well-liked.

Read the full report

GrapheneOS versus CalyxOS
Compare	GrapheneOS	CalyxOS
Verdict	Depends	Depends
Best for	Privacy-focused daily drivers	Privacy-focused daily drivers
Who it's not for	iPhone or non-Pixel Android owners . hardware not supported	High-risk users needing maximum hardening . GrapheneOS is stronger
Privacy	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.¹⁰	Active again since July 2026; May 2025 external-storage bypass disclosed officially; 2025 release pause dented trust.¹⁶
Support quality	Guess: community forums only, no official support	Small team; community chat support
Public sentiment	Long-term users largely praise the privacy and everyday usability, while a minority report setup friction, app limitations, or quit entirely.¹¹	Privacy enthusiasts broadly praise CalyxOS as a smooth daily driver, though 2025's update pause drew sharp criticism.
Biggest gotcha	Google Pay and contactless payments permanently blocked . plan an alternative wallet^⁴	Small team capacity; 2025 pause proved single-point fragility¹⁵

Pick GrapheneOS when

Privacy-focused daily drivers
Journalists and activists
Pixel owners wanting de-Googled Android
Security-conscious professionals

When GrapheneOS is not a fit

iPhone or non-Pixel Android owners . hardware not supported
Anyone dependent on Google Pay or contactless payments
Buyers wanting zero-fiddle plug-and-play setup
People whose banking apps reject custom OSes

Pick CalyxOS when

Privacy-focused daily drivers
Pixel owners wanting de-Googled Android
Open-source and nonprofit supporters
Tinkerers comfortable flashing phones

When CalyxOS is not a fit

High-risk users needing maximum hardening . GrapheneOS is stronger
Anyone needing guaranteed, on-time security updates
Non-Pixel, non-Fairphone device owners
People who won't flash or troubleshoot a phone themselves

Sources

Features overview - GrapheneOSgrapheneos.org
official
GrapheneOS: the private and secure mobile OSgrapheneos.org
official
GrapheneOS - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
official
GrapheneOS Passes Daily Driver Test (TechTimes)techtimes.com
news
I Was Sick of Android Apps Spying on Me (PCMag)pcmag.com
review
Which Pixel do you need for GrapheneOS?privacygear.nl
review
Lineage OS, /e/OS, and Graphene OS compared (Kevin Boone)kevinboone.me
review
Why I Gave Up On GrapheneOS (Medium)medium.com
review
The Squeeze on GrapheneOS (myprivacy.blog)myprivacy.blog
news
Vulnerabilities exploited in the wild fixed based on GrapheneOS reportsdiscuss.grapheneos.org
security
One year of GrapheneOS - my thoughts (Reddit)reddit.com
review
GrapheneOS - funded by OpenSatsopensats.org
official
CalyxOS official sitecalyxos.org
official
A letter to the CalyxOS communitycalyxos.org
official
CalyxOS progress report - signing, team capacitycalyxos.org
official
External storage bypass vulnerability noticecalyxos.org
security