Read this review to know why I say so. In a fresh boot, CPU usage is the same at around 1 percent, but LXDE uses a paltry 219 MB RAM, whereas XFCE uses 465 MB RAM. It appears that the memory usage is about the same. Dear Holmes, help your Watson (that's us) by explaining the details. Fedora, Ubuntu, and Pop!_OS are popular . To expedite your workflows, XFCE utilizes nifty keyboard shortcuts. Similar to XFCE, KDE doesn't bog your system down by using a lot of resources. I have already tried out this beautiful Linux distribution. XFCE defines productivity and performance with its bare minimalism. Link leading to a dead page? Both use the Qt library instead of GTK+, making them the lighter of the two. Even though Xfce is favored more for resource-friendly distributions, KDE Plasma cannot be ignored. XFCE uses reusable components so that you can pick and choose what you need to drive stable performance on your existing hardware. In case you are exploring some of the best desktop environments for the first time, you might want to know the differences between KDE Plasma and GNOME as well. Test #1: IDLE RAM Usage, VM Versus Natively Installed. Plasma's RAM usage increases over time . KDE Plasma should be an easy pick for most looking for a modern user experience with customizability. Cookie Notice If agile performance is what you are after, you might be biased about XFCE. If you hold that belief, Im here to tell you its time to change your opinion. The one that is promising in this crowd is Garuda Linux. No hitting the start button to search for programs, just barely configurable, built on a suite of mostly primitive applications (Dolphin and Kate blow them all out of the water), etc. You can invoke animated desktop switches with convenient keyboard combinations. Xfce may not be customizable, but it offers all the useful tweaks, including adding a launcher, customizing the taskbar, etc. They have their own mail program, key storage, software library and so on, even their own compositor. Xfce is a lightweight . It is also more customizable than Xfce, but it uses a smaller amount of memory. Is there some incorrect technical information? KDE takes stability seriously with its well-publicized, meticulously documented release logs, which detail its minutest improvements. It's recommended for low-end systems with outdated hardware. Here are the results: What immediately jumps out is that KDE Neon using the latest version of the KDE Plasma desktop uses the least amount of RAM inside a virtual machine, and comes within spitting distance of Xubuntu 19.10 on the native installation. Nonetheless, you will notice some stark similarities and dissimilarities between the two desktops, as well. I tried KDE a few times but always went back to Xfce for simplicity, efficiency, stability, being user-friendly and VERY customizable to suit individual taste. Show me a KDE customization thats not just eye candy (like KDEs vast library of half-unreliable widgets versus XFCEs modest-but-still-awesome panel plugin collection) and chances are I can show you the XFCE equivalent. The Konqueror file manager further helps you with file management. Perhaps that is due to the unique leanness of XFCE being written in C as well as its release cycle while KDE is primarily written in C++ like Windows among other things. In contrast, Xfce falls short on the offerings. XFCE and KDE are neck and neck in terms of customizability, resource consumption, and user experience. Here are those results: Again, this a close race and is by no means scientific, but in this particular test KDE Neon walked away using the least amount of RAM. You can also refer to our guide to explore customization tips if you are a new KDE Plasma user. Through this guide, the idea is to compare the two famous desktop environments: XFCE and KDE. Both use the Qt library instead of GTK+, making them the lighter of the two. Next I wanted to see how each distro measured up in a virtual machine under some light multitasking. XFCE feels more electric and less steam-powered, with the full scope of its hardware support. I write about Steam Deck, open source software, and desktop Linux. BTW, "lightweight" is a fuzzy concept anyway. Both KDE Plasma and Xfce are tailored to provide the most comfortable Windows-like experience in a Linux distribution. XFCE has simple but intuitive desktop workspaces that help you get around disparate desktop layouts tailored for different workflows. KDE is Now Lighter than XFCE. If you are curious about whats new in Freya, I am going to show you some of the new features in elementary OS Freya and a quick, Read More Elementary OS Freya Review Of New FeaturesContinue. Cinnamon is primarily developed for and by Linux Mint. KDE NEON + File Manager, Terminal and Firefox. You can customize Xfce to look very much like Windows 10, if you so desire. KDE is around the same RAM usage of XFCE, especially when you factor in the extra applications you would need for basic functionality in XFCE (Bluetooth --> Blueman, Wi-Fi --> Network Manager Applet, Clipboard --> Parcellite). I aimed to focus on available defaults, where KDEs Discover does a better job than XFCE. When it comes to the desktop environment, KDE and XFCE are the top contenders in the lightweight category. MATE. Im as surprised about writing this article as you are at reading that headline. Is KDE more lightweight than GNOME? Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. A passionate technophile who also happens to be a Computer Science graduate. It also doesnt offers a software center. Is Xfce lighter than KDE? Periodic updates are also provided in the interim to keep you updated with the latest innovations in the environment. I use Manjaro Xfce and there is no shortage of available software via the AUR repository. KDE uses components of Qt in tandem with GTK for a better desktop experience, however. Which is better KDE or XFCE? In that case, KDE Plasma will be a better candidate in terms of faster development activity while introducing user-requested changes regularly. However, in general, Xfce is considered to be a lighter and faster desktop environment than KDE. Considering KDE as a desktop environment that offers a wide range of options, colors, themes, widgets, and more, you get to tweak numerous things to personalize your experience. While Xfce is still favored more for some of the best lightweight Linux distributions, KDE Plasma is not a resource-heavy desktop either. Elementary OS Freya Review Of New Features, Meet DebianDog Puppy sized Debian Linux, Everything You Need to Know About CentOS Stream, Upgrade Or Update Ubuntu Offline, Without Internet. You can refer to our list of KDE-based Linux distributions to find some of the best options for your system. Read More Red Hat Enterprise Linux vs Ubuntu: Whats the Difference?Continue. Also, XFCE is vastly more customizable than Windows in terms features that impact productivity. So, you can try exploring both of them if you are not sure about it. However, if you dislike frequent changes/updates to the desktop environment, Xfce should be a better option. Here's a detailed comparison to help you decide whether to use KDE or XFCE as your next Linux desktop. The Best KDE-Based Distros for Avid Linux Users, Why KDE Is a Better Linux Desktop Than GNOME, Why You Should Try the Lightweight Xfce Desktop. I carried out the exact same test on an Intel Core-i7 XPS 13 (16GB of RAM) with natively installed and full updated versions of these distributions. A standard KDE 4 Kubuntu 14.04 takes about 230MB RAM on a cold startup, and there's not much that would be faster in a more recent DE. While KDE Plasmas development activity always manages to grab the spotlight, the frequent updates may introduce bugs/issues for some users. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The difference is smaller than in the previous example but Xfce retains performance superiority. Is KDE Lighter Than XFCE? However, it can still keep the machine functional for primary use. When I say "Xfce," it's a good bet you think about a lean, responsive Linux desktop environment that's particularly light on system memory usage. Related Video; Whatever the RAM usage, XFCE for me is unusable. Being an open-source community-driven OS, Linux offers numerous desktops that appeal to your various computing tastes and priorities. Is it a grammatical mistake or a simple typo? KDE seems to be perceived as a bloated but beautiful desktop environment. Here are his system specs: And here are his results. Table of Contents. Is KDE more lightweight than XFCE? You can run multiple applications on XFCE while expecting stable and fast performance. There has been several changes between the previous version Luna and upcoming Freya. Some things have changed, but the fundamentals remain the same. But, it could be too bland for users coming from macOS or Windows. KDEs KFind offers significant documentation to help you quickly find files on your Linux system. KDE Plasma is best known for its customizability. To help you pick a suitable desktop environment, we will be comparing some of the most common aspects of a desktop environment. The best optimization works with Ubuntu and I personally recommend Kubuntu to be installed, avoiding a lot of Gnome bloatware. The ability to pick and choose widgets, themes, and applications allows you to ease up on the resources while keeping what you need. But yes, folks, in much of my initial testing the latest version of KDE (5.17) is using less RAM than Xfce 4.14. Some button not working? Is KDE Plasma better? LXDE is better for those with limited RAM, such as users of older laptops with just 2 or 4 GB of RAM. Is KDE lighter than XFCE? Part of the article contains outdated steps or commands? Honestly? Readers like you help support MUO. KDE Plasma and Xfce are two popular desktop environment options for lightweight Linux distributions. Of course, none of them are excellent choices in terms of accessibility options. This is a huge deal for those users with very limited RAM. But, it is something to note on paper. It's possible that some articles that worked well five years ago won't work today. Its modular component customizations can help you set up a desktop suitable for multitasking performance. Yes, it looks like KDE has managed to beat XFCE as one of the lightest . However, for simplicity, we tend to use KDE instead of Plasma in some cases. Gaurav Siyal has two years of writing experience, writing for a series of digital marketing firms and software lifecycle documents. This initial testing certainly demands further exploration on a wide range of hardware and scenarios, but the answer is clear: we, the users, win. I must agree with most of what you said, comparing the two desktops. If you want the option to explore various applications tailored for your desktop environment, KDE should offer a better app ecosystem overall. My colleague Zeb ran similar tests after installing a handful of distributions on his custom-built AMD PC, but he put Arch Linux (with Xfce) and Ubuntu 19.10 into the equation. These shortcuts use a functional application launching dock to launch some optional widgets. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Most of the popular offerings feature GNOME as the default (or the only) desktop environment. KDE's aesthetically pleasing, productivity-friendly desktop layout, and customizable UI make it an enjoyable environment to work in. KDE is one of the most popular desktop environments out there. Incredibly, KDE Neon is neck-and-neck with Arch, and comes out ahead versus Xubuntu. What desktop environment does Ubuntu use? If that doesn't convince you, there have been numerous reports in the past like Jason's that have mentioned KDE as the lighter desktop environment over XFCE as well. You can use it for basic home computing, eLearning, entertainment, surfing, and office productivity. XFCE and whatever ships with LXDE really are crap. GNOME shows 6.7% of CPU used by the user, 2.5 by the system and 799 MB ram while below Xfce shows 5.2% for CPU by the user, 1.4 by the system and 576 MB ram. KDE is Now Lighter than XFCE. This is a big deal for users who recently switched from Windows to Linux to experience the perks. No hitting the start button to search for programs, just barely configurable, built on a suite of mostly primitive applications (Dolphin and Kate . Does that same description dance through your head when I say KDE? If not, one can hardly blame you. A desktop environment needs to enhance accessibility for physically challenged users. Here are the Linux distros I used for this round of testing: I installed each distro inside a virtual machine using GNOME Boxes, allotted 4GB of RAM, and set each display to 1920 x 1080. With enough effort, Xfce can feel like a more modern desktop environment. It's lighter and faster than GNOME by a fair margin, and it's far more customizable. After seeing a couple stray comments on Twitter making this very claim, I felt. XFCE and KDE rank well against each other. Read More Meet DebianDog Puppy sized Debian LinuxContinue. Take something like Lmde as one of the lightest, install all sorts of programs into it. For example, I tried comparing Kubuntu vs. Xubuntu to check the resource usage. These features can make KDE seem like a desktop environment with bleeding-edge graphics, but they can bog down the most standard hardware. The primary difference between LXQt and Xfce is that LXQt uses Qt rather than GTK+. The KDE Plasma Desktop is one of the lightest desktop environments. If you prefer GTK+, you're better off using Xfce. If you've ever used a version of GNOME from before 2011, then you've essentially used MATE. Both desktop environments have different features, but KDE is more customizable than Xfce, while Xfce excels on less powerful systems. You can find KDE and Xfce editions for the most popular Linux distributions, including Ubuntu flavors, Manjaro, Linux Mint, and more. KDE is Now Lighter than XFCE. That happens from time to time. However, KDE can be a more suitable choice. You can configure the View Mode to make folder trees coherent and maneuverable for your use. Is Mate lighter than XFCE? Of course, the Xfce development team is smaller than KDEs, which is also a reason for fewer releases. XFCE gives you a stable desktop experience, primarily due to its three-year LTS release cycle. Xfce, on the other hand, is more minimalist and lightweight. Xfce is a program that can be used to run Linux on old computers. It's not unstable or unusably bad, more a case of consistent small irritations. And, whats best? Regarding customizability, I agree, more than enough options exist to personalize the experience. The software center Discover is a good GUI utility for finding and installing applications. Related: Why You Should Try the Lightweight Xfce Desktop. What would you prefer between the two desktop environments? So, if you want customizability of essential parts of the distro but still want to keep things simple, Xfce can be the right choice. LXDE uses just 219 MB of RAM, while XFCE uses 465 MB. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. While both the desktop environments offer insufficient accessibility support compared to GNOME, KDE can be an easier option to work with instead of Xfce. Back in the GNOME 2 days, Xfce was considered a lightweight alternative. XFCE uses the GTK toolkit and continues to be an independent alternative to the GTK-built GNOME environment. Red Hat Enterprise Linux vs Ubuntu: Whats the Difference? LXDE vs. XFCE System Resource Efficiency This is where I really begin to see the differences between these two systems. As highlighted before, XFCE allows you to pick and choose components on your use case basis. XFCE it's great, but there wasn't any significant improvement since '10. Even though it's not my primary choice, it is highly customizable and extremely lightweight. KDE is by far better than anything else (including any OS) in my opinion. Want to update Ubutnu but dont have internet connection? I am a debian kde user, but I think that although kde uses less ram memory, xfce is even more stable, and in the linux scoop videos I have seen very advanced customizations in xfce. KDE is Now Lighter than XFCE. Have questions around the new CentOS Stream? As for XFCE, I found it too unpolished and more simple than it should. It has been in the game for over 25 years and offers you more reliability for periodic and stable releases. Both KDE and XFCE come loaded with features that distinguish them from the rest of the desktops within the Linux gamut. KDEs new Wayland protocol will fetch the latest advancements and enhancements for a more functional computing experience. Previously, Xfce could have been tagged as an old-school Linux desktop using a retro-style icon theme and window decorations. In any case, very surprising revelations so far as I wasnt expecting KDE to be this lean! Thank you for the article. You get the option to enable the screen reader, customize mouse navigation, apply keyboard filters, and more. It's worth it to try KDE Plasma rather than GNOME. There are not as many X apps. However, it can still keep the machine functional for primary use. Fortunately, you also have KDE Plasma LTS versions if you do not want the latest features always. And youd be absolutely right. Related: The Best KDE-Based Distros for Avid Linux Users. Garuda Linux Provides a Hassle-free Arch Experience With a Beautiful Neon Look [Review with Video]. Is Trinity lighter than Xfce? I will take note of it for the next update of this article. Thank you for your support! By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Xfce does provide a simple user interface. When I say Xfce, its a good bet you think about a lean, responsive Linux desktop environment thats particularly light on system memory usage. When I say "Xfce," it's a good bet you think about a lean, responsive Linux desktop environment that's particularly light on system memory usage. Is KDE heavier than XFCE? However, Xfce has evolved over the years to provide elementary-OS-like visuals out of the box. Sorry, this post was deleted by the person who originally posted it. For more information, please see our As far as these two desktop contenders are concerned, they are neck and neck in the race. You can now achieve 425MB on SolydK by running KDE 4.11.1 and keeping your DE under 100MB . Related: Why KDE Is a Better Linux Desktop Than GNOME. LXDE looks more basic compared to Xfce. It has a reputation for being buggy and I did find that. [deleted] 1 yr. ago Sorry, this post was deleted by the person who originally posted it. . If you want a lightweight desktop environment, then look no further beyond XFCEs modular build and Unix foundation. Although it misses a few features and its development is slower than Cinnamon's, MATE runs faster, uses less resources and is more stable than Cinnamon. Or any other issue with the website elements? Which is better Linux Mint Cinnamon or MATE? Here are answers to some frequent questions about CentOS Stream. As for XFCE, I found it too unpolished and more simple than it should. With an abundance of choice and talented developers across the board putting their blood, sweat and tears into advancing the Linux desktop, the takeaway is that with each passing month, Linux becomes an even product regardless of how mighty or meager your computer is. r/kde - KDE is Now Lighter than XFCE. The login page will open in a new tab. So I set up a couple test environments and recruited my podcasting colleague Zebedee Boss (of Destination Linux) to run independent tests of his own. There are no exact schedules for Xfce upgrades, but you will likely find them once in two-three years or longer. Applications like Konqueror are super fast, faster than any file browser I've seen in Gnome, and at least comparable to XFCE. CC-by-SA | It's FOSS is part of CHMOD777 Media Tech Pvt Ltd. It's lighter and faster than GNOME by a fair margin, and it's far more customizable. Should I use a desktop environment or not? However, I get the impression that you may have tried Xfce a couple of years ago and not looked again. Both are lightweight but have their own distinct advantages. Perhaps thats partly why MX Linux is the most downloaded distro (DistroWatch) right now which uses XFCE as the flagship DE. Is XFCE better than Gnome? Also, XFCE is still significantly more stable than KDE/Plasma for daily work despite dramatic improvements in recent years. Greetings. Please enter your email, so that we can personally thank you and further discuss it (if needed). Idle RAM Usage: Virtual Machine vs Native Install. Here is how to update Ubutnu offline. elementary OS Freya has been released today. After that, I captured the current RAM usage using htop. The KDE Plasma was using around 920 MB whereas the XFCE desktop was using around 760 MB. Suppose you do not worry much about the stability but want to keep up with the modern standards. KDE Plasma utilizes Kickoff (applications menu) launcher to help you get to your favorite apps in no time. KDE is Now Lighter than XFCE. Read More Garuda Linux Provides a Hassle-free Arch Experience With a Beautiful Neon Look [Review with Video]Continue. KDE was so optimized and modernized that it's beating XFCE in matters of desktop experience, performance and versatiliy. I think it has a strong chance of doing so, and Xfce Core developer Sean Davis agrees with me: Xfce Core developer (and great human) Sean Davis, (Its disheartening to learn that the Xfce is stretched thin and lacks the resources it deserves, but thats another topic for another time.). With the new version of KDE 5.17 pretty much on every KDE distro out now, we need to talk about how KDE is now just as light or even lighter than XFCE!Source Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2019/10/23/bold-prediction-kde-will-steal-the-lightweight-linux-desktop-crown-in-2020Zebedee Boss Benchmarks YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/zebedeebossVideo Sponsor CDN77: https://links.christitus.com/cdn77Support My Work----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get Updates, Launch Announcements and More https://www.cttstore.com/newsletter Chris Titus Tech Digital Downloads https://www.cttstore.com/downloads Product and Service Recommendations https://christitus.com/recommendations My YouTube Gear and Computers https://www.amazon.com/shop/christitustechOther Places to Find Me----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Titus Tech Talk https://www.youtube.com/c/TitusTechTalk Titus Tech Gaming https://www.youtube.com/c/TitusTechGaming 40 Year Old Fitness https://www.youtube.com/@40yearoldfitness Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/christitustech Twitter https://twitter.com/christitustechDISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, Ill receive a small commission. Which Linux distros use GNOME? You can expect minor crashes in bundled applications; alternatively, you also get better rendering UI elements, optimized memory usage, and layout changes for boosting productivity with subsequent updates. The frequent releases are an admirable perk since XFCEs community and support contribution is not as per KDEs scale. 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