The 12 Best Linux Desktop Environments

1

GNOME

The story behind Mate’s creation is that when the Gnome community decided to move forward from Gnome 2 to Gnome 3, then many developers of Gnome decided to use Gnome 2 existing codes and created Mate. Therefore Mate does not have different extensions like Gnome 3, but it is easy to use, faster and customizable. Developers of Mate have invested a good effort and time to update the background code, and many new Linux users found this a lightweight alternative of GNOME. Initially, Mate was designed to fulfill the needs, but it has become one of the best Linux desktop environments due to the evolution.

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2

Xfce

At first look, Xfce looks a bit older and boring, but we assure you that your mindset will change after unpacking it because it is one of the best Linux lightweight desktop environments available. Xfce is becoming one of the most reliable choices, but it has a comparatively small team for development that results in late updates. Nowadays, many users think that Xfce is an amazing alternative to MATE because Xfce’s developers are continuously keeping the interface amazing and light. It is a highly customizable Linux desktop environment, but it needs third-party tools.

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3

Cinnamon

It is a default interface for the Linux Mint, one of Linux’s most broadly used versions because it is a good distro for beginners. Cinnamon is designed for those users who want to switch from Windows because it offers a traditional desktop experience. Cinnamon is designed to make it easier for users who have just switched from Windows to Linux. Many users love Cinnamon due to its combination of familiarity as well as ease-of-use. Many users love Cinnamon due to its combination of familiarity as well as ease-of-use. We don’t recommend you to use this Linux desktop environment because it takes high resource consumption.

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4

MATE

The story behind Mate’s creation is that when the Gnome community decided to move forward from Gnome 2 to Gnome 3, then many developers of Gnome decided to use Gnome 2 existing codes and created Mate. Therefore Mate does not have different extensions like Gnome 3, but it is easy to use, faster and customizable. Developers of Mate have invested a good effort and time to update the background code, and many new Linux users found this a lightweight alternative of GNOME. Initially, Mate was designed to fulfill the needs, but it has become one of the best Linux desktop environments due to the evolution.

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5

KDE

KDE Plasma is one of the best Linux desktop environments for those who want to play with their system’s interface. KDE offers various features, but some users always complain that it is not stable enough, and it is also a bit heavier. Apart from it, all on-screen components work as a widget, which is movable and resizable.

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Pantheon can be a good choice for you if you switch from macOS to a Linux desktop environment. It is a bit similar to Budgie because it is also created for the particular distribution. You may consider it less customizable than the other Linux desktop environment on the list. Still, new users will get an amazing desktop experience without having any mess in settings or configure. If you want to go far from normal use, you can be disappointed with the lesser available options. However, it offers various features such as separate workspaces for different activities, built-in productivity tools, picture-in-picture mode, and many more. Pantheon’s core applications are written in C and Vala, and most of them are designed from GNOME languages.

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7

solus-project.com Budgie

Budgie is one of the newest desktop environments. It is a Solus OS mirror because a small Solus development team with other teams has contributed to this desktop environment’s development. Budgie also offers a few amazing apps that allow you to work well, including an all-in-one control center (Raven) and a settings app that offers full control of customization. This desktop environment looks like the Chrome OS, and it uses various GTK technologies, which are used in the GNOME desktop environment. Even if it is a new desktop environment, it still looks like an old interface compared to Xfce and MATE, but it manages to become a bit modern.

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8

LXDE

LXDE is a user-friendly, energy-efficient, and lightweight Linux desktop environment. It is based on the GTK+, so LXDE can be a good alternative to Xfce if it runs slower on your system. It proves that LXDE is supported for all distros. Therefore it can be supported on older machines too.

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9

Unity

Unity is one of the most well-known versions of Linux desktop, a former default interface for Ubuntu. From Ubuntu 17.10, the GNOME desktop environment has become the default interface instead of Unity. Originally, Unity was developed for replacing the older version of GNOME. Unity is designed for the small screen with a space-saving Launcher and a Horizontal top menu feature. Still, it is less customizable as compared to other desktop environments in this list.

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10

LXQt

LXQt is one of the lightest Linux desktop environments on the list, so it is created by the merger between LXDE’s Qt port and Razor-Qt. In case you don’t like Lubuntu, it will be hard to build interest in LXQt because it is quite similar to Lubuntu.

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11

Enlightenment

Enlightenment has grown so much, and now it includes a full desktop environment, wearable, TV, and mobile user interface platforms. This Linux desktop environment was started over a decade ago, and initially, it worked as a windows manager project for the x11 system. Enlightenment is not much reputed among Linux users. This Linux desktop environment’s art style is a little skeuomorphic compared to cartoony images present in other free desktops.

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12

SugarLabs.org

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