"Top 10 distros for gaming"
"The BEST Linux distro for developers"
"The best distro of 2025"
These are the type of articles that show up when you're a new user trying to switch to Linux. Most of the time, such articles don't make the distinction between distros clear enough that users can compare them. This article aims to break down the basic components that make up a Linux distro, and see how popular distros differ in these aspects.
What makes a distro
While there are lots of components that shape a distro, I'll be focusing on the main ones that matter to a new user:
- desktop environment
- package manager
- package freshness
- display server
Desktop environment
This is the "frontend" of the distro. It's the GUI components that you interact with, such as the taskbar, the window decorations, the tab switcher, and so on. Most desktop environments can be classified as either Qt or GTK-based.
When picking a distro, go for one that has a live environment. This means that you can try it out before installing. This lets you experiment with the DE, and if you don't like it, easily switch to a different distro.
Qt-based DE
KDE Plasma is known for being Windows-like out of the box, so Windows users will find it very easy to transition.
Configuring various settings like animations, the taskbar, themes, and so on may seem overwhelming due to the amount of control provided to the user. Due to this, Plasma is relatively buggier compared to the other distros. This is simply because more options for configuration = more points for failure = more bugs.
However, it's also the most customizable. In addition to the inbuilt themes, you can download new ones to change the colors, the cursor, and much more. If you aren't afraid to tinker and you've got the time, you can tune Plasma to fit your workflow or aesthetics.
GTK-based DE
They are known for being more rigid by providing less settings for the user to modify. GNOME and Cinnamon are two popular examples.
GNOME looks similar to macOS, while still having its own unique workflow. Its looks depends on the distro, as distro maintainers often customize it, unlike Plasma which usually looks the same everywhere by default. Here's how GNOME looks on Ubuntu...
...and here's vanilla GNOME on Fedora.
Notice how in the first one, the taskbar is always visible, while in the second one, you have to enter the mission control-like view to see it. Even though you can customize a few things like this using extensions, GNOME still expects you to use it in the "GNOME way".
Hence, these extensions can sometimes feel like an afterthought. For example, the clipboard in Plasma shows up right below your cursor for easy access, and passwords copied from a password manager don't show up in the clipboard. GNOME doesn't come with a clipboard by default, and third-party ones don't have the above features.
If you aren't a power user, are comfortable with adapting to something new, and just want a DE that looks good with basic functionality, GNOME is a solid option.
Cinnamon is another option if you'd rather have a Windows-looking DE. While it has less customizability than Plasma, it's more stable. Again, if you're fine with a reasonable level of customization, go for it.
Whatever the DE, preferably stick to apps that use its framework. In the above images, you'll see that the window decorations of apps on KDE all look the same, but that of the file manager and Firefox on Fedora GNOME look similar, but aren't the same. If you try to use a KDE app on GNOME, or vice-versa, the theming and style will be different. Further complicating this, different versions of GTK, like GTK3 and GTK4/Libadwaita, are also styled differently.
Remember that KDE apps are also more feature-rich, while GNOME apps are simple to use. Unfortunately, the moment you step out of the GTK4 ecosystem on GNOME desktop, the feeling of cohesion breaks. Apps don't look how they were meant to look, unlike on Plasma. Combining this with the issues caused by Wayland mentioned below, this may be a deal-breaker.
Package manager
A package manager is how you download and update software. Different families of distros will use different package managers.
APT
This is used by Debian-based distros such as Ubuntu, Mint, and Debian. If you're getting started with Linux, I'd recommend this, as most support threads on installing software deal with APT.
DNF
Red Hat-based distros like Fedora use this on the other hand. For an end user, the only real difference is the syntax. Perhaps sometimes, you might find a package with only a .deb version, but if you mostly use GUI apps, I wouldn't worry about it too much because of...
Flatpak
It's a universal GUI package manager available on every distro. There's no need to type your root password when installing, updating or deleting, unlike the others mentioned above. Additionally, you can use Flatseal to manage permissions like file access, network access, and so on per app for better security. This is in contrast to native package managers which give all apps all permissions, regardless of whether they need them or not.
Oh, also Ubuntu comes with Snap, which is their implementation of a universal package manager. Unlike Flatpak, it doesn't manage permissions as intuitively, and apps are known to take longer to start up. Preferably, use Flatpaks instead of Snaps.
Package freshness
This refers to how new the packages are in the repositories. Newer packages will have more features, but also potentially more bugs, while older packages are the opposite.
Debian only provides feature updates every 2 years, so packages can become very stale. Hence, it's recommended for servers rather than everyday users. However, Debian-based distros like Ubuntu and Mint come with newer packages. I'd also suggest going with Ubuntu's non-LTS version with a release cycle every 6 months, rather than the LTS that only upgrades every 2 years.
Fedora moves faster than Ubuntu even though its release cycle is also 6 months. This means that it will be the first to adopt new technologies like switching from Xorg to Wayland, though such changes may affect your workflow. More on this in the section below.
Flatpaks update whenever the developer releases a new version, similar to how updates work on iOS and Android. Even if an update breaks an app, you can easily revert to a previous version without uninstalling and reinstalling. Therefore, use native packages for system apps, and Flatpak for other GUI apps.
You'll notice that I haven't mentioned Arch-based distros like Manjaro and Arch. This is because these are rolling-release distros, meaning they have a higher chance of breaking. Non-system apps breaking is just an annoyance, since you can rollback, but the system breaking or not booting can lead to hours of troubleshooting. That's why I'd suggest going for a more stable distro instead.
Display server
A display server is responsible for rendering content on your screen, processing inputs, and so on. Your distro will either be Xorg/X11 or Wayland-based.
Wayland
This is the modern replacement for Xorg. It comes with many features such as HDR support and allowing different scaling for multiple monitor setups, which are not provided by Xorg. Hence, try out the Wayland version of a distro first, and switch to Xorg if there are any graphical issues such as glitches or artifacts.
Wayland, specifically on GNOME, may have issues with fractional scaling causing blurry windows, text being too small, or inconsistent window maximizing behavior. Windows decorations too may follow the incorrect color theme, or just look... wrong, because of how GNOME implements them. Additionally, some apps are built for X11, but they can run on Wayland under Xwayland. However, you may lose drag-and-drop support for them.
Xorg
This is an archaic implementation compared to Wayland, but unless you need the above mentioned features or your hardware doesn't work well with Wayland, it's a fine option. Do note that you may face issues like...
...this. Screen tearing occurs when you try to move a window or play a video on Xorg, causing the display to look like it got shredded. A compositor comes with your DE to prevent this, but if you're gaming, you'll have to disable the compositor to get higher FPS. Screen tearing won't appear in gameplay, but it will show up in pre-rendered cutscenes.
A heads-up that GNOME will be dropping Wayland support soon, so if you want an Xorg-based DE, go with Plasma or Cinnamon.
What are your options?
Here are the distros I'd recommend in no particular order. If you skipped to this section, please read the above, as otherwise this would just be another "the best Linux distro" article.
Linux Mint
Mint corrects all the fuck ups of Ubuntu so you don't have to do it yourself. It ships with Cinnamon, which is built by the Mint team, along with two other DEs. Unless your device is really potato, go with Cinnamon. Its Wayland session isn't as mature as the other distros, but in case you do face issues, the Xorg session is always as option. Because it's built upon Ubuntu LTS, it doesn't come with the latest kernels, libraries, and so on. Unless you're a non-casual gamer or have the latest hardware, this is a good beginner's choice.
Ubuntu
If you decide to go with Ubuntu instead, go for the non-LTS release. You'll have to deal with disabling Snaps yourself, but you get a balance of not too old and not too new software. It also has a GNOME and a Plasma version (called Kubuntu), along with good support for Wayland.
Fedora
Flatpaks provide better package management compared to Ubuntu's Snaps, and you'll get newer software from the native repos. Just note that they'll also be the first to drop support for "older" software, but in that case, you can stick to the previous release until you're ready to transition since Fedora offers over a year of support.
Other distros such as Zorin and Pop!_OS are just different combinations of the above factors. Just make sure the distro you choose meet your software, hardware, and time-you're-willing-to-spend-on-it requirements before installing!
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