Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

KDE Plasma Desktop VS SDDM

Compare KDE Plasma Desktop VS SDDM and see what are their differences

KDE Plasma Desktop logo KDE Plasma Desktop

Plasma Workspaces is the umbrella term for all graphical environments provided by KDE.

SDDM logo SDDM

QML based X11 and Wayland display manager. Contribute to sddm/sddm development by creating an account on GitHub.
  • KDE Plasma Desktop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-06
  • SDDM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-15

KDE Plasma Desktop features and specs

  • Customizability
    KDE Plasma Desktop offers an extensive range of customization options, allowing users to tweak almost every aspect of the user interface including widgets, themes, and layout.
  • Performance
    Despite its rich feature set, KDE Plasma is known for being lightweight and efficient, performing well even on older or less powerful hardware.
  • Feature-Rich
    Out of the box, KDE Plasma provides a wide array of built-in applications and tools, from productivity applications to utilities, catering to a variety of needs.
  • Active Community
    KDE has an active and supportive community that constantly contributes to its development, ensuring the desktop environment is continuously improved and updated.
  • Frequent Updates
    KDE Plasma receives regular updates, which bring not only security patches but also new features and improvements, keeping the desktop environment modern and secure.

Possible disadvantages of KDE Plasma Desktop

  • Complexity
    While the high level of customizability is a strength, it can be overwhelming for new or less tech-savvy users who might find the vast array of options difficult to navigate.
  • Resource Usage
    Although efficient, KDE Plasma might still consume more system resources compared to very minimalistic desktop environments, potentially posing an issue on extremely limited hardware.
  • Initial Stability
    Sometimes new updates or features can introduce stability issues or bugs, which might impact the user experience until they are patched in future updates.
  • Application UI Variability
    Depending on the application, user interface design can vary significantly, leading to an inconsistent look and feel across different applications.
  • Steeper Learning Curve
    The extensive feature set, while advantageous for power users, can lead to a steeper learning curve for beginners or those transitioning from simpler desktop environments.

SDDM features and specs

  • Lightweight
    SDDM is designed to be lightweight, which makes it fast and efficient, consuming fewer resources compared to heavier display managers.
  • Customization
    SDDM supports themes, allowing users to customize the appearance of the login screen to fit their personal style or match their desktop environment.
  • Wayland Support
    SDDM offers support for Wayland sessions, making it suitable for modern environments that utilize this newer display server protocol.
  • Qt-Based
    SDDM is based on the Qt framework, which provides a unified look and feel and allows for easy integration with KDE Plasma and other Qt-based environments.
  • Active Community
    Being open-source and hosted on GitHub, SDDM benefits from an active community of developers and contributors who continuously improve the project.

Possible disadvantages of SDDM

  • Limited Features
    Compared to more feature-rich display managers like GDM or LightDM, SDDM may lack some advanced functionalities and configuration options.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Customization and configuration can be complex for new users, often requiring manual editing of configuration files.
  • Limited Desktop Environment Integration
    Although suitable for KDE Plasma, SDDM might not integrate as seamlessly with other non-QT desktop environments as their native display managers.
  • Stability Concerns
    Some users have reported stability issues or bugs with certain configurations or newer environments, which might require troubleshooting.
  • Development Pace
    The development pace may be slower compared to more widely-used display managers, potentially leading to delays in feature additions or bug fixes.

Analysis of KDE Plasma Desktop

Overall verdict

  • KDE Plasma Desktop is generally regarded as a highly customizable, resource-efficient, and visually appealing desktop environment, making it a good choice for many users.

Why this product is good

  • KDE Plasma is known for its flexibility and extensive customization options, allowing users to tailor their desktop environment to their specific needs. It also provides a sleek, modern interface with a wide range of built-in features and applications. Additionally, Plasma is designed to be lightweight, ensuring smooth performance even on older hardware.

Recommended for

  • Users who enjoy customizing their desktop environment
  • Those seeking a lightweight and efficient DE
  • Individuals looking for a modern and intuitive interface
  • Users who want a desktop environment with a vast array of native applications
  • People with older hardware

KDE Plasma Desktop videos

KDE Plasma Workspaces

More videos:

  • Review - KDE Plasma 5 Deep Dive (Late 2019) | Linux Desktop Reviews
  • Review - Trying Out KDE Plasma 5.15
  • Review - Kubuntu 18.04 Review: KDE Plasma at its Best

SDDM videos

ArcoLinux : 1048 Installing Plasma with SDDM instead of Lightdm on ArcoLinuxD

More videos:

  • Review - Plasma 5x Gentoo Vlog 2 | SDDM black screen fix
  • Review - Debian 9 Stretch - Personalizar SDDM de KDE Plasma - Tema Brisa

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to KDE Plasma Desktop and SDDM)
Linux
84 84%
16% 16
Operating Systems
92 92%
8% 8
PHP Framework
0 0%
100% 100
Desktop Environments
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare KDE Plasma Desktop and SDDM

KDE Plasma Desktop Reviews

9 Best Linux Desktop Environments to Use in 2023
After GNOME, the most widely used Linux desktop environment is KDE Plasma. This KDE Plasma desktop environment comes with various tools and services to fulfill almost any demand. It includes applications like Dolphin, the default and most powerful file system manager, and KGeoTag, a photo Photo geotagging program. It features Oxygen icons by default, which have a pleasing...
Source: geekflare.com
The 8 Best Ubuntu Desktop Environments (22.04 Jammy Jellyfish Linux)
KDE Plasma desktop is a widget-based environment which makes it very adaptable. You can move, add or remove anything you like to make it suit your style as well as possible. Plasma is fast and efficient. It uses only few resources and is full of well designed features.
Source: linuxconfig.org

SDDM Reviews

We have no reviews of SDDM yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, KDE Plasma Desktop seems to be a lot more popular than SDDM. While we know about 67 links to KDE Plasma Desktop, we've tracked only 2 mentions of SDDM. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

KDE Plasma Desktop mentions (67)

  • Looking back at my transition from Windows to Linux in an anti-customer age
    You might like KDE[1]. It has a much more Windows like feel. Or Cutefish[2] for that OSX feel. It is pretty simple to make a switch (given you're comfortable with software I assume calling a few lines from the CLI doesn't scare you). Just some food for though. Personally I hate Gnome. Ugly as hell and unintuitive. I'd rather go headless than use Gnome. [0]... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Unlocking the Cutting Edge: Exploring Plasma 6 Beta, Secure Knowledge Management, and the Latest Tools for Linux Enthusiasts
    Plasma 6 - Beta 1 is the latest iteration of the KDE desktop environment, known for its flexibility and customization options. Beta releases are crucial for ironing out bugs and streamlining new features before the final release. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Apps cannot read files from Google Drive on KDE Neon
    Recently I installed KDE Plasma. I was pleased to see the KDE-KIO integration for Google Drive. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Should i switch?
    I'm glad to hear that you use Krita (and I may assume you use Blender for animations). Both are free and open source software that is available on Linux (even better, Krita is made by the KDE project, makers of all sorts of open source projects, including Plasma, one of the most complete user interfaces for Linux out there). Source: over 2 years ago
  • Gamer migrating to Linux
    Because of this, I recommend using Fedora (either the default edition, which uses the GNOME desktop, or Fedora KDE, which uses the KDE Plasma desktop, like the Steam Deck). It ships up-to-date software, and it's very polished. (Note that, due to the US software patents, support/hardware acceleration for some media codecs isn't included by default. You should add the RPMFusion repo and set up the codecs after... Source: over 2 years ago
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SDDM mentions (2)

  • sddm patch required by fish shell users
    Could anybody notify Slackware KDE maintainers to apply the patch? Itโ€™s also OK to just grab latest version from https://github.com/sddm/sddm develop branch. Source: over 2 years ago
  • SDDM Default Monitor Settings?
    Https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GRUB/Tips_and_tricks#Setting_the_framebuffer_resolution Https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GRUB/Tips_and_tricks#Disable_framebuffer Https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/SDDM Https://github.com/sddm/sddm Https://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2021/05/custom-screen-resolution-ubuntu-wayland-xorg/. Source: about 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing KDE Plasma Desktop and SDDM, you can also consider the following products

Xfce - Xfce is a lightweight desktop environment for UNIX-like operating systems. It aims to be fast and low on system resources, while still being visually appealing and user friendly.

LightDM - A lightweight display manager

LXQt - The LXQt team is proud to announce the release of qtermwidget and qterminal, both in version 0. 8. 0. Read more..

Ly - TUI (ncurses-like) display manager

GNOME - An easy and elegant way to use your computer, GNOME is designed to put you in control and get things done.

XDM - The default display manager for the X Window System.