GNOME vs KDE Plasma in 2024: which one is better for Linux beginners?

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#linux #gnome #kdeplasma #linuxdesktop #linuxdistro

Timecodes:
00:00 Intro
00:55 Sponsor: Ground News
02:34 Design Principles
04:40 Customization
07:21 Modern feature support
10:41 App Ecosystem
12:01 Stability and Bugs
14:07 What should you pick?
16:14 Sponsor: Tuxedo Computers
17:06 Support the channel

KDE goes for "simple by default, powerful when needed", as in: the default layout of your desktop is very simple, and apps tend to only show the most used features, but when you dig a bit deeper, you have a ton of features.

GNOME, on the other hand, goes for "super accessible and simple", meaning they make conscious choices to not include a lot of options and to not clutter the interface.

From these design principles, you can easily infer what the views of each desktop are, in terms of customization: KDE can be turned into anything, GNOME is, on the surface, a lot more rigid.

Just in terms of looks, KDE lets you apply themes for everything, out of the box. Change the icons, the look of the buttons, the colors of every part of every window, the accent color of your desktop, the shape of your titlebars, the entire layout of the desktop can be tweaked. You can turn KDE into a macOS clone, into a GNOME clone, into a full blown Windows replica, or create your entirely new way of working with your computer.

GNOME doesn't give you options by default to change the layout or the look. You need a third party app to handle this. GNOME doesn't have accent colors yet, they'll get them in their next release, GNOME 47, which at the time I'm recording this, is 2 and half months away. BUT with the GNOME Tweaks app, and the Extension Manager app, you get a LOT of possibilities.

In the end, if you like to tweak, change things, customize the visuals and just completely morph your desktop, chances are KDE is what you want. it might take a while to land on something you like, but in the end, it just has more options, and these mechanisms are officially supported**

But what about support for more modern features, and future proofing?

Let's be honest, KDE has an edge over GNOME. HDR is officially supported on KDE, GNOME only has an experimental command line to toggle HDR, and right now, it's not fully baked. Both desktops are also waiting on a fully defined color management protocol for Wayland, so none of them have full support, but KDE is more advanced for now.

Same goes for variable refresh rate, KDE has it by default, built in and stable, GNOME only has experimental support for it right now.

On the fractional scaling front, Plasma supports it better than GNOME as well: Plasma has it natively, in the settings, where GNOME still considers their implementation experimental.

In the end, the current state of things is that KDE has the lead on these features, and is going to be a better choice right now if you want to take full advantage of recent hardware.

Now, on the topic of applications, GNOME has the upper hand. GNOME, by making a very clear and defined platform for developers, ensured that a lot of people developed apps using their guidelines. The end result is that virtually everytime you see a new app pop up, it's designed to integrate with GNOME.

Now, as per stability and bugs, this will really depend on the distribution you use, how well they package these desktops for you, and even your hardware. KDE often has the image of being buggier than GNOME. KDE, since it has a lot more features, also has a lot more potential compatibility problems between these features, that can introduce bugs.

Chances are GNOME will be more stable for more people, because it has a lot less options, and thus a lot less chances of having an untested edge case that breaks everything.

[Akselmoi]

I am a KDE dev and I think GNOME devs have done really well with their desktop environment. I just ended up with KDE plasma because I like the philosophy behind it, and contributing to KDE software was very easy to get into. Neither is better than the other, it's more like choosing between vanilla and chocolate cake. And I like both!
I don't think it's a competition, we're just both doing our own thing.

[Sezamn]

for me it's something like this:
UI design - GNOME
Compatibilty/Usability - KDE
Staying out of my way - Xfce (thank you for your existance, you saved my chromebook)

[Plueschtroll]

Am stuck with Plasma. Somehow, all others do a lot of things not as I like it, and KDE is the only one that lets me configure it to be less of a nuisance.

[HaraldEngels]

I started to work with computers in 1979. Since then I have worked (professionally) with a myriad of different operating systems and user interfaces. During the last 20 years I have worked on Linux primarily with Gnome and KDE. At the end I always reached my goals irrelevant of the desktop. But as someone who spends 12 hours per day on a PC/laptop KDE is clearly my favorite and winner in nearly every aspect - and it is getting better and better - especially for pros. Gnome apps are working fine when integrated in KDE. No complaints. As a challenging user I can't complain about bugs in the KDE apps or a lack of stability. Decisive for me is my productivity - and here Gnome can absolutely NOT compete with KDE (considering my workflows).

[linusemmerich]

I am a happy GNOME user. I have used KDE for quite some time but GNOME just fits my workflow quite a bit better. But I don't see it as a competition. They are two completely different approaches on DEs and I love both of them as they are the best DEs out there.

[ikuvaito]

For me, KDE is the only viable option for one reason: Multi-monitor setups and screen mirroring. I have 3 monitors + a TV hooked up to my computer, and I like to have my main screen mirrored to my TV whenever I feel like just hopping on the couch and watching movies or gaming. From what I have seen, KDE is the only DE that supports mirroring in a multi-monitor set up. Now, aside from that, I do love KDE and all the features it provides from customization to audio management, not to mention the programs.

For beginners, I honestly think Cinnamon is the absolute best choice, and in my opinion deserves to be included in comparisons like this. While it's a bit more conservative compared to KDE and GNOME, it's a wonderful DE that works fantastic out of the box, providing great features and customizing options without overwhelming the user. Very underrated.

[RogueRen]

My only issue with Gnome is them actively going against the standards every other desktop has agreed upon (server-side decoration, accent color naming, svg icons, status icons, etc).

[NickKarpowicz-kifd]

I use the Fedora KDE spin, and have to say that the devs have been doing an amazing job this year. KDE 6 now is nearly perfect, even on my desktop with an Nvidia card, on Wayland.

[BAN]

I'm a huge fan of KDE, but right now I'm using Cinnamon as a daily driver because Cinnamon's customizable enough while being more polished and stable in my experience.

[kodefood]

Thanks for the thorough review. It's helped me make my decision... Cinnamon

[johnharris]

One thing worth mentioning is that Gnome is a pretty natural fit for touch screens. I used it for several months on a touch screen laptop and I thought it worked very well. I ultimately reverted to Xfce, but that was performance-related and had nothing to do with the interface. I don't think I'd ever use Gnome on a desktop machine though.

[sadsongs]

While KDE and Gnome might seem equally matched, it's important to note how much Gnome alienated their users to the point that entire distros were created just to avoid it.

Unity, Cinnamon, Mate, Budgie, Cosmic all these and more exist because people love to use GTK apps, but hate to use Gnome desktop.

[viridisspielt]

I feel like I'm in the minority but I love GNOME's no bullshit approach to UI. It's just really clean and enjoyable to use. Granted some extensions are a must for me, and I feel like recommending GNOME would be even easier if they made them more easily available.

[Burgo]

I liked gnomes desktop but kde felt a lot less restrictive so I ended up switching over.

[thekthe]

I've tried Gnome couple of times and always went back to KDE. I'm currently really happy with KDE 6.1.2 and TuxedoOS :).

[warthunder]

Me who uses Cinnamon because I want simple, stable and customization. I've always had a buggy (yet not gamebreaking) experience with KDE but I would take it over the oversimplification of GNOME.

[lKrauzer]

I'm using both on Arch, via dual-boot, and both are amazing, my personal favourite is KDE Plasma

[cameronbosch]

Basically, its between a Windows-like experience by default that can be made into pretty much anything you want, or a macOS like experience where everything is polished inside the walled garden, but not as good outside.

[smarkson]

I'm KDE user since 2004. Switched to Gnome last year as my daily driver for 12 days. It's almost impossible to leave KDE when you customize workflow with keybinds, activities and yes KDE is way faster it compared within the same computer.

[emjaycee]

Given a choice of vanilla Gnome or vanilla KDE, I would choose KDE every time. Distros that customise their Gnome into something more beginner friendly - like Zorin, POP, Manjaro - attract me more to the Gnome side of things. Mostly though I tend to stick with Cinnamon. I recently installed Ultramarine Budgie as a DD and then added the Cinnamon DE to it... it's really nice :)