9 most popular Linux desktop shells

1. KDE

KDE Plasma is perhaps the most advanced desktop shell of them all. Moreover, she is also very beautiful. KDE has a huge number of settings - if you wish, the system can be transformed into a semblance of Windows, macOS, make it futuristic and pretentious in appearance, or, conversely, turn your desktop into a kingdom of minimalism. Many themes, third-party extensions and widgets have been developed for KDE (here they are referred to as plasmoids).

By default, KDE resembles the Windows interface. Below is the taskbar, on which the start menu, tray and system clock are located. You can create and delete panels in any number, and elements on them can be moved in any order, changing the system beyond recognition.

KDE comes bundled with a bunch of pretty yet highly functional applications. For example, Amarok is a powerful audio player that rivals iTunes in its capabilities; KGet - a convenient downloader for files from the Internet; good Konqueror browser; universal messenger Kopete and KDE Connect, which allows you to connect your Android smartphone with a desktop.

Suitable for: advanced users who need a lot of features, and lovers of "beauty".
Advantages: very stylish and modern looks, extremely flexible, has a huge number of functions.
Disadvantages: consumes more system resources than other shells. It will be difficult for beginners to understand all the abundance of settings. However, the casing can be used comfortably in its standard form.
Distributions: Kubuntu, openSUSE, Chakra.

2. GNOME

One of the most popular Linux desktop environments. GNOME's interface seems to be geared towards touchscreen devices: huge icons and pop-up menus, a pull-down list of applications, somewhat reminiscent of Launchpad on macOS. To conservative users, this may not seem very familiar. But GNOME is definitely a user-friendly and very beautiful shell. And if you're not happy with all these newfangled bells and whistles, you can always switch to GNOME Classic mode.

The development is somewhat similar to macOS. At the top of the screen there is a panel with a clock and a calendar in the middle and a system tray on the side to the right. On the left is the dock, which is used to launch applications and switch between them.

The shell has built-in tools such as system search, calendar, Nautilus file manager, Evolution mail client, Totem multimedia player. If desired, GNOME's capabilities can be increased by using third-party extensions - there are quite a few of them.

Suitable for: owners of systems with touch screens, tablets and transformers, as well as those who are used to macOS.
Advantages: looks nice and modern, convenient and fast, supports many extensions, has a large number of settings.
Disadvantages: pretty heavyweight. Not all users will like the touch-friendly interface.
Distributions: Ubuntu, Fedora, Antergos.

3. MATE

GNOME 2 was once the benchmark for minimalism and simplicity. But the developers decided to add cool features, and in the end we got a futuristic GNOME 3, which pleases us to this day. However, not all of the innovations in it seemed appropriate, so the Linux community created MATE.

It's still the same good old GNOME with two panels at the top and bottom, but focused on modern realities. The top bar is used to access menus, icons, and the tray, the bottom bar is used to switch between running applications and desktops. Panels can be moved, deleted and modified as you like.

MATE is extremely unpretentious in terms of memory and processor power, so it can be used even on very old computers. At the same time, a system with such a shell still looks very good.

Suitable for: owners of old and low-power PCs or those who do not want a beautiful interface to take up a lot of reserves.
Advantages: a very fast and easy-to-use work environment that is low on resources but is highly customizable.
Disadvantages: MATE's interface may seem overly conservative and old-fashioned.
Distributions: Ubuntu MATE, Linux Mint MATE.

4. Cinnamon

It is also a fork of GNOME, just like MATE. But Cinnamon is still designed for newer computers. This graphical frontend appeared in Linux Mint, but later spread to other distributions.

The main feature of Cinnamon is its simplicity. While other graphical environments try to be something special and different from other interfaces, this development tries to be as friendly to newbies as possible. It will be easy to master it even for those who previously used only Windows, since outwardly there is a significant similarity with the operating system from Microsoft. The panel with open applications is at the bottom, on the left is the main menu and quick launch icons, on the right is the tray and the clock.

For all its simplicity, Cinnamon is still a fairly advanced and customizable shell. Panels and elements can be moved in any order. And if you get tired of the Windows-like look, you can easily reshape the interface in your own way in a couple of minutes.

Suitable for: users migrating from Windows and newbies. And also for those who want a simple and understandable graphical environment in order to work, and not admire it.
Advantages: very nice appearance, the interface will be easy to understand. There are a fair amount of settings and applets.
Disadvantages: there are not enough topics in the official repository. However, you can download third parties from the same Gnome Look and DeviantArt.
Distributions: Linux Mint.

5. Budgie

Budgie borrows a dock from macOS, a sidebar from Windows 10, and a top tray bar from GNOME, but it looks pretty original and interesting. The feature of this shell is a convenient Raven panel on the right side of the screen, which controls the player, notifications, calendar and system settings.

The environment cannot boast of an abundance of settings, but it will be simple and understandable even for beginners. And if you drag the top bar down, then Budgie will completely resemble the interface of Windows 10.

Suitable for: both for beginners who do not want to understand the settings, and for experienced Linux users who want something unusual.
Advantages: comfortable and intuitive interface. Looks good even on devices with small screens like netbooks.
Disadvantages: quite power hungry in terms of system resources, despite the fact that there are fewer settings than in GNOME and KDE.
Distributions: Solus Linux, Ubuntu Budgie.

6. LXDE

This graphical environment sacrificed beauty for optimization and performance. LXDE looks like the old versions of Mac OS X and works even on very ancient and slow computers.

If you have one of these lying around in your closet, then install Linux with LXDE on it and get a convenient workhorse for surfing the Internet, storing documents, watching movies and playing music.

Suitable for: owners of old PCs on which even MATE and Xfce slow down.
Advantages: very fast. It will run even on the most ancient devices.
Disadvantages: the interface is, frankly, a little archaic, although this can be fixed with the help of themes.
Distributions: Lubuntu.

7. Xfce

Minimalistic and lightweight graphical environment. It is much less configurable than KDE, but it can run on almost any hardware. And although Xfce is unpretentious in terms of system resources, it looks pretty attractive.

The set comes with a Thunar file manager with a convenient tabbed interface and a built-in tool for mass renaming of files. If desired, the Xfce shell can be extended with third-party modules. Themes are also supported.

Suitable for: a universal environment that can be used by both owners of old computers and lovers of simple ascetic interfaces.
Advantages: a very lightweight option. At the same time, there are many more functions and settings than in LXDE. It looks nice, although again subtly resembles Mac OS X Tiger.
Disadvantages: consumes more system resources than LXDE.
Distributions: Xubuntu, Manjaro Linux.

8. Pantheon

The Pantheon GUI was originally developed for elementary OS. Her priorities are ease of learning and beauty. The creators of elementary OS explicitly stated that they were targeting macOS. Pantheon is indeed similar to this system, but there are differences. Firstly, the window control buttons are located in a different way, although "Close" is on the left, as the poppy drivers are used to. Secondly, the developers abandoned the global menu, making the top panel transparent.

Pantheon is easy to learn: there are few settings in it, it is very difficult to get confused in this shell. And the Plank dock, specially designed for it, is beautiful and does not take up a lot of memory.

Suitable for: macOS users and newbies who want a simple and intuitive interface.
Advantages: very fast, looks good. Window and panel animations look stylish and pleasant.
Disadvantages: you will not be able to customize the appearance of the system. Everything is according to the precepts of macOS.
Distributions: elementary OS.

9. Deepin Desktop Environment

Optimize your Linux desktop: Deepin Desktop Environment

Deepin Desktop Environment was originally created by Chinese developers for the operating system of the same name, but later migrated to other Linux distributions. It focuses on visual appeal and ease of use. The shell looks modern and really stylish.

The feature of Deepin Desktop Environment is the versatile convertible bottom panel. It can turn into an analogue of the Windows 10 taskbar or into something like a macOS dock. It is very convenient to use it in both modes. On the side is another slide-out panel with settings and notifications.

Suitable for: everyone can get comfortable. The panel in Deepin easily transforms into a macOS-like dock with Launchpad, and into the Windows 10 taskbar with a menu familiar to many.
Advantages: minimalistic and user-friendly interface that looks stylish and unusual. Even beginners can easily figure it out.
Disadvantages: a bunch of pre-installed applications of little use from Deepin developers.
Distributions: Deepin, Manjaro Linux.