GrapheneOS
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it if you own a Pixel and genuinely want hardened privacy; it is free and well-reviewed.
Comparison
GrapheneOS vs CalyxOS
GrapheneOS and CalyxOS both land on Depends.
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.
| Compare | GrapheneOS | CalyxOS |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Privacy-focused Pixel owners | Privacy-focused daily drivers |
| Who it's not for | iPhone users . incompatible hardware, full stop | High-risk users needing maximum hardening . GrapheneOS is stronger |
| Privacy | Strong posture: rapid patching of in-the-wild CVEs; one 2026 VPN IP-disclosure CVE disclosed and addressed.⁸ | Active again since July 2026; May 2025 external-storage bypass disclosed officially; 2025 release pause dented trust.14 |
| Support quality | Community forums only; no paid support | Small team; community chat support |
| Public sentiment | Reviewers praise its security and privacy; some Reddit users find the setup and app trade-offs a time sink worth thinking twice about.⁵ | Privacy enthusiasts broadly praise CalyxOS as a smooth daily driver, though 2025's update pause drew sharp criticism. |
| Biggest gotcha | Banking and some corporate apps may refuse to run due to attestation blocking | Small team capacity; 2025 pause proved single-point fragility13 |
Pick GrapheneOS when
- Privacy-focused Pixel owners
- Journalists and activists
- De-Googlers who still need Android apps
When GrapheneOS is not a fit
- iPhone users . incompatible hardware, full stop
- Non-Pixel Android owners until the Motorola port ships
- Anyone whose banking or work apps block GrapheneOS
- People unwilling to troubleshoot during setup
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
- GrapheneOS official sitegrapheneos.orgofficial
- Features overviewgrapheneos.orgofficial
- GrapheneOS FAQgrapheneos.orgofficial
- ZDNet hands-on reviewzdnet.comreview
- TechRadar month-long reviewtechradar.comreview
- Reddit: second thoughts after a weekreddit.comreview
review
- CVE-2026-45182 VPN IP disclosuresentinelone.comsecurity
- Android Authority: Motorola devices plannedandroidauthority.comnews
- Proton: GrapheneOS exits Franceproton.menews
- CalyxOS official sitecalyxos.orgofficial
- A letter to the CalyxOS communitycalyxos.orgofficial
official
- External storage bypass vulnerability noticecalyxos.orgsecurity
- CalyxOS Is No Longer Safe to Usesideofburritos.comsecurity
- CalyxOS Is Officially Back!privacyguides.orgnews