If you're already using Ubuntu, I don't think it's worth it. They're fairly similar. Then again, I didn't even get to install Ubuntu in the first place, the installer kept crashing.

Unless the laptop is a potato and you don't have a better computer, you can try Mint, or any other distro in a VM to see for yourself.

And welcome to Linux. If someone recommends you Arch Linux, Gentoo or LFS as other newbie-friendly option, it's a joke.

It's like a favourite drink, there's no correct choice.

I quite like xubuntu. I know that linus tech tips recommended mint to people coming from windows.

Many have a live USB option, that's great for trying them out.

Still getting the hang of Ubuntu, but I see a lot of comments on different posts in which a majority of them point to using Mint instead.

Ubuntu should be okay; it's not necessarily a bad pick. However, the community has been upset with some of its past decisions and (more recently) the implementation of its vision, i.e. their enforcement of Snaps. This has eventually led to our current situation in which it has become popular to hate on Ubuntu.

Would the best recommendation, be to switch to Mint from Ubuntu?

Personally, I've stopped recommending beginners to Ubuntu. This is primarily for how the above mentioned enforcement has lead to ~~broken~~ unintuitive interactions. However, if you've already started using it and are content with what you have, then the negative sentiment by itself shouldn't warrant a switch.

Though, granted, (I think) most Linux users have indulged in distro hopping; some have even made it their hobbies. So you shouldn't feel bad about switching either. Though I implore you to practice best practices while at it:

• Keep using your home base until you're certain of the switch.
• Don't nuke your home base to experience another distro. Make ample use of live USBs, VMs and dual booting instead.
• Try to understand the difference between the fundaments and the auxiliary when experiencing new distros; i.e., what is and isn't possible for you to import to your home base without outright switching.

Welcome to... being a normal Linux user

Switching distro is something every user does, thinks about doing, then does it again.

It's normal. You just discovered a new way of using your computer, and opened a ton of possibilities in front of you, from customising your current install to the death thanks to the choice in desktops and display managers to just slap an entirely different distribution on your machine. A ton of possibles.

Try them out! There's Live USB for about every one out there, but my favorite way is to dual-boot and see fully how the install process turns out, how the software management works, how updates occurs etc.

You'll notice a lot is the same, a lot is different, and most any feature from a distro can be slapped on another!

To give you a taste, try openSUSE Tumbleweed - not because I think you should switch to Tumbleweed over Ubuntu, but because it's quite different in a few key points, and I believe it is interesting for you: there's this Rollback backup feature, a beautiful and quite simple installer, a polished user interface, a different software format, and a powerful admin tool.

Have fun with your hardware. Now backup your files and go crazy! So many out there!

(I started with Ubuntu)

Mint has a more noob friendly approach with almost everything having a ui and it is Ubuntu under the hood so there wouldn't be extra to learn after switching. Popularity wise mint is one of the best stable distros with Ubuntu as its base with community support as well so if you have doubts you can most probably find the answer just by searching

Stay with ubuntu unless you have an issue with ubuntu itself, because the grass isn't greener on the other side despite what some people might say. The only real difference that you'll find are different default settings/programs and the time it takes for a software update to reach your final linux install.

Some distros like Ubuntu prefer slightly older versions that have been proven to be stable/bug free while others like Arch mostly go for the newest everything where available, at the cost of stability. If you like something a little bit more balanced, you have Fedora (which is my preference).

The beauty of Linux is that most software will work no matter the distribution you use. If the reason you want to use Linux Mint instead of regular Ubuntu is the desktop environment, you can at any time install the Cinammon desktop (the one used by Mint), here's an article that guides you through the process: https://itsfoss.com/install-cinnamon-on-ubuntu/

I switched from Windows to Mint. Best thing I ever did for myself as It's extremely user friendly.

Is it the best choice for you? That depends on what you're looking for in Linux.

Personally I was just fed up with Microsoft and all the corporate shenanigans. But I'm too old and dumb to learn how to properly utilize Linux (not gonna kid myself on that front), and Mint has proven a great "Baby's First Linux" for me.

@Doodz no harm in switching. Mint offers great GUI tools. Almost everything that can be done on Mint can be done on Ubuntu and vice-versa.

If you find Mint's GUI simpler go with it. Happy exploration.