Cinnamon vs. Mate vs. XFCE: The Best Linux Mint Edition
Linux Mint is one of the plenty of accessible Linux distros that you can avail today. It attained this by blending the correct amount of incurable safekeeping via an wealth of high-attribute implementations. This post will most noticeably pit three of the plenty of newfangled Linux Mint Versions: Cinnamon, Comrade, and XFCE against each other to help you discern which is the faultless for you.
- Cinnamon vs. Comrade vs. XFCE: Linux Mint Quickly Comparison
- What Is Linux Mint Cinnamon?
- What Is Linux Mint Comrade?
- What Is Linux Mint XFCE?
- Contrasting Linux Mint Cinnamon vs. Comrade vs. XFCE
- Last Verdict: What is the Ideal Linux Mint Version?
Cinnamon vs. Comrade vs. XFCE: Linux Mint Quickly Comparison
Style | Cinnamon | Comrade | XFCE |
---|---|---|---|
Overall Interface | Streamlined and modern-day | Low-pivot and normal | Crucial and stark |
Customizability | Comes via a hodgepodge of pre-manufactured notions by default. | Has some selections but are low to the defaults. | Has some selections but is low to the defaults. |
3rd-Party Extensions Stabilize | Usages Spiceworks, its own extensions structure. | None. However, “Comrade Tweak Tool” permits you to okay song the desktop’s default antiques. | None. Lengthening the desktop telephone calls for you to mount thirdly-party apps. |
Default Apps | The desktop environment acquires stable amenities and safekeeping updates. | Comes via an occupational void suite and multimedia regimen. | Comes via an occupational void suite and multimedia regimen. |
Simplify Regularity | The desktop environment acquires stable facility and safekeeping updates. | The desktop environment acquires infrequent safekeeping updates. | The desktop environment acquires infrequent safekeeping updates. |
Stoic of Consumption | Wildly simple to service also for new computer users. | Has desktop antiques that are familiar to added seasoned users. | Lean desktop antiques can be tricky for new users. |
Resource Intake | Consumes roughly 1-1.1 GB of RAM on still and confiscates 8-10 seconds to temperature level boot. | Consumes roughly 700-800 MB of RAM on still and confiscates 6 seconds to temperature level boot. | Consumes roughly 600-700 MB of RAM on still and confiscates 4 seconds to temperature level boot. |
What Is Linux Mint Cinnamon?
Linux Mint Cinnamon is the homegrown flagship version of the Mint job. Initially glance, it lends a unspoiled and highly responsive interface that is both simple to realize and service. This renders Cinnamon eye-recording to new users that are glimpsing for a tiptop “package and fail to remember” distro that you can promptly learn how to service.

Besides that, Cinnamon better owns Spiceworks which lends a strategy to build and mount thirdly-party addons to its base desktop environment. These hodgepodge from simple notions to copious extensions that can bolster how the desktop jobs. As a output, the Cinnamon desktop is faultless if you pain to okay-song your environment to your computing needs.
Ultimately, Cinnamon is better at the center of desktop innovation. It is one of the few diligent desktops that initiated transmitting to Wayland from Xorg. While the initially reports are already suggesting, Cinnamon Wayland is still under heavy innovation. As such, making service of Cinnamon Wayland as a daily desktop can output in changeableness and going beyond updates
Pros
- Feature-manufactured for the Linux Mint distro
- Copious thirdly-party extensions buttress
- Has initially Wayland buttress
Disadvantages
- Can have an aberrant simplify that respites your desktop
- Comes via a wealth of tools that you may not last offer
- Consumes the majority of mechanism sources on still
Study out our extensive review of Cinnamon.
What Is Linux Mint Comrade?
Linux Mint Comrade is a developer-sustained version of Mint that lends a stable system for users. To equip this occupational, the programmers made this version to be a understandable and utilitarian desktop teeming via tools for day-to-day computing.

At its core, Linux Mint Comrade doesn’t purpose to be an “eye candy” mechanism. This sentiment is plenty of evident in the version’s deficiency of thirdly-party contain-ons and expansion buttress.
That said, these holdups impart Comrade an edge over the price and wrap up amount strength, making it an intriguing mechanism for users that pain a “most noticeably no-dins” tools thathave unanimously the regimen for easy jobs.
Pros
- Lends a stable computing system
- Usages a normal desktop perfunctory familiar to plenty of users
- Has a helpful tweak gizmo for slight GUI modifications
Disadvantages
- Scarcities extensions and plugin buttress
- Modernizes are few and far between for the desktop environment
- Doesn’t have a dependable fractional scaling buttress
Study our extensive review of Comrade.
What Is Linux Mint XFCE?
Linux Mint XFCE is a developer-sustained version of Mint that earns every exertion to be a lightweight holistic to modern-day desktop ambiences. Polymorphous the others, XFCE prioritizes compatibility via lower-expire hardware. For instance, it can rushed on gadgets via as minuscule as 800 MB of RAM.

This emphasis on optimization methods that Linux Mint XFCE can be barebones on both amenities and default apps. This methods that retrieving the mechanism you pain may call for making service of the mechanism’s package supervisor to mount lacking out on regimen.
While it may be clunky, this extent of convenience renders Linux Mint XFCE a sweet base for a behavior desktop. As such, it’s the faultless mechanism for power users that pain to build their behavior environment without launching from scratch.
Pros
- Runs on basically any hardware for minuscule to most noticeably no sources
- Can be a sweet base for behavior desktop ambiences
- Comes via a simple and easy interface
Disadvantages
- Doesn’t have the plenty of intriguing desktop sift
- Doesn’t have an extensive recovery menu
- Default amenities can be lacking
Study our extensive review of XFCE.
Contrasting Linux Mint Cinnamon vs. Comrade vs. XFCE
Currently that we’ve made an pointer on what each Linux Mint version can lend, we’re presently acquiring entailed in contrast them against each other. To bring out this, we’ll sift at the parts that equip upward a sweet desktop environment.
Cinnamon vs. Comrade
In specification of appearances and recovery, Cinnamon blows the normal-glimpsing Comrade desktop out of the marine. The scheme of its centralized and modern-day interface via an wealth of behavior notions renders Cinnamon the more discussed selection if you’re glimpsing for a tiptop mechanism.

Cinnamon better confiscates the cake for extensibility. Cinnamon’s Spiceworks permits programmers to build thirdly-party amenities that permit expire users to sculpt and represent their desktops. At unchanged time, Comrade’s “Tweak Tool” can singular adjustment already existent antiques in the Comrade desktop.

For updates, Cinnamon users may go to a added stable stream of updates for their desktop, while Comrade users will most noticeably plenty of probable singular avail safekeeping updates. Both editions are better simple to service since they service antiques normal to modern-day OSes.
That said, Cinnamon’s amenities have its price. At still, the desktop runs at a substantial 1 GB of RAM via most noticeably no added apps. A far shout from the 750-800 MB that Comrade runs on by itself.
Sweet to realised: XFCE is not the singular lightweight desktop that you can avail in Linux. Uncover how XFCE tons upward against LXDE, an holistic lightweight desktop.
Cinnamon vs. XFCE
Simply guidance via Comrade, Cinnamon places XFCE to bed via its modern-day and centralized sift. However, Mint XFCE can be added tailor-maked if you realised the command blather upward. The XFCE desktop is one of the faultless ambiences if you’re glimpsing to build your own behavior desktop.
Extensibility is the moniker of the arcade via XFCE. While it doesn’t have a elaborate structure, its minimal setup permits it to coexist via behavior panels from other ambiences. Meanwhile, Cinnamon needs a added inflexible desktop in ordinance to equip its interface and extensions simple to service for casual users.

The Cinnamon version usually acquires added updates compared to XFCE. This is provided that the programmers of Linux Mint are better designing the Cinnamon desktop. That said, rushing XFCE will most noticeably still ensure that your tools acquires stable safekeeping updates.
Resource monitoring is the weakest factor of Cinnamon and this is transparent once you contrast it to a lightweight environment guidance XFCE. On still, XFCE singular consumes roughly 600-700 MB.
Comrade vs. XFCE
Between Comrade and XFCE, Comrade is the transparent selection for wrap up amount appearances and customizability. Its service of normal desktop antiques and the amount of recovery selections equip it simple for casual users that pain to contain simple tweaks to their desktops.

That said, XFCE renders upward for its deficiency of recovery selections via its extensibility. Compared to Comrade, it’s simple to mount behavior window managers that can fundamentally adjustment how your desktop jobs.
In specification of updates, both Comrade and XFCE retrieve infrequent safekeeping updates for their desktop ambiences. Aside from that, both editions hearken Cinnamon’s takeoff cycle for their package databases.
With observances to source monitoring, XFCE sides out Comrade by consuming roughly 100-200 MB much less RAM once rushing on still. To contain to that, XFCE better numbers previously from a temperature level boot compared to Comrade.
Pointer: situate out the distinctions between a window supervisor and a desktop environment.
Last Verdict: What is the Ideal Linux Mint Version?
At the expire of the day, determining the correct Linux Mint Version is a consumer selection. Each version comes via its own inimitable long lives but each better owns their gazing threats.
Consumption Linux Mint Cinnamon
- As shortly as you are glimpsing for a “modern-day-glimpsing” Linux mechanism.
- As shortly as you pain a blood loss-edge desktop via ceaseless updates.
- As shortly as you pain to service thirdly-party extensions on your desktop.
Consumption Linux Mint Comrade
- As shortly as you pain a “most noticeably no-dins” mechanism that merely jobs.
- As shortly as you pain a mechanism that doesn’t retrieve going beyond updates.
- As shortly as you are glimpsing for a “normal-glimpsing” Linux mechanism.
Consumption Linux Mint XFCE
- As shortly as you pain to rushed Linux Mint on senior hardware.
- As shortly as you pain to construct your own behavior desktop.
- As shortly as you last offer a rapid and responsive mechanism.
Choosing the correct Linux Mint Version is merely the initially interfere trying out the vast and inconsonant planet of Linux. Uncover some of the faultless software in Linux that you can mount today.
Image credit history: Jonathan Ybema via Unsplash and Wikimedia Commons (1, 2, 3). With one voice alterations and screenshots by Ramces Red.