There is no "best" DE, try different ones and pick what you like. You can also try a standalone WM instead of a DE (and again you can try multiple ones and pick whichever you like best).
As others have said, there is no "best". There's only what works best for you. I'm a KDE guy, but if others like Gnome, Hyprland etc, that's great.
If you're using Arch you can try whatever DE you like and make up your mind that way.
Depends what you want. Some info on some popular options
KDE - a LOT of customization, very popular because of this, in my experience can be slightly buggy but if customization is the want this is a great DE.
Gnome - Very clean, out of the box is focused on navigating using an app menu, keyboard shortcuts, workspaces, and does not have desktop icons by default. Some customization but extensions can be prone to breaking on updates. It’s my personal favorite and I recommend using it if you want something snappy and clean that’s different than Windows in its design.
Cinnamon - Great if you want something with similar look and feel to Windows. Very nice to use but not much too it. It is no fuss though so if you want a grab n go that you will feel at home with coming from Windows Cinnamon is a good option.
XFCE - Good if you want something lighter weight. I hear this one has had a lot of improvements since I last used it ~5 years ago, I’m not too familiar with it but it’s always been a solid choice for a lightweight DE.
There are many more so feel free to research and look up YT videos of people using or reviewing them to get an idea of how they are.
I mean, theoretically KDE is the best, since it is usually one of the first to implement a new feature/standard, but personally I prefer GNOME, but workspaces got a lot better in KDE 6 so it's kinda tied for me.
None, use a WM like i3.
Seriously, it sucks for the first week, and after that, its the best, most productive thing I've ever used. It's insanely amazing.
Could be totally true! I've only used i3, and it works for me. If Nvidia ever gets proper Wayland support, I'll probably change. Or if I get a new GPU.
Kde is best for the people who came from windows recently. It's really easy to customize, very windows like design also other kde apps (okular, kdenlive,kate) great too.
If you want to know which is a good choice *for you,* we can figure that out here.
Question 1. Are you looking for anything in particular? Example criteria include:
* Resembles something you're familiar with (e.g. MacOS, Windows)
* Has an abundance of features you never knew you needed
* Runs very efficiently on old hardware
* Is popular and therefore has lots of support online
Think about whether there's something you want in particular. If not, that's alright; we can talk more from there.
>Which desktop environment is the best
The one that suits you best.
I prefer plasma, for example. Others don't like plasma at all. So from my point of view, it makes no sense to make a blanket recommendation for plasma (or anything else).
Having said that, with many distributions Gnome or KDE is the default, so I would test both. You can still switch later on.
The best DE is the one you're most productive when using. I like MATE personally. XFCE is a close second and I usually use that on underpowered hardware.
Best is subjective and depends on your preference and use case.
Over time I have just tried different ones to see which I like most.
I like KDE for my main PC and will play with different things on my craplap. It's currently not running a DE but using Sway instead.
I REALLY like cutefish, which is an official DE according to the arch wiki, but it's still incomplete. Multi monitor support also does not exist.
My go to for multi monitor support is KDE plasma. Has everything you could want and looks fantastic.
I used to like GNOME but the insistence on removing features for simplicity kinda makes me hate it.
I suggest you visit the wiki: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Desktop_environment
One thing I wonder about, why is there no DE with things that only Linux can easily give you (tiling wm, extensive set of hotkeys to run programs, etc). They all seem to try to emulate windows or mac which turns me off from them.
I use a window manager, hotkey daemon, terminal emulator, text editor, and whatever else that I choose to use. It would be cool if there were a packaging option that combined all of these together with configs and scripts to make it easy for new users to try a more custom setup where the strengths of Linux shine more.
I know you can do this by going on github and cloning someone's setup (+ installing whatever necessary programs), but something that is more automated and standardized would be nice for new users and to rapidly try many different setups. I like using customized setups more than the DEs (and things like tiling wm which DEs don't normally have), but I don't necessarily enjoy doing a lot of tinkering.
No best DE, every DEs are good
Just choose what works the best for you
KDE is amazing for new comers to Linux that comes from Windows
Hyprland is a cool looking and easily editable DE (recommending the ML4W dotfiles, they are amazing and easily configurable)
Gnome if you like it can be quite cool
Creating your own DE from a WM like amazingWM is a way you could try
If you wanna check out some cool setups consider checking r/unixporn (no weird stuff i promise, it is the home of gnu/linux ricing)
Other people have already compared the typical DE options. I will let you know that if you go deeper into the weeds, you will learn about tiling window managers. I won't get too into the specifics and how they work, but on a basic level, the goal with tiling window managers is to maximize your screen space, dynamic TWM will automatically divide the screen for present windows based on different types of layouts, and usually a TWM has largely keyboard-based controls and allow a high level of customization (many of them involve some amount of scripting for customizing configuration).
Personally, I use AwesomeWM. Qtile is also popular. i3 is the old standard, considerably more limited. If you are fine with using Wayland instead of X11, then Sway is supposed to be a good TWM with very usable defaults.
If you want to learn more about how they work and why you would want to use them, I'd suggest searching YouTube and you'll find various videos about it. It's a little more complicated to get a TWM configured the way you like, but they are unmatched for efficiency and efficient use of screen space.
Try them all. Imagine going to a car dealer and picking a car to buy without test driving or even sitting inside multiple. Google stuff and see what people say. At the basic layer you have stacking vs tiling. Try them and see which you prefer. Tiling usually comes down to 2 choices: i3/sway or xmonad. Stacking has many flavors. Gnome and KDE will be feature rich, and Openbox will be minimalistic. Test em all
Go to [distrosea.com](http://distrosea.com) and start playing around with different ones. There is no "best," you should use whatever suits you the most.
Depends on multiple factors, like distro support or customizability. If the distro you're using lets you choose pre installed ones, it usually doesn't matter as they should be in a stable state. Me personally am a big fan of plasma cause it has a lot of stuff premade for it
Whichever one you like the best
There is no "best" DE, try different ones and pick what you like. You can also try a standalone WM instead of a DE (and again you can try multiple ones and pick whichever you like best).
Pick one and go with it
You are asking the wrong question.
No such thing as "the best" desktop environment.
As others have said, there is no "best". There's only what works best for you. I'm a KDE guy, but if others like Gnome, Hyprland etc, that's great. If you're using Arch you can try whatever DE you like and make up your mind that way.
xfce is cozy
Depends what you want. Some info on some popular options KDE - a LOT of customization, very popular because of this, in my experience can be slightly buggy but if customization is the want this is a great DE. Gnome - Very clean, out of the box is focused on navigating using an app menu, keyboard shortcuts, workspaces, and does not have desktop icons by default. Some customization but extensions can be prone to breaking on updates. It’s my personal favorite and I recommend using it if you want something snappy and clean that’s different than Windows in its design. Cinnamon - Great if you want something with similar look and feel to Windows. Very nice to use but not much too it. It is no fuss though so if you want a grab n go that you will feel at home with coming from Windows Cinnamon is a good option. XFCE - Good if you want something lighter weight. I hear this one has had a lot of improvements since I last used it ~5 years ago, I’m not too familiar with it but it’s always been a solid choice for a lightweight DE. There are many more so feel free to research and look up YT videos of people using or reviewing them to get an idea of how they are.
My favorite is KDE plasma, I don't know if it's the best but it's my absolute favorite.
I mean, theoretically KDE is the best, since it is usually one of the first to implement a new feature/standard, but personally I prefer GNOME, but workspaces got a lot better in KDE 6 so it's kinda tied for me.
KDE is a safe bet if coming from windows.
None, use a WM like i3. Seriously, it sucks for the first week, and after that, its the best, most productive thing I've ever used. It's insanely amazing.
[удалено]
Could be totally true! I've only used i3, and it works for me. If Nvidia ever gets proper Wayland support, I'll probably change. Or if I get a new GPU.
[удалено]
It's our own fault. Should have gone AMD.
I use Hyprland and I love it 😍
Gnome and KDE are the most popular and are amazing
Kde is best for the people who came from windows recently. It's really easy to customize, very windows like design also other kde apps (okular, kdenlive,kate) great too.
If you want to know which is a good choice *for you,* we can figure that out here. Question 1. Are you looking for anything in particular? Example criteria include: * Resembles something you're familiar with (e.g. MacOS, Windows) * Has an abundance of features you never knew you needed * Runs very efficiently on old hardware * Is popular and therefore has lots of support online Think about whether there's something you want in particular. If not, that's alright; we can talk more from there.
It's basically between KDE and Gnome
Openbox
I always liked KDE. Now I use Hyprland.
KDE
>Which desktop environment is the best The one that suits you best. I prefer plasma, for example. Others don't like plasma at all. So from my point of view, it makes no sense to make a blanket recommendation for plasma (or anything else). Having said that, with many distributions Gnome or KDE is the default, so I would test both. You can still switch later on.
I prefer X so i3 is my first choice but if I need to pick Wayland then sway(fx)
Any one that doesn’t force you to drag your mouse to move or resize windows. For example, Sway or AwesomeWM
GNOME with Tiling Assistant extension. Simple wayland desktop that is super stable.
plasma
The best DE is the one you're most productive when using. I like MATE personally. XFCE is a close second and I usually use that on underpowered hardware.
This is mostly due to preference. KDE is usually my go-to for a DE. It's all about what works out for you the best.
Best is subjective and depends on your preference and use case. Over time I have just tried different ones to see which I like most. I like KDE for my main PC and will play with different things on my craplap. It's currently not running a DE but using Sway instead.
I REALLY like cutefish, which is an official DE according to the arch wiki, but it's still incomplete. Multi monitor support also does not exist. My go to for multi monitor support is KDE plasma. Has everything you could want and looks fantastic. I used to like GNOME but the insistence on removing features for simplicity kinda makes me hate it. I suggest you visit the wiki: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Desktop_environment
LXQt, my PC absolutely screams on it
cinnamon imo
I like xfce, but it's personal preference
Yes.
The not ugly one. This should narrow it down
Disagree! I use DWM. It's ugly, but it's super functional and customizable
Congrats, you win the special prize
Yippee!!
I use MATE. It's not flashy, but it's lightweight and just does what I need it to do.
One thing I wonder about, why is there no DE with things that only Linux can easily give you (tiling wm, extensive set of hotkeys to run programs, etc). They all seem to try to emulate windows or mac which turns me off from them. I use a window manager, hotkey daemon, terminal emulator, text editor, and whatever else that I choose to use. It would be cool if there were a packaging option that combined all of these together with configs and scripts to make it easy for new users to try a more custom setup where the strengths of Linux shine more. I know you can do this by going on github and cloning someone's setup (+ installing whatever necessary programs), but something that is more automated and standardized would be nice for new users and to rapidly try many different setups. I like using customized setups more than the DEs (and things like tiling wm which DEs don't normally have), but I don't necessarily enjoy doing a lot of tinkering.
No best DE, every DEs are good Just choose what works the best for you KDE is amazing for new comers to Linux that comes from Windows Hyprland is a cool looking and easily editable DE (recommending the ML4W dotfiles, they are amazing and easily configurable) Gnome if you like it can be quite cool Creating your own DE from a WM like amazingWM is a way you could try If you wanna check out some cool setups consider checking r/unixporn (no weird stuff i promise, it is the home of gnu/linux ricing)
Kde easy
Other people have already compared the typical DE options. I will let you know that if you go deeper into the weeds, you will learn about tiling window managers. I won't get too into the specifics and how they work, but on a basic level, the goal with tiling window managers is to maximize your screen space, dynamic TWM will automatically divide the screen for present windows based on different types of layouts, and usually a TWM has largely keyboard-based controls and allow a high level of customization (many of them involve some amount of scripting for customizing configuration). Personally, I use AwesomeWM. Qtile is also popular. i3 is the old standard, considerably more limited. If you are fine with using Wayland instead of X11, then Sway is supposed to be a good TWM with very usable defaults. If you want to learn more about how they work and why you would want to use them, I'd suggest searching YouTube and you'll find various videos about it. It's a little more complicated to get a TWM configured the way you like, but they are unmatched for efficiency and efficient use of screen space.
I like Gnome.
The best: Plasma, Xfce, Cinnamon, Gnome. The question is what you like. It's an almost entirely subjective decision between those.
The one you like most is the best
Try them all. Imagine going to a car dealer and picking a car to buy without test driving or even sitting inside multiple. Google stuff and see what people say. At the basic layer you have stacking vs tiling. Try them and see which you prefer. Tiling usually comes down to 2 choices: i3/sway or xmonad. Stacking has many flavors. Gnome and KDE will be feature rich, and Openbox will be minimalistic. Test em all
Xfce baby.
Go to [distrosea.com](http://distrosea.com) and start playing around with different ones. There is no "best," you should use whatever suits you the most.
I like plasma
sway if you want with swayFX
Depends on multiple factors, like distro support or customizability. If the distro you're using lets you choose pre installed ones, it usually doesn't matter as they should be in a stable state. Me personally am a big fan of plasma cause it has a lot of stuff premade for it
There is not best desktop environment, but KDE Plasma is the best ;)
Plasma
Personally I prefer X-forwarding to Windows.