Enlightenment AlternativesDesktop Environments & Window Managers like Enlightenment

Enlightenment is described as 'Window Manager, Compositor and Minimal Desktop for Linux (the primary platform), BSD and any other compatible UNIX system' and is a popular desktop environment in the os & utilities category. There are more than 25 alternatives to Enlightenment for a variety of platforms, including Linux, BSD, Windows, Wayland and FreeBSD apps. The best Enlightenment alternative is KDE Plasma, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Enlightenment are GNOME, Xfce, Cinnamon and Noctalia.

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Alternatives
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Alternatives list

  1. KDE Plasma icon

    KDE Plasma

     514 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.

    31 KDE Plasma alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • postmarketOS
    • openSUSE
    • Arch Linux
    • Fedora
    • FreeBSD
    • SteamOS
    • Wayland
    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU
    A typical Plasma desktop looks like this
    Good alternative?
     
  2. GNOME icon

    GNOME

     524 likes

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

    32 GNOME alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • US flagUnited States
    GNOME 40
    Good alternative?
     
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  4. Xfce icon

    Xfce

     386 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.

    31 Xfce alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU
    Xfce 4.14
    Good alternative?
     
  5. Cinnamon icon

    Cinnamon

     207 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

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • IE flagIreland
    • European Union flagEU
    Cinnamon 4.2
    Good alternative?
     
  6. Noctalia icon

    Noctalia

     19 likes

    Noctalia is a beautiful, minimal desktop shell for Wayland built with Quickshell. It’s designed with a “quiet by design” philosophy, providing a complete desktop experience that stays out of your way.

    38 Noctalia alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Noctalia screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  8. LXQt icon

    LXQt

     58 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 .

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • TW flagTaiwan
    LXQt screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  9. COSMIC icon

    COSMIC

     30 likes

    COSMIC is the name for the main shell components in Pop_Shell.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • US flagUnited States
    COSMIC screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  10. MATE icon

    MATE

     146 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
    • Global
    MATE screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  11. LXDE icon

    LXDE

     124 likes

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

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • TW flagTaiwan
    Screenshot of the LXDE desktop. It's simple, lightweight, fast, modern, internationalized, and standard-compliant.
    Good alternative?
     
  12. Budgie icon

    Budgie

     47 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

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Global
    A screenshot of the Budgie desktop running on Solus Linux. The Budgie settings manager is on the right, made specifically to customize the desktop. The rest of the settings are handled by the Gnome settings manager.
    Good alternative?
     
  13. Cairo Shell icon

    Cairo Shell

     53 likes

    Cairo is a desktop environment for Windows. Its goal is to develop a desktop experience that increases productivity and advances current technology standards.

    39 Cairo Shell alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • US flagUnited States
    Cairo Shell screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  14. Kera Desktop icon

    Kera Desktop

     10 likes

    An easy, pleasant, speedy, and exciting way to use your favorite OS.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    Kera Desktop screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
12 of 27 Enlightenment alternatives