The biggest difference is that /e/ is one of the few OSes that has MicroG pre-installed, which allows apps to make use of some features of Google Play Services

The biggest difference is that /e/ is one of the few OSes that has MicroG pre-installed, which allows apps to make use of some features of Google Play Services (e.g. push notifications, map widgets, and COVID-19 exposure notifications) through a FOSS client. MicroG lets users turn on/off some of these features, and does not support Google's APIs for ads or analytics. https://microg.org https://microg.org https://github.com/microg/GmsCore/wiki/Implementation-Status https://github.com/microg/GmsCore/wiki/Implementation-Status LineageOS does not support the mechanism (signature spoofing) that enables MicroG to replace Google Play Services. The developers of LineageOS consider signature spoofing to be a security risk: https://review.lineageos.org/c/LineageOS/android_frameworks_base/+/195284/ https://review.lineageos.org/c/LineageOS/android_frameworks_... It is up to users to select the OS that best meets their own privacy, security, and usability needs.