Unity Desktop Environment Alternatives for Linux

There are many alternatives to Unity Desktop Environment for Linux and since it's discontinued a lot of people are looking for a replacement. The best Linux alternative is KDE Plasma, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Unity Desktop Environment and many of them are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to Unity Desktop Environment are GNOME, Xfce, Cinnamon and MATE.

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Unity Desktop Environment alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. KDE Plasma icon
     475 likes

    Plasma is a cross-device work environment by the KDE Community where trust is put on the user's capacity to best define their own workflow and preferences.

    30 KDE Plasma alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • postmarketOS
    • openSUSE
    • Arch Linux
    • Fedora
    • FreeBSD
    • SteamOS
    • Wayland
     
  2. GNOME icon
     504 likes

    An easy and elegant way to use your computer, GNOME is designed to help you have the best possible computing experience.

    31 GNOME alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
     
  3. Xfce icon
     380 likes

    Xfce (pronounced as four individual letters) is a free software desktop environment for Unix and other Unix-like platforms, such as Linux, Solaris and BSD. It aims to be fast and lightweight, while still being visually appealing and easy to use.

    29 Xfce alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
     
  4. Cinnamon icon
     201 likes

    Cinnamon is a Linux desktop which provides advanced innovative features and a traditional user experience. The desktop layout is similar to GNOME 2. The underlying technology is forked from GNOME Shell.

    26 Cinnamon alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
     
  5. MATE icon
     144 likes

    Many users of GNOME 2 dislike GNOME 3. MATE is a fork of the good old GNOME 2. It provides an intuitive and attractive desktop environment using traditional metaphors for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems.

    24 MATE alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • FreeBSD
    • OpenIndiana
    • GhostBSD
     
  6. LXQt icon
     54 likes

    LXQt is the Qt port and the upcoming version of LXDE, the Lightweight Desktop Environment. It is the product of the merge between the LXDE-Qt and the .

    27 LXQt alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
     
  7. LXDE icon
     122 likes

    The "Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment" is an extremely fast-performing and energy-saving desktop environment.

    30 LXDE alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
     
  8. Budgie icon
     46 likes

    The Budgie Desktop is a feature-rich, modern desktop designed to keep out the way of the user. It consists of a number of components to provide a more complete desktop experience.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
  9. Docky icon
     131 likes

    Docky is a full fledged dock application that makes opening common applications and managing windows easier and quicker. Docky is fully integrated into the GNOME Desktop and features a no non-sense approach to configuration and usage. It just works.

    53 Docky alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
  10.  3 likes

    Fork of Enlightenment version 17 (commonly called E17) used as the main desktop environment on Bodhi Linux

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
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