Software Alternatives & Reviews

KDE VS Kubuntu

Compare KDE VS Kubuntu and see what are their differences

KDE logo KDE

The KDE® Community is a free software community dedicated to creating an open and user-friendly computing experience, offering an advanced graphical desktop, a wide variety of applications for communication, work, education and entertainment and …

Kubuntu logo Kubuntu

Linux operating system distribution derived from Ubuntu but with KDE environment.
  • KDE Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-23
  • Kubuntu Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-21

KDE videos

KDE Plasma 5 Deep Dive (Late 2019) | Linux Desktop Reviews

More videos:

  • Review - Review - Manjaro KDE
  • Review - Debian 10 KDE review

Kubuntu videos

Kubuntu 20.04 Review - LTS all round

More videos:

  • Review - Kubuntu 20.04 LTS Review - An iterative and solid upgrade
  • Review - Kubuntu 19.10 Review - A little late to the party.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to KDE and Kubuntu)
Linux
40 40%
60% 60
Operating Systems
32 32%
68% 68
Desktop Environments
100 100%
0% 0
Linux Distribution
0 0%
100% 100

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 and Kubuntu

KDE Reviews

6 Best Linux Desktop Environments to Try in 2022
KDE is also popular as the Plasma desktop. KDE is a very lightweight desktop and highly customizable. Now you can connect your phone with the computer via KDE Connect. KDE’s browser integration connects your phone to your browser to establish a smooth communication fast.
Top 10 Best Desktop Environments in 2020
I call it the super DE for a reason. If you compare KDE with a group of people, KDE is the richest and the heaviest one. In terms of UI customization, KDE has it all. From transparent windows to blurred backgrounds, glass-look, to animations, and much more.
The 12 Best Linux Desktop Environments
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.
Source: linuxhint.com
The Best Desktop Environments For Linux (We Tested Them So That You Don’t Have To)
Some Linux distros using KDE as the default are openSUSE, Kubuntu and KDE Neon. You may also refer to one of our tutorials to install KDE on Ubuntu, if that’s what you want.
Source: itsfoss.com

Kubuntu Reviews

The best Linux distributions (operating systems)
Kubuntu is another Ubuntu derivative, based on KDE Plasma as a desktop environment. The lightweight solution runs games smoothly. It is also customizable and thus optimized for gaming. Numerous programs are available for Kubuntu.
Source: www.ionos.com
Best Top 20 Ubuntu Linux Alternatives (Pros and Cons)
Kubuntu is an official Ubuntu flavor that uses the KDE Plasma Desktop instead of GNOME and shares the same underlying system as Ubuntu. Ubuntu’s repository is also used by Kubuntu and it releases packages on the same schedule.
13 Best Linux distros for gaming in 2022
Not just limited to our forums (itsfoss.community) but also some Reddit threads pointed at Kubuntu as their preferred choice just because they feel KDE desktop environment is easy on their system resources which improves their gaming experience.
9 Best Linux Gaming Distributions in 2021
Linux Mint also offers LTS releases similar to Ubuntu. Unlike some Ubuntu flavors (like Kubuntu & Lubuntu), which provides 3 years of system updates, Linux Mint offers 5 years of updates no matter what desktop environment you go for. You get the option to choose Xfce, MATE, or Cinnamon edition.
Source: itsfoss.com

Social recommendations and mentions

KDE might be a bit more popular than Kubuntu. We know about 77 links to it since March 2021 and only 73 links to Kubuntu. 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 mentions (77)

  • Anyone using the KDE webchat?
    I am trying to use the KDE webchat on element at https://webchat.kde.org/#/login. I made an account at identity.kde.org, but it does not let me log in to the chat client. Create an account does not work and asks me to create an account at kde.org. Does anyone know how this is supposed to work? Thanks. Source: 6 months ago
  • Looking for user-friendly personal computing oriented distro
    This is a hard one, but after giving it a decent amount of thought I've narrowed it down to openSUSE Tumbleweed with either GNOME or KDE as the desktop environment. Source: 11 months ago
  • KDE/XMonad work laptop
    You need to be running xorg, not wayland, first of all. You can follow the tutorial at kde.org: https://userbase.kde.org/Tutorials/Using_Other_Window_Managers_with_Plasma. Source: 11 months 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: 11 months ago
  • KDE publishes the new "KDE for developers" page, where you can find advice on and links to tools, frameworks and libraries that will help you build powerful and cool-looking apps using KDE technologies
    I like the concept of these "KDE for ..." pages, I think the whole https://kde.org/for/ collection should be promoted way more prominently on the front page https://kde.org/. Also, a lot of regionalized "/for" pages lists only 3 (out of 4) subpages, and some even list only a single one, this seems like a major oversight (at least list them in English if their entries weren't translated to other languages). Source: 11 months ago
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Kubuntu mentions (73)

  • Issues updating multiple flavors of Debian on one computer
    I got the .iso from kubuntu.org for Kubuntu 23.10, and tried installing it. I was then greeted with a new error before I could get to the disk partitioning screen:. Source: 5 months ago
  • Is setting up and dealing with WSL worth it if you don't NEED it?
    To those reading his comment: He tried to say Kubuntu. Seriously, head over to here and keep your sanity lol: https://kubuntu.org/. Source: 10 months ago
  • Questions I have about Linux, from someone who wants to switch from Windows 10
    KDE Plasma is developed by KDE, another international group of developers that make all sorts of cool software for Linux, macOS, Windows, and mobile platforms. Plasma is their flagship project. Their motto is "simple by default, powerful when needed". At first glance it may seem a copy of Windows, with a bottom panel sporting a start menu on the left and a system tray with a clock on the right, but don't get... Source: 11 months ago
  • Linux - what flavor?
    Kubuntu - based on Ubuntu. Uses the KDE desktop environment. Source: 12 months ago
  • Wanting to ditch windows 10 in favor of linux
    I recommend using Ventoy, and drag in the top general distro (Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, Zorin, Manjaro) and the top distro for gaming (Nobara, PopOS, Garuda). If you want to have a user experience similar to SteamOS Desktop Mode, use the KDE version of the distro (Kubuntu, Nobara KDE, Manjaro KDE, Garuda Dragonfire). Source: 12 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing KDE and Kubuntu, 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.

Linux Mint - Linux Mint is one of the most popular desktop Linux distributions and used by millions of people.

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

Ubuntu - Ubuntu is a Debian Linux-based open source operating system for desktop computers.

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

Manjaro - Manjaro Linux is a linux distribution which is based on arch linux. It uses the PACMAN package manager.