Top 10 Best Looking Linux Distros in 2024

Finding a perfect Linux distro with a visually pleasing aesthetic can not only overall enhance user experience but also satisfaction while working. But choosing the best looking Linux distro might be a hard decision to make as a lot of them are available. In this article, I will talk about the 10 best-looking Linux distros, with their features. Moreover, I will present a comparative analysis table among them so that you can get a comparable overview of them & which will help you to choose the best one.

Key Factors in Choosing the Best Looking Linux Distro

Some of the key factors that might influence your decision while choosing the best looking Linux distro as your Operating System are:

• Visual Style: Look for a distro that aligns with your preferred visual style, such as minimalist, modern, traditional, or unique.
• Default Theme: Evaluate the color scheme, icon set & overall design of the default theme.
• Customization Options: Some distros provide more customization options, allowing you to personalize the interface.
• Desktop Environment: Plays a significant role in the overall look of a distro. Different desktop environments have different design criteria and aesthetics. So choose one that aligns with your preference.
• Iconography: The choice of icons and fonts can significantly enhance the visual experience.
• User Experience: Along with the visual appearance consider a smooth and intuitive user experience.
• Community & Support: A larger community can provide assistance & resources, enhancing your overall experience with the distro.

10 Best Looking Linux Distros

In the following article, I will discuss the ten best looking Linux distros with their official download page link. Moreover, I will discuss their features explaining what they offer & how you can be benefitted while using them. So that this article helps you to choose the best-looking distro as your operating system.

1. Garuda

Garuda Linux is a rolling release Arch Linux-based distribution that aims to provide a feature-rich & user-friendly Linux experience. The multiple desktop options, pre-installed theme, and customization options with animations & effects have made Garuda one of the aesthetic-looking Linux distros.

Download Garuda

Click here to visit Garuda’s official download page.

Key Features of Garuda

• Multiple Desktop Environments: Garuda’s beauty comes with its default dark mode theme. Moreover, it provides multiple desktop environment options including KDE, Xfce, GNOME, LXQt, Wayfire, Qtile, Sway, etc.
• Pre-installed themes: A variety of pre-installed themes with bright colors, high-contrast design, and animated effects has made Garuda visually elegant.
• Design: Shell design & layout prioritize a GUI-friendly interface.
• Gaming & Multimedia: One of the best choices for gaming & multimedia task performances due to its Zen Kernel.

2. Pop!_OS

The Linux distro Pop!_OS is a popular choice due to its clean & modern interface that is both visually appealing & user-friendly. The GNOME desktop with a minimalist interface, and a variety of custom themes, icons, and wallpapers has made Pop!_OS one of the best-looking Linux distros.

Download Pop!_OS

Click here to visit Pop!_OS’s official download page.

Key Features of Pop!_OS

• GNOME desktop: Uses the GNOME desktop with a sleek & modern design. That provides a clean & minimalist interface.
• System76 hardware integration: Pop!_OS is optimized for System76 hardware, with drivers and tools that are designed specifically for Sytem76.
• Flatpak support: Includes support for Flatpak, which allows users to easily install and manage a wide range of applications.
• Pop Shell: A tiling window manager that provides a more efficient way to manage windows and applications.
• Gaming-Focused: With optimized graphics driver and tools, Pop!_OS provides built-in support for gaming.

3. Elementary OS

It is a popular Linux distribution that aims to provide a user-friendly, fast, visually appealing operating system for desktops and laptops. As an Ubuntu-based Linux distro, it’s fully customizable.

Download Elementary OS

Click here to visit Elementary OS’s official download page.

Key Features of Elementary OS

• Animations and effects: Elementary OS uses a range of subtle animations and effects to enhance users’ experience with elegance.
• Pantheon Desktop environment: A clean & intuitive interface that includes a dock, a customizable sidebar, and a search for finding things.
• AppCentre: A centralized app store makes it easy to download & install new applications.
• Privacy: Includes app firewall, privacy mode to disable tracking, & a tool for encrypting files.
• Freya & Loki: These are two major releases of Elementary OS, where Freya was released in 2015 based on Ubuntu 14.04 & Loki in 2016, based on Ubuntu 16.04.

4. Zorin OS

One of the key features of Zorin OS is its focus on aesthetics. The OS includes a variety of custom themes, icons, and wallpapers that help users easily switch between these themes according to their preferences. Ubuntu-based Zorin has several editions including a Lite version for older hardware, a Core version with basic features & an Ultimate version with additional software & customization options.

Download Zorin OS

Click here to visit Zorin OS’s official download page.

Key Features of Zorin OS

• Zorin Appearance: Includes a built-in tool called “Zorin Appearance” that allows users to easily customize the look of their desktop. This tool offers a range of pre-installed themes, icons, and fonts. Moreover, it gives the option to download additional themes from the internet.
• Zorin Desktop: Uses a customized version of the GNOME desktop environment, which includes a range of visual enhancements including a start menu, a taskbar, and a system tray with notification & system settings.
• Windows-like Interface: Zorin comes with a customizable user interface that resembles Windows, making it an easy transition for users switching from Windows.
• Software Availability: Has a large software repository of over 60,000 packages for installation. Moreover, it includes Wine, a compatibility layer that allows some Windows applications to run on Linux.
• Software Requirements: It has relatively low system requirements.

5. Fedora

The Fedora Linux distro is developed by the Fedora project. While Fedora does not have a specific ‘look’ or design philosophy, it is designed to be highly customizable and allows users to create a desktop environment that suits their preferences & needs. Anyway, the default desktop environment of Fedora is GNOME & default user interface is GNOME Shell.

Download Fedora

Click here to visit Fedora’s official download page.

Key Features of Fedora

• GNOME desktop: The default desktop environment of Fedora is a modern designed GNOME.
• Updated themes & icons: Updates its default themes and icons to provide a fresh and contemporary look.
• Fedora Workstation Spin: Offers a dedicated Fedora Workstation Spin that includes additional software and tools.
• Customization Options: Allows users to customize their desktop environment.
• Attention to detail: Developers put effort into improving small details to ensure a smooth and visually appealing experience.

6. Deepin

Deepin is a Linux distribution that originated in China and is based on the Debian “Stable” branch. It is known for its elegant and modern desktop environment and various user-friendly features.

Download Deepin

Click here to visit Deepin’s official download page.

Key Features of Deepin

• Modern desktop environment: Features a modern visually appealing & easy to use desktop environment.
• Cloud integration: Includes a range of cloud-based features and tools, such as deepin Cloud Sync, that allows user to sync their files and settings across devices.
• Multimedia support: Supports a wide range of multimedia formats and codecs.
• International support: Deepin has been translated into many languages, making it accessible to users around the world.

7. KDE Neon

KDE Plasma is an elegant-looking desktop environment. The KDE Neon is often considered to be one of the best-looking KDE plasma Linux distros because of its use of the Breeze icon theme that gives the system a polished & unified look.

Download KDE Neon

Click here to visit KDE Neon’s official download page.

Key Features of KDE Neon

• KDE Plasma desktop: KDE Neon features the KDE Plasma desktop environment that provides a visually attractive & highly customizable interface.
• Breeze theme: By default, it uses the Breeze theme to provide a clean and modern look.
• Desktop effects: Includes a variety of desktop effects, such as smooth animations, window transparency, and interactive elements.
• High-quality icons & widgets: Offers a selection of high-quality icons & widgets to provide a visually appealing experience.

8. Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition

The popular Linux Mint edition is the Linux Mint Cinnamon which is a simple, elegant, & stable distro with a clean & perfect desktop look. It is based on the GNOME 3 desktop environment but has a more traditional look and feel, with a taskbar and menu that are similar to those in Windows. Thus, this edition is perfect for all users, especially for new users who switch from Windows.

Download Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition

Click here to visit Linux Mint’s official download page to get the Cinnamon edition.

Key Features of Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition

• Cinnamon desktop: Features the Cinnamon desktop environment, which provides a classic & familiar interface.
• Easy User Interface: Offers a user-friendly interface.
• Mint-Y theme: Includes the Mint-Y theme by default, which offers a clean and elegant visual style.
• Visual coherence: Focuses on maintaining a consistent vision throughout the system.

9. Nitrux OS

Nitrux OS  is a Linux distribution that is known for its modern & visually appealing design. It uses the custom-built desktop environment Nomad which is based on KDE Plasma & designed to be lightweight & user-friendly.

Download Nitrux OS

Click here to visit Nitrux’s official page to download the OS.

Key Features of Nitrux OS

• NX Desktop: Features its own custom desktop environment called NX desktop. It provides a unique & modern design.
• Material design: Embraces the Material Design aesthetic, which is specified by bold colors, clean lines, and minimalist design elements.
• Iconography: Includes its own icon sets called “NX” or “Nitrux icons”. These icons are designed to give a unified look across the system.
• Visual consistency: Maintains a visually consistent experience throughout the operating system.

10. Manjaro KDE Plasma

Manjaro Linux is an Arch Linux-based popular Linux distribution. It is designed to be easy to use and accessible for new users, while still providing the power and flexibility of Arch Linux. The KDE Plasma desktop environment makes it one of the best KDE Plasma Linux distros. It is visually appealing with its modern design, a variety of custom themes, icons & customizable interface.

Download Manjaro

Click here to visit Manjaro’s official download page to get the KDE Plasma desktop.

Key Features of Manjaro

• KDE Plasma desktop: Features the KDE Plasma desktop environment.
• Visual effects: Provides different animations, vibrant icons & themes.
• Rolling release: Manjaro is a rolling release distribution, which means that users get the latest updates and packages regularly.
• Arch Linux compatibility: Based on Arch Linux, which means it is compatible with the Arch User Repository (AUR) & can use many of the same software packages as Arch Linux.
• Package management: Manjaro uses the ‘Pacman’ package manager, which is a powerful and flexible tool for managing software packages on Linux.

Comparative Analysis of Best Looking Linux Distros

To get a comprehensive and comparative overview of the ten best-looking distributions that have been discussed in this article, kindly go through the following table:

However, note that info on these distros may vary in accordance with different distro flavors and versions.

Conclusion

In this article, I tried talking about some of the best-looking Linux distros. When you are thinking about owning a visually pleasing distro, you also have to consider several things to see how your system can be compatible with your OS, and give you the best user experience. As there are many of them available to choose from, you will get comparative ideas of them from this article.

People Also Ask

What is the nicest looking Linux distro?

One Linux distribution that is famous for its visual appeal is Elementary OS. It has a clean and elegant design that also has simplicity & is easy to use. Some other beautiful Linux distros are Zorin OS, Deepin, Garuda, Manjaro, Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition, Nitrux, etc.

What is the most modern looking Linux distro?

One Linux distribution that is considered to have a modern look is Fedora. It has a clean GNOME desktop focusing on the latest technologies & features. Another distro known for its modern look is Pop!_OS, which offers a custom interface, a sleek & modern design with a dark color scheme & plenty of visual effects. Moreover, Manjaro is another modern-looking distro.

Which Linux OS is fastest?

Some of the fastest Linux distros are Absolute Linux, Arch Linux, Linux Lite, Puppy Linux, Lubuntu, antiX Linux, Xubuntu, MX Linux, etc. They are considered faster due to their lightweight, faster boot & processing time, minimal installation, and Kernel optimization.

What is the smoothest Linux?

There are several Linux distributions that are known for their smoothness including Linux Mint, which is based on Ubuntu & offers a more traditional desktop interface. Another one is Manjaro which is based on Arch Linux & designed to be more accessible & user-friendly.

Which is the best KDE Plasma distro?

Some of the best KDE Plasma Linux distros are KDE Neon, Kubuntu, Fedora KDE Edition, Manjaro KDE Edition, Nitrux, etc. These are also beginner-friendly. Some advanced KDE distros are Arch Linux, EndeavourOS, KaOS, etc.

What is KDE neon used for?

KDE Neon offers two different versions of the Operating System. The first one is User Edition, which is the stable version for everyday use. Another one is the Testing Edition, which is for testers and those who want the latest and greatest KDE Plasma environment.  The second edition provides rolling updates & cutting-edge features.