Kubuntu vs. Fedora KDE: Which KDE Plasma distro is right for you?

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Highlights taken by ZDNET

• Both Kubuntu and Fedora KDE use the KDE Plasma desktop.
• Each distribution takes a different approach to the desktop.
• One of these may have an edge for new users.

KDE Plasma won me over. It’s as sleek, smooth, fast, and stable as any desktop on the market. On top of all that, it has features that other desktops only dream of, including KDE Tasks, KRunner, Window Rules, and KDE Connect.

But if you’re going to try KDE Plasma, you’ll find several distributions that offer an open source desktop. Which one should you try?

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In my opinion, two distributions stand out for newcomers to KDE Plasma or Linux: Ubuntu and Fedora KDE. Considering that both distributions default to the KDE Plasma desktop, you can expect them to be, for the most part, the same. They are not like that. And I’m here to help you choose.

Personality: What is it and for whom?

Kubuntu is basically Ubuntu with KDE Plasma desktop. That means you get all the user-friendliness of Ubuntu (like the APT package manager, Snap packages, and big default repositories), but instead of the GNOME desktop made by Ubuntu, you get KDE Plasma.

Easy, right? Kind of.

Kubuntu delivers KDE Plasma in a way that makes it clear who it’s for: new (or novice) Linux users. Even on the first boot, you get two desktop launchers: one named How-To Guides and the other Kubuntu Websites. (These launchers open the default browser (Firefox) for those relevant sites.)

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The look and feel of Kubuntu is based on the past quite a bit; it’s kind of Windows 7-ish, with a scrolling bottom panel, a standard desktop menu, and a default theme that’s a mix of dark and light. To my eye, Kubuntu’s appearance is not as modern as you would expect from KDE Plasma, but I suspect that’s on purpose, to avoid scaring off new users.

And that’s the heart and soul of Kubuntu: it’s about bringing new users into the fold. This spin understands that the default Ubuntu desktop doesn’t appeal to the average user, while KDE Plasma does.

Kubuntu does its best to hold your hand through every step of the process, from installing the OS to using it.

Kubuntu’s pre-installed applications

Kubuntu comes with a standard set of pre-installed applications. You’ll find Firefox, LibreOffice, Thunderbird, KDE Connect, Remmina (for remote desktop communication), Elisa (music player), Haruna (multimedia player), and standard KDE utilities (like the Kate text editor).

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Kubuntu not only includes the KDE Discover app store, but also the Synaptic package manager and a menu entry labeled Manage Software. Click on that entry (from the System menu), and a pop-up will appear asking if you’d like to open KDE Discover or Synaptic. If you’re new to Linux and KDE Plasma, ignore Synaptic; KDE Discover is a very user-friendly option.

To my surprise, Snap is not enabled by default in KDE Discover. Snap is included, but out of the box, you’ll have to run it from the command line. When I went to enable it in KDE Discover > Settings > Snap, I found that (for some reason) it refused. Because of this, I chose to enable Flatpak. To do that, I went to KDE Discover > Settings > Find – “Flatpak backend” and clicked Install.

Once the Flatpak backend was installed, I restarted the system and was able to enable Flathub and install apps using the universal package manager.

Who is Kubuntu?

As you can imagine, Kubuntu is perfect for those new to Linux and/or KDE Plasma. This Ubuntu spin goes out of its way to make using the KDE Plasma desktop much easier than you might expect.

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On the other hand, if you want a modern, out-of-the-box experience, Kubuntu is not for you. I found the look and feel of Kubuntu to be a little underwhelming. The good news is, it’s KDE Plasma, so it doesn’t take long to customize it to better suit your tastes.

Fedora KDE: What is it and who is it for?

Fedora KDE takes a different approach to the desktop. It goes all in with a sleek, elegant desktop that assumes you know what you’re doing.

And because this is based on Fedora, you get up-to-date software and regular upgrades. After installing Fedora KDE, I had to run the upgrade process (which required a reboot) four times. After the fourth upgrade/reboot, it finally decided it was up to date (for now), so I went to work.

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The look and feel of Fedora KDE is much more modern than Ubuntu, and I’m all for it. Fedora KDE looks similar to what KDE Plasma should, right down to the floating panel.

Fedora software pre-installed

Similar to Kubuntu, Fedora KDE gives you everything you need out of the box. You’ll find Firefox, LibreOffice, KMail, KDE Connect, Dragon Player (videos), Elisa (music), Kamoso (webcam), KolourPaint, and the usual KDE utilities.

Open KDE Discover, and you’ll find that Flatpak is enabled by default, but that the Flathub repo is not. If you want to install proprietary apps like Slack and Spotify, you’ll need to enable Flathub by going to Discover > Settings > Add Flathub. Once you’ve added Flathub, you’ll find tons of apps to install.

Both Kubuntu and Fedora KDE ship with KDE Plasma 6.6.4, but Fedora KDE has the edge because it also ships with KDE Frameworks 6.25, while Kubuntu ships with 6.24. KDE Frameworks is a collection of libraries and software frameworks that allow developers to build applications. It’s not a big deal for casual users, but developers will appreciate the difference between the versions.

My guess​​​​ is that Fedora KDE will also get the next major version of the desktop (6.7) before Kubuntu does.

Who is Fedora KDE?

Fedora KDE is for those who want a modern, elegant take on the KDE Plasma desktop, without spending a lot of time customizing it (although you can). And for those who want the latest software releases. However, there is one exception here. While Kubuntu ships with LibreOffice version 26.2.2.2, Fedora KDE ships with version 26.2.1.2. That surprised me, because Fedora is considered a “leading” distribution, meaning it usually gets software updates faster than others.

Here’s one surprise: installing Fedora KDE is much easier (and more modern) than Ubuntu. That’s not to say that installing Kubuntu is challenging (it’s not), but if you’re looking for an easy way to install Linux, Fedora KDE is the way to go.

Which distro is right for you?

The answer to this question is more difficult than usual because of the mixed bag of new and old. With Fedora KDE having such an easy installation, you’d think I’d be inclined to recommend it over Kubuntu for new users. But seeing how easy Kubuntu installation is and every distribution feels geared towards new users, I have to say that if you’re new to Linux (and thus KDE Plasma), then Kubuntu, hands down, is the way to go.

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If, on the other hand, you want the best distribution that provides you with a modern looking desktop, Fedora KDE is for you.

The truth is, any of these desktop distributions can be a good choice for you, no matter how much Linux you know.