Is Zorin OS a Good Choice for Someone Switching From Windows?

The fact that Zorin is maintained by a small company rather than a huge corporation isn't automatically a disadvantage. It's developed by two brothers and supported through donations and the community. Also, both Zorin and standard Mint are based on Ubuntu, so neither is completely separate from Canonical's ecosystem. If you prefer Mint's interface and approach, staying with it is perfectly reasonable; if Zorin's workflow feels more comfortable, there's no major reason to avoid it.

Try to focus less on who technically owns the project and more on whether it meets your needs. Zorin adds a polished, Windows-friendly interface, customization tools, and conveniences such as easier setup for some drivers and software. It is more than just a different wallpaper, although it still uses Ubuntu as a foundation. You can always test it from a USB drive or in a virtual machine before replacing Mint.

If your main concern is avoiding Ubuntu as the base while keeping the general Mint experience, Linux Mint Debian Edition is worth looking at. It has a very similar desktop and workflow to regular Mint but is based directly on Debian. That said, switching distributions repeatedly usually brings less benefit than simply choosing one stable option and learning how it works.

Zorin is often one of the easiest distributions for Windows users to get comfortable with. I've installed it on several older laptops for people who had never used Linux, and most of them adapted quickly without even caring which operating system was underneath. Mint is also reliable, and it may feel more familiar to experienced Linux users, but both are good choices if you want something that works without constant tinkering.