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The Best Desktop Environments For Linux (We Tested Them So That You Don’t Have To)

Last updated August 24, 2021 By Ankush Das 314 Comments

The desktop environment is usually the core of your Linux desktop system for how it looks/feels. If you don’t get a good user experience, it will be difficult to use a Linux distro on your desktop, right?

So, which is the best desktop environment available?

Trying out each and every desktop environment is a very time-consuming and tiring task.

So, here, we’ve created a list of the best desktop environments available for Linux distros along with their pros and cons for you. We tried them so that you don’t have to.

Best desktop environments for Linux distributions

Just to mention, this list is in no particular order of ranking.

1. KDE

KDE is one of the most popular desktop environments out there. You may also refer it as the “Plasma” desktop. Even though it’s not my primary choice, it is highly customizable and extremely lightweight.

Yes, it looks like KDE has managed to beat XFCE as one of the lightest desktop environments. Not just limited to Jason’s test, you will find numerous benchmark comparisons and tests that point to the same result.

KDE also makes it easier to connect your phone with your Linux system using KDE Connect. You will also find Plasma’s browser integration that connects your phone directly to your browser for establishing quick communication.

Overall, it looks like KDE is an incredibly lightweight desktop environment while being one of the most flexible as well.

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.

• Modern and polished user interface
• Highly customizable and flexible experience
• Several useful tools built-in
• Extremely lightweight

• The customization options and tools might be a little too overwhelming for newbies, leading to potential confusion.

2. MATE

MATE Desktop Environment is based on GNOME 2. MATE was initially developed for the users who were disappointed with the latest iteration of GNOME shell — GNOME 3.

Even though it’s based on the good-old GNOME 2, the MATE team has improved the desktop environment on a lot of grounds. To get some idea, you might want to check out what Ubuntu MATE 20.04 has to offer.

If we take the example of Ubuntu MATE 20.04, MATE desktop is suitable for almost everyone. And, of course, especially for the ones who loved GNOME 2 but hate the new GNOME. In addition to the user experience, it is also worth noting that it is a lightweight desktop environment as well.

MATE comes with a collection of basic applications and includes a number of built-in useful tools.

Ubuntu MATE is one of the official flavors of Ubuntu that utilizes the MATE desktop. Some other popular Linux distributions like Linux Mint, Manjaro, etc, also offer MATE editions of their distributions.

• Easy to use and robust experience
• Lightweight
• Simple yet Customizable

• May not offer the most intuitive user experience

3. GNOME

GNOME is arguably the most popular desktop environment out there. Many of the popular Linux distros use GNOME as their default desktop environment and it has some popular forks, such as Cinnamon.

GNOME is designed to be easy to use and customizable. The user interface aims to provide a unique experience (kind of tailored for both mobile and desktops).

Unfortunately, GNOME isn’t a lightweight desktop environment. So, it’s not a great choice to go with if you are looking to install a Linux distribution on older computers or systems with less than 4 Gigs of RAM.

It’s good to see that GNOME is also focusing on the performance side of things with their recent GNOME 3.36 release.

So, if you want a good user experience with something that looks different from the likes of a traditional Windows layout, GNOME should be the perfect pick.

Some major distros using GNOME are Debian, Fedora, openSUSE and Ubuntu. Not to forget Pop OS 20.04 also features many good things along with GNOME desktop environment.

• Modern and touch-friendly UI
• Can extend functionalities through GNOME Shell Extensions
• Customizable

• Not suitable for older computers
• User Interface isn’t tailored for a Windows user

4. Cinnamon

Cinnamon, a fork of GNOME 3, was initially developed to be and is the default desktop environment for Linux Mint. It is known for its similarities with the Windows user interface which helps new Linux users get comfortable using easily.

Cinnamon tries to present itself as a modern desktop environment while offering a traditional user interface. And, being somewhat light on resources makes Cinnamon a balanced choice for many Linux users.

• Sleek and polished look
• Familiar interface
• Pretty customizable

• May not offer the most intuitive user experience

5. Budgie

Budgie desktop has been developed by the Solus project. In case you didn’t know, Solus is an independently developed Linux distro where they utilize GNOME technologies such as GTK to develop the Budgie desktop environment.

It’s a mixed bag of modern UI and a traditional user interface. It’s not exactly resource heavy but not a complete lightweight desktop environment either.

Ubuntu Budgie — an official Ubuntu flavour features the Budgie desktop as the default. Not a lot of major distributions support Budgie desktop environment out of the box. So, you’d be better off using Solus or Ubuntu Budgie for the most part.

• Solid and intuitive
• Modern UI, elegant looks
• Seamless desktop experience

• Available only on few distributions (can be installed on your own manually)

6. LXQt

LXQt is a lightweight Qt desktop environment. When compared to LXDE, it’s safe to say that LXQt is indeed a lightweight desktop environment while providing a better user experience than LXDE (in terms of its look and feel).

Not just theoretically, but we also found it to be a great replacement to LXDE on Lubuntu 20.04.

Even though LXQt tries to present a modern look without comprising the performance, it is still not the most intuitive experience out there. Of course, if you need performance over the look and feel, LXQt is an impressive choice.

• Extremely fast performing and lightweight
• Decent UI for a lightweight desktop environment

• User interface may seem unappealing
• Not much customizable
• Available only on few distributions (can be installed on your own manually)

7. Xfce

Xfce is one of the most lightweight desktop environments out there. Unlike LXQt, you will find a lot of major Linux distributions support XFCE editions.

Xfce is light on resources but proves to provide a feature-rich user experience. If you need a performance-centric desktop environment without needing advanced customizations, Xfce is a great choice to go with.

To give you an example, I’d recommend you check out our initial impressions on Zorin OS 15 Lite which includes Xfce desktop environment as the default.

Major Linux distributions like Manjaro Linux, Xubuntu, MX Linux, Zorin OS Lite, and several others feature Xfce as the default desktop environment.

• Lightweight and adaptable to old hardware
• Modern and visually appealing
• Windows-like familiar UI

8. Deepin

Sometimes it’s not enough to offer customization options or being light on resources. There’s a lot of users who prefer an eye candy user interface by compromising the performance of the desktop environment.

That’s when the Deepin desktop environment comes to the scene. It may offer a macOS-ish interface in a way but because of the animations and the layout, the looks and feel of Deepin desktop environment is something to appreciate.

Originally, it was only available on Deepin OS, but it is now gradually being added to some other distributions as well. Recently an interesting project (UbuntuDDE) has managed to incorporate it on top of Ubuntu. It isn’t fairly new but it is being slowly adopted by other Linux distributions.

Pros

• Eye candy user interface
• Sleek animations

Cons

• Heavy on resource usage and sluggish at times

So, which is the best desktop environment?

The reason why different desktop environment exists because there’s no ultimate desktop environment. Every user has a different set of requirements. Some look for a fast experience while some drool over an eye candy UI.

Even though we’ve already mentioned the best available in this article, there are a few other desktop environments that deserve the mention. Some of them are:

What desktop environment do you prefer and why? Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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7 Best Desktop environments for Linux to install in 2021

Well, most of us especially the standard users would not like to have Linux without a desktop environment, thus there should be at least one on our Linux PC or laptop system to easily manage it…

However, which one is the best desktop environment to install on Linux Desktop PC in 2021?

Although there are dozens of GUI desktops, the answer to this question is very narrowed because choices are limited when it comes to the best one. However, opting for any desktop environment is mainly depends on the taste and comfortability of a user on the Linux distribution, where he or she uses it. Furthermore, it also depends on the technical reasons, for example, if you have an old pc or laptop then you definitely want lightweight LDE such as XFCE.

What is a Desktop environment?

A Desktop environment is software that comprises various tools and libraries to provide a graphical user interface on command line Linux. This helps users to operate various computer tasks, applications, and operations graphically without issuing commands every time.

It comprises different modules such as panels, file manager, desktop widgets, Image viewer, toolbars, terminal, display manager, icons, etc.

Should you install multiple or change your desktop environment manually?

Running a Linux Desktop PC or laptop always gives us a facility to install multiple desktops or the ability to change the existing one. However, we would recommend choosing the one out of the box with the environment you would like to have. It is because changing the desktop environment or having multiples on your main system may cause instability and if you are a beginner then perhaps something worse. Those who like Ubuntu, have the largest selection of desktops. The main Ubuntu Linux distro uses Gnome but, there is also Kubuntu ( KDE Plasma ), Xubuntu ( XFCE ), Lubuntu ( LXQT ), Ubuntu Budgie, and Ubuntu Mate.

The Ubuntu-based Linux Mint is available with Cinnamon, Mate, and XFCE.

At Fedora, the variants are called “ Spins “. In addition to the standard Gnome 3 desktop, KDE, XFCE, LXQT, Mate, Cinnamon and LXDE are available in installable live systems.

Also Manjaro, the popular Arch-based is very flexible when it comes to the desktop. Officially it is available in Gnome 3, KDE, or XFCE. There are community editions with Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQT, Mate, Openbox, Budgie, and more.

Best desktop environments for Linux distributions -2021

The given distros desktops are not in some particular benchmark order instead categorized based on user requirements.

The desktop environments bluntly can be categorized into the following:

• Windows like for switching to Linux such as – Cinnamon, Budgie or KDE Plasma
• Simple with few configurations – Gnome 3, XFCE, Mate, or LXDE / LXQT
• Low to Moderate resource requirements, example- LXQT, XFCE, Mate
• Flexible and adaptable- KDE Plasma, Cinnamon, XFCE
• Highly beautiful but need more resources- Deepin, Pantheon, and KDE Plasma

1. XFCE- Lightweight, best for low resource PCs

• Moderate resource consumption even runs old computers
• Meant for users beginners, experience, and developers who don’t some fancy stuff rather to the point one.
• Very good adaptability
• MX Linux and Xubuntu are a good example
• Website: www.xfce.org

Xfce is a popular desktop environment and comes as the default with quite many Linux distros, especially those are focusing on low memory consumption. That doesn’t mean XFCE deprives of anything, it has numerous and well-thought-out comfort functions that can be used to conveniently adjust the working environment.

It is quite stable and one of the oldest desktop environments, however, its developers quite slow in releasing new major versions. The latest version was launched on 22 December 2020 whereas before that the version was released in 2019 after 4 years, however, updates will be there timely.

XFCE interface requires few resources and is still adaptable. The Xubuntu is the best example that uses the XFCE Desktop interface, with a bar at top of the screen with the Application drop-down, search function and clock, volume and status notifications for the network, and updates. However, in the latest version, by default, the task will be on the vertical side.

In terms of hardware requirements, it requires low RAM which makes it a good option for less powerful hardware. For example, the standard installation of Xubuntu requires a minimum of 512MB+ of which the processes in the desktop environment take up around 200 MB. Similarly, MX Linux which needs a minimum of 2 GB RAM, their XFCE would be around 300 to 400 MB.

XFCE is therefore in the lower range in terms of resource requirements and a very lean desktop environment. The customization options are numerous and clear.

Install XFCE manually on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Debian, or similar OS.

2. Cinnamon – For users switching from Windows

• Easy to customize with themes, applets, and desklets
• Traditional Windows-like look desktop environment, nice options those are new to Linux.
• Clean, Stable, and visually appealing
• Linux Mint is the best example
• Website: cinnamon-spices.linuxmint.com

Cinnamon is getting its popularity because of its Windows-like interface and sleek icons. It comes out of the box as the default interface for the Linux Mint desktops. It is simple and visually appealing with similar placements of elements we usually see in Windows 7 or earlier versions.

It comes with a start menu divided into parts to show the content of the category as we hover our mouse. Right-side taskbar holds icon for volume, network along with clock bar; update notifications also appear here, if available.

In terms of hardware requirements, the Cinnamon is not a very high demanding one. Linux Mint 20 with Cinnamon 4.6.6 would occupy around 400 MB of RAM in standard conditions, thus can easily be used on a computer with 2 GB RAM or more.

Themes and background images can be changed with a few clicks, furthermore, various add-ons can be used to make the Desktop more appealing however this will increase the hardware resources consumption.

Apart from Linux Mint, it is available for many Linux distros such as Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix, Fedora Spin, Manjaro, EndeavourOS, and more…

We can also install Cinnamon manually, if you are using Debian or Ubuntu-based operating system then in your command terminal type:

3. KDE Plasma- Beautiful with extensive customization

• Highly customizable and Adaptive
• Wide range of widgets, apps, and themes
• Moderate on system hardware, for high effects (options) requires GPU.
• Best Linux environment for advanced users and beginners who want to show off and also need things at the fingertips
• Linux distros comes out of the box with KDE are Kubuntu, KDE Neon, Open Suse, Fedora KDE, Manjaro KDE…
• Website: https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/

KDE is one of the most popular desktop environments. It is a highly advanced and extensible customization option. However, if you don’t want to perform any changes still KDE Plasma is worth trying out.

It offers similar arrangements we have on Windows, like the start button known as the K menu. It has an inbuilt search and category tabs to quickly find installed applications and for advanced users extensive and detailed customization options.

KDE Plasma is quite modern in terms of interface, with sleek widgets and taskbar, it can easily catch the eyes of anyone. The icons for volume control, clipboard, and network are located in a separate control bar next to the clock.

As KDE has a long list of applications developed by its community, thus the same can be seen on the Desktop. It has numerous applications, almost all of which begin with a “K” or contain one, for example, Krita, Digikam, Konqueror, Kmail, KDE Connect , or Kdenlive. The programs are based on the same libraries and optically match the desktop perfectly.

Well, in terms of resource consumption, the KDE is not a lightweight but a midweight Linux desktop environment. It would require memory of 500MB to 760 MB RAM or more depending on the customization and effects the user has applied. However, users can use it smoothly on 2GB RAM systems but that should not be too much old PC.

The manual installation for Ubuntu or Debian based Linux OS

4. GNOME 3 – Choice of many Top Linux distros

• Recommend for intermediate to advance Linux users
• Moderate to high system hardware resource consumption
• Best example- Fedora, Debian, and Ubuntu
• Website: www.gnome.org

Many popular Linux distros are using the Gnome desktop environment including Ubuntu, which is based on the GTK+ toolkit. However, the interface would not be the same, as most of the distributions make customizations, for example, Ubuntu and Zorin OS, both are using Gnome but look wise both are completely different.

It is also known as Gnome shell and the standard interface of it focuses on simplicity rather than on rings and bells. You can get the standard look of Gnome on Fedora, Debian, and CentOS like OS. That offers a top taskbar with “Activities” to open the program launcher (“Dash”) which is not much convenient especially for beginners.

Gnome has long been considered as a memory hungry desktop environment, however, that has changed somewhat in the latest Gnome version, expect sluggishness. Many times I have encountered that on a virtual machine running on 4GB, whereas on the same configuration, Cinnamon runs extremely smooth.

Even on Ubuntu 20.04, the Gnome Shell process alone consumes around 200 MB.

So, on standard conditions you can say, it would consume around 700 MBs. Thus, we don’t recommend Gnome 3 for old PCs with little RAM.

Well, apart from this Gnome doesn’t deprive in terms of applications whether from system resource monitor to disk partitions everything will be there. This Linux environment is more media-friendly because of the media player it offers.

Note: Alternatively you should try Budgie which uses GNOME technologies such as GTK (> 3.x) but way smoother than the standard Gnome desktop, however with the modified interface and features… To install it see: How to install Budgie desktop environment on Ubuntu

We can also customize it with the various Gnome extensions to add themes and widgets.

5. Mate Desktop- Classic one

• For Classic Linux desktop lovers
• Can be used by both beginners and conventional users
• Low to moderate resource requirements
• Linux Distros using it are Ubuntu Mate, Linux Mint, fedora, and more…
• Website: mate-desktop.org

Mate is another variant of the classic Linux desktop and further development of the original Gnome 2 desktop. The interface seems not much eye-catching as Cinnamon but it is more stable and less binge on memory. To support newer Gnome applications, it uses GTk3, integrated well into the desktop. This makes it a suitable option for older hardware. Even Linux Mint is available in Mate and XFCE to run on low power hardware systems. It will consume less than 500 MB of RAM to run smoothly on the system, Ubuntu Mate is the best example of that.

The “Applications” menu is located in the bar at the top of the screen. For desktop effects, Compiz and the associated tools are installed for the settings. One can use the Mate tweak tool to control the looks of the systems.

The packages to install Mate are available under the official repository of Debian can be installed using the command:

6. LXQT / LXDE – For older PC or laptops

• Best Linux environment for older PC or laptop
• Meant for all kinds of users beginners to advanced
• Need low to moderate hardware resources
• Lubuntu, Fedora, Manjaor, and others with LXDE or LXQT are some Linux distro examples
• Website: lxde.org and lxqt.org

When we talk about the best low memory required Linux desktop environments, LXDE or LXQT will be there. LXDE is significantly less heavy on resources than LXQT that was formed with the merger of LXDE and Razor-qt projects. And also now part of Lubuntu. However, both the projects are still active, whereas LXQT, which like KDE is based on the Qt libraries.

Although LXQT is not many resources hungry yet its looks in comparison to LXDE is quite modern and refresh; slim design and high-contrast colorful icons make that possible.

You can see in the above screenshot, the interface is minimal with a traditional taskbar with a start button, application shortcuts, and icons for network and volume control.

Aforementioned, both desktop environments are popular for low consumption of hardware resources, for example, if we go roughly, then LXDE would occupy around 300+ MB RAM, and because of slight modernity in LXQT, it ends up with 400+ MB. However, it also depends on the distribution’s developers coming with LXDE/LXQT, what kinds of additional components have been loaded with it.

Install manually on Debian based OS.

7. Ubuntu Kylin desktop environment

Ubuntu Kylin Linux distro is the official version of Canonical and China’s MIIT to target the Chinese laptop and PC consumer market. Although it is based on the same official Ubuntu, however, its interface is much beautiful than the standard custom Gnome one.

Ubuntu Kylin desktop environment which is also known as UKUI is more inclined towards the Windows 10 or Deepin like interface with sleek and colorful icons along with user-friendly elements that make it easy to use.

Therefore, those who are missing Windows 10, can go for it.

To install the Ubuntu Kylin desktop environment simply run:

In case you are facing some problem then first add its repo and run the other given commands:

8. Deepin Desktop environment- Colourful

• Eye-catching design
• Best for beginners to intermediate users
• Resource consumption is moderate

Deepin has its own flavor and accent rather, imitating others in this list, it has its own eye-catching and colorful design. It comes as the default desktop environment for Deepin Linux Desktop (officially) and unofficially in UbuntuDDE.

However, in terms of customization, it is not much extensive and the users have to go with its default available options, but enough for typical desktop users. Although the Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE) uses Qt5, it is super clean, curve edges, simpler to use, and more compact than KDE.

The color scheme with high-contrast icons looks modern, but overall inconsistent. The file manager and audio player are configured with a white theme by default, while the video player and Chrome web browser appear in deep black.

It offers both Dock and windows like the start menu, the dock also serves as a system tray with icons of the running programs.

Well, when it comes to hardware resource consumption, the Deepin needs good system configuration and would consume around 600 MB to 1 GB, depending on what Linux distro you are using.

However, the best way to experience it is UbuntuDDE or just install it manually- How to install Deepin DDE on Ubuntu 20.0

9. Pantheon – Beautiful & clean Linux desktop

• MacOS clone Linux desktop environment
• Beginners will love it but have to do some tweaks for more comfortable usage.
• Resource consumption is moderate
• Website: elementary.io

If you have used ElementaryOS, then you are already familiar with the Pantheon Desktop environment. It is popular because of its modern look that mimics and gives a somewhat feel to users that they are using macOS.

There is not much scope for customization and that’s why it is the best option for beginners, especially those who are shifting from macOS to Linux. It uses a dock-like Mac OS that serves to start programs and host the icons of the active ones.

Officially it comes with Elementary OS based on Ubuntu and its developers always trying to minimize the hassle of beginners that they face in Linux because of unfamiliarity with the interface. However, there some desktop features are missing.

For example, there is no context menu, thus no files or links can be saved directly on the desktop. Furthermore, there is no button for minimizing the active items or windows, the only buttons for “Close” and “Maximize” or “Restore”.

Nevertheless, to get the minimize option on Elementary OS’s Patheon, you either have to right-click on the windows title-bar or use the Super key + H shortcut.

If you want to use it with a minimize button then tweak the interface with the help of a tool called elementary-tweaks.

Well, the beauty of this Linux desktop environment doesn’t come without a toll, it would consume around 700 MB that is the reason for best performance on elementary OS with Patheon one should have 4GB RAM on their system.

To install Patheon manually on Debian or Ubuntu-based systems, use:

Conclusion

If you want good-looking, easy to use without much stress on the system then Cinnamon, Budgie, and XFCE are good options whereas Gnome and KDE for those who like to have rich desktop environments. On the other hand, extremely lightweight LXQT/LXDE and for beauty Deepin and Elementary are always there. At last, the choice is yours and what you want on your system.

If you are using any other than the above mentioned, let us know your experience with it…

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