KDE vs. GNOME vs. Xfce vs. LXDE: Which Linux Desktop Environment Should You Choose?

A desktop environment is an abstraction of the real desktop in our lives, making it easier for us to work with a computer using a specific set of tools, namely:

   icons;

   windows;

   folders;

   desktop wallpaper;

   panels;

   menu;

   widgets;

   window manager;

   file manager;

   display manager.

All of these components can be linked together according to a specific user interface or design. The design determines how well you experience these components. It also affects the desktop’s functionality, flexibility, extensibility, and adaptability.

Why choose a desktop environment at all?

The type of desktop environment used is often the deciding factor when choosing a distribution, as it determines the system’s appearance, the user experience, and the range of available user options and settings. I often compare choosing a desktop environment to choosing the interior of a new car. A car’s dashboard interface and the layout of controls inside can vary greatly depending on the make and model.

As we know, drivers often choose a particular vehicle based on its appearance. If a car buyer doesn’t like the interior layout or the driving experience, they’ll make a different choice. The car’s technical specifications may be less important than how you feel behind the wheel. The same is true with Linux distributions: all the advantages of your chosen distribution will fade into the background (or even into the background) simply because you won’t be comfortable using it due to an inconvenient desktop environment.

How to choose the best desktop environment?

You already know that Linux comes in many different flavors, called distributions. Each distribution offers a choice of one or more desktop environments. For example, Linux Mint distributions are available with desktop environments such as Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce. In one of our previous lessons, we explored how to choose the best Linux distribution. We concluded that it’s impossible to single out a single, universal distribution that would be equally suitable for all situations and all users, as each distribution has its own advantages and disadvantages. The same applies to desktop environments.

Because Linux is such a flexible system, we can easily install a different desktop environment (other than the default) in our chosen Linux distribution. We can even have multiple desktop environments and switch to the desired one upon login.

So which Linux desktop is best for you? It depends primarily on your needs, preferences, and the performance of your hardware.

A Brief Overview of Linux Desktop Environments

Do you want a desktop that looks like its Windows 10 or macOS counterpart? Some are designed to give you a Windows-style taskbar at the bottom of the screen and the familiar Start button. Or you can have a dock, like a macOS computer.

Functionality, as well as the number of appearances and desktop management options, vary depending on the type of desktop environment used. Below, I’ve compiled a list of the most popular Linux desktop environments. Keep in mind that not every Linux distribution offers support for all of the listed desktop environments. Some distributions only offer one or two default desktop environments. Other distributions may ship with only one desktop environment.

GNOME

GNOME is one of the oldest and original desktop designs in Linux. Over time, its appearance has evolved from a classic Windows XP-like style (in the currently unsupported GNOME 2 variant) to a more modern interface with pop-up panels at the edges of the screen (in the GNOME 3 variant). The GNOME shell is the basis for several other desktop environments, such as Cinnamon and MATE.

MATE

MATE is a variation/fork of GNOME 2, and therefore closely resembles its classic interface. MATE is considered a lightweight desktop environment, well-suited for older computers.

KDE

KDE (K Desktop Environment) is one of the most powerful and customizable desktop environments on Linux, boasting special visual effects and many other convenient features. Linux newbies often find KDE a bit confusing, but the various ways to customize its appearance (in KDE Plasma 5) and the wide range of customization options make it one of the coolest and most beautiful desktop environments available.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a desktop environment developed by the Linux Mint community as an alternative to GNOME 3. Cinnamon is currently one of the most popular and relatively easy-to-use desktop environments.

Xfce

Until recently, Xfce could easily be described as a lightweight desktop environment, ideal for both new and old computers, providing a functional interface without unnecessary animations and other special effects. But recently, Xfce’s resource consumption has increased so much that in some places it’s become even more voracious than KDE itself (who would have thought).

LXLE

LXLE is a fast, lightweight desktop with additional functionality. It uses fewer system resources than Xfce, making it a better choice for use with older hardware.

LXDE

LXDE (short for ” Lightweight X 11 Desktop Environment “ ) has a user-friendly appearance and many system settings for configuration according to your preferences. The appearance is very similar to Xfce.

LXQT

LXQT is a reimagined version of LXDE, a performance-enhanced version that combines the LXDE shell with the Razor-qt desktop. It’s lightweight, modular, fast, and easy to use.

Pantheon

Pantheon was originally conceived as the default desktop environment for the Elementary OS distribution. Pantheon differs from other desktop environments with its modern look, which combines graphical elements of Android and macOS, and a simplified approach to desktop management.

Budgie

Budgie is a desktop designed with the modern user in mind, focusing on simplicity and elegance. With a simple and minimalist appearance, it can be configured to mimic the GNOME 2 desktop and is extremely easy to use.

Comparison of Linux desktop environments

We’ll be comparing four of the most popular desktop environments: GNOME, KDE, Xfce, and LXDE. All offer excellent graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that are on par with similar desktops on Windows and macOS.

If you ask different people which of these four options is the best, you’ll likely get a variety of answers. It’s largely a matter of taste. Additionally, your computer hardware capabilities may also play a role in your decision. For example, users with older computers may prefer Xfce or LXDE, while those with newer hardware can enjoy a wide variety of desktop graphical effects with GNOME or KDE. My recommendation would be to try all four desktop environments and decide for yourself which one suits you best. GNOME, KDE, Xfce, and LXDE are all excellent, and each can be customized to varying degrees to suit your needs.

GNOME 3 is a radical change from the “classic” GNOME 2.x. GNOME 3 features only a single panel at the top of the desktop and no longer has a traditional menu.

To access apps, users click “Overview” in the upper left corner of the screen, which opens a pop-up launcher on the left. It features a dotted icon, “Applications,” which provides access to all installed apps. It also contains a search box, allowing users to quickly find the app they need based on its name. Additionally, clicking “Overview” opens a toggle on the right side of the desktop.

Another change concerns window buttons. In GNOME 2.x and virtually every other desktop environment, there are at least three buttons at the top of each window: close, minimize, and maximize. However, in GNOME 3, there’s only one button, which is used to close a window, and it takes some getting used to.

Overall, GNOME 3 is a very simple, clean, and visually pleasing desktop, but it’s also quite clunky.

KDE (KDE Plasma 5)

KDE is very similar in appearance to Microsoft Windows, and users of the latter will likely feel very comfortable using this desktop environment. As in Windows, they can open the KDE menu by clicking the corresponding button on the panel in the lower-left corner. By default, KDE has a single panel at the bottom of the screen. However, this can be customized. KDE is also considered one of the most resource-intensive desktop environments (though it’s worth noting that Xfce has recently been making a concerted effort to steal this title from KDE). On the other hand, KDE requires less RAM than GNOME 3.

Like GNOME, KDE includes a large number of applications, many of which have names beginning with the letter “K.” For example, Konqueror is the default web browser:

Dolphin is the default file manager:

KMail is an email client:

Furthermore, like GNOME applications, KDE applications can run on other desktop environments. You can click here to see a list of KDE applications. openSUSE, Manjaro, Mageia, PCLinuxOS, Kubuntu (the KDE version of Ubuntu), and Debian are just a few of the major Linux distributions that run KDE in their major releases. All things considered, KDE is an excellent desktop environment that is definitely worth considering.

Xfce

Xfce is a less resource-intensive desktop environment than GNOME or KDE, making it an excellent choice, even for older computers. In my opinion, Xfce strikes a good balance between functionality and resource consumption, while maintaining a beautiful desktop. The default appearance of the Xfce desktop is very reminiscent of Mac OS X, with its dock located at the bottom of the desktop. Users can drag their favorite applications to the bottom dock/panel, similar to how they can do this in Mac OS X.

Xfce can also look like this (resembling GNOME 2.x):

Just like GNOME 2.x and KDE, Xfce can be easily customized to resemble Windows or in any other way desired. The Xfce desktop can be found in distributions such as Xubuntu, a version of Ubuntu with Xfce, Linux Mint, and PCLinuxOS. Many other Linux distributions also offer versions of Xfce.

LXDE

Of the four main Linux desktop environments, LXDE (Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment) is the least resource-intensive, making it an excellent choice for older computers. It also runs very quickly on newer computers. Despite its extreme efficiency, LXDE remains a pleasant and feature-rich desktop environment with simple, clear menus that are very easy to navigate.

LXDE’s default appearance resembles older versions of Windows (such as Windows 98 or 2000), with a single panel at the bottom of the desktop and a menu located on the left side of that panel. However, like GNOME 2.x, KDE, and Xfce, it can be customized in a variety of ways. Lubuntu (Ubuntu’s version of LXDE) and Peppermint OS are popular distributions that use LXDE as their default desktop environment. Many other Linux distributions, such as PCLinuxOS, also offer versions with LXDE.

Popular window managers in Linux

GNOME, KDE, Xfce, and LXDE are full-fledged desktop environments, each with its own programs and applications, menus, icons, file manager, and window manager. Window managers, as the term suggests, are simply used to manage the opening and closing of programs in a graphical windowed desktop. Window managers can be used as a component of a desktop environment or standalone.

   GNOME uses Mutter as its default window manager.

   KDE uses KWin as its default window manager.

   Xfce uses Xfwm as its default window manager.

   LXDE uses Openbox as its default window manager.

Besides these, there are also window managers such as: Fluxbox, IceWM, JWM, and Enlightenment.

Flexibility of desktop environments

One of the great things about Linux is that programs and applications designed for any of the above desktop environments typically work in others. For example, GNOME Terminal can also run on KDE, Xfce, or LXDE, while KTerm also runs on GNOME, Xfce, and LXDE. It’s worth noting that many major Linux distributions offer versions of themselves in multiple desktop environments. You can even install any combination of GNOME, KDE, and Xfce simultaneously. However, when installing multiple Linux desktop environments on a single computer, it’s important to be aware that each shell will have many unnecessary tools and applications (system utilities, games, etc.).

Another outstanding feature of Linux desktop environments is their flexibility, which gives users great opportunities to customize their desktop environment to make it look unique or to mimic the look of other operating systems, such as Windows and macOS.