I stick with KDE (Kubuntu) after using GNOME, KDE Plasma, and Cinnamon. I think GNOME lack some settings available in KDE, KDE is the most customizable with a good default, and back then Cinnamon doesn't have Wayland that some of my apps, especially Waydroid, need. The only thing I hate about KDE is the wallet that keeps popping up by default. GNOME keyring is better IMO. I'm a heavy terminal user tho, for automation with bash script and easier copy-paste from Arch Wiki etc., so mb I not quite representative on DE.

I find the lack of a system tray in Gnome to be a problem. I need to know when my sync app is actively syncing, etc. Background applications disappear for the most part on Gnome and I don't like that.

I don't really like Gnome as a desktop interface. Not sure why but never really adapted well to it.

Love KDE and Cinnamon though. Probably because I was used to Windows interface for years before I started using Linux.

I like gnome because it’s a very clean, slick, and minimalist interface. it stays out of my way so I can use the tools I need to use. It’s very like macOS (in the way that KDE is like Windows). I also like its extensions.

I have also seen what’s coming up in GNOME 51, and I like the direction they’re going.

As far as I’m concerned, a DE should be a thin layer between me and my apps. In my experience, KDE is just “too much“.

I use KDE. I like that it doesn't fight my choices and actively supports customization. GNOME is too opinionated for me. They have a specific vision on what the desktop should be and that vision just doesn't jive with me.

KDE Plasma can be (and by default is) configured to work mostly like Windows, which I have to use at work anyway. I have no interest in having to do things radically differently on different computers I regularly use.

I prefer the customization and vibrancy of KDE. KDE is just so thoughtful and rich with features that I find really useful, the ease of use makes me not want to ever leave it. You can get it heavy or light, customize that install to your delight. Plasma just speaks to me. I can literally leave it alone and it still looks very appealing or go hard on it and make it truly customized with little effort. The quirks are mostly ironed out these days with the latest 6.7 update and that makes me really happy, it's starting to really feel like a mature DE.

GNOME is just there, breaking extensions with every major update, not doing much of anything (except recently they seem mildly concerned with adding QOL features in an upcoming major update). Still won't get me to use that DE though, I'd use feature rich WMs before GNOME. That is simply the way it is. GNOME just doesn't capture me based on its design, but this does not mean it is absolutely bad. Just a bit too minimal, bland, and inflexible for my tastes. I've used it for about 6 months (a fallback distro used GNOME) at a time during my distro-hopping days (doing my due diligence and figuring out was next for my machine). Not a good time for me, but I endured. ROFL At least until I landed on Garuda Linux and haven't left their KDE based editions.

I feel like KDE does a good job of making Linux accessible to Windows expats, but it works a bit too hard to be like Windows (albeit better). Meanwhile Gnome takes cues from macOS (disclaimer: I’m a Mac guy), but it’s not made to imitate macOS. They just share some UX points.

I prefer Gnome but KDE isn’t bad.

I stick with KDE because they actually listen to user feedback.

KDE. I can do damn near whatever I want with it.

Both my gaming PC and my laptop run LMDE 7 with KDE Plasma on top. However, they are set up very differently. My laptop is almost a 1:1 clone of Mac OS (dock at the bottom, taskbar up top, menus for programs show up in the task bar, etc), while my gaming PC is much more Windows-esque.

KDE here, haven't used Gnome much. I have pretty specific preferences and KDE meets them. I like a vertical task bar on the left side of the screen. Even if I have a ton of windows open, I can see them all at a glance and switch to them easily. I really hate the minimal taskbars of Windows 11 and MacOS. They look nice visually but they are so much less functional.

I get that Gnome has other ways of switching windows, and maybe it's habit more than anything else, but I want my damn task bar.

Knew about Linux back in 2006 with Ubuntu 5.10, it had Gnome 2 which at the moment was great.

But for some reason its devs decided they knew much more than their users about how to use a DE so they imposed a lot of groundbreaking changes so for a time (some months) I used Xfce and then moved to KDE like in 2009 or so (I think it was late 2008). At the time there was the KDE4 shitstorm but imho it was nothing compared to what Gnome 3 did (i.e. Plasma was way more customizable than now, there was stuff that never came back like window tabs and one-wallpaper-per-virtual-desktop things...).

All in all nowadays KDE is for me much more stable and suited to my day-to-day needs than Gnome 2, not to even speak about what Gnome 3 turned out to be.

However I reckon today's Gnome has evolved a lot since its 3.x days and I suppose it should be amazing for the people who happen to like its way to do things, it just happens it's not for me.

Kde Much prefer the settings Visually it also looks nicer by far but that's not really part of why I choose it.

I tried both, back and forth, but settled on GNOME. It didn't have the odd quirks Plasma did, and it is all cohesive like you'd expect a polished product this be like.

I also had one machine from 2010 with a celeron and GNOME was just faster at responding due to how it precaches stuff into memory.

i'm on mint but i use kde-standard just because i love being able to go into any option and picking get more themes. also love konsole more than gnome-terminal :3

plus sddm for login :3

I use gnome with a handful of plugins. I appreciate that it's cohesively designed and does a good job if staying out of my way.

With that said, I need those plugins and other tweaks to keep the other daft ideas from the gnome team at bay.

This is very personal and opinionated, but I just feel like Gnome isn’t going in the right direction. KDE Plasma feels vastly more modern.

Kde is my pick since I like the entire Qt ecosystem and many stuff is more customizable, while Gnome is less optimized for personal approaches.

It's been a looong time since I've tried KDE, but I've generally found that Gnome is better at keyboard only navigation and control, though maybe KDE has gotten better since I last tried it. I also just kinda despise anything that looks like a windows Start menu. It's irrational, I know, but it just seems embarrassing.

OTOH, I do like the idea of the customizability of Plasma, so maybe I'll give it a try some time.

Honestly needed the windows feel. Also, every update is something cool.

I use both but I like KDE more. I like that drag and drop files gives you the option to move or copy everytime.

kde is slightly better for gaming but I do like how gnome looks with some extensions

I hover between xfce and kde plasma. I liked the gnome 2 era, and loathe gnome 3. Of what's out there, xfce is really damned close. For what it's worth, kde before plasma I hated too. It's finally gotten to where I don't hate it.

I prefer GNOME but I just switched to Plasma for funsies LOL

Used Windows for most of my life and iOS at work for a while. When I finally made the switch to Linux last year I was very eager to try Gnome because it looked so sleek. Almost like iOS.

But it didn‘t feel like iOS at all. It felt exactly like the Linux stereotype. Like you have to subscribe to an entirely new lifestyle and way of doing things. I‘m not ready for that. Not when other operating systems are so much more intuitive.

I ditched it quickly and have happily used KDE Plasma since. I think it‘s much closer to the UX of „conventional“ operating systems like iOS. I want to use the console for some tasks but most of the time I just want menus, thanks.

I've been using my desktop environment for 10 years and now I'm accustomed to it?! I really don't think there's any other reason. They both work just fine. If I were up for something new, it'd probably not be either of them but some sleek tiling window manager I can operate entirely with the keyboard.

I like how KDE works. When I've tried GNOME / GNOME apps, I'm quickly frustrated by how overly simplified everything is, as well as how inconsistent some of the design is.

I like Gnome's philosophy of giving us the basic and if you need and want you add the functionalities that you are missing. I don't dislike Plasma but it has many features that I just don't need.

I use Gnome currently, but my interest to try Cosmic is growing very strong. If I'm not mistaken KDE and System76 partnered to promote a fix to multi-gpu systems. This is really good for my personal case where I use an eGPU. I'm missing those innovations in Gnome. Gnome nowadays is always one step behind. I'm afraid that they may start feel outdated in some point.

https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2026/07/31/fixing-multi-gpu.html

One day I'll have a new enough machine to run something besides Xfce