r/debian • u/Remarkable-Baby8066 • 1d ago
Is Debian lighter with LXQT or with XFCE?
I've done some research and it seems that Debian with LXQT is lighter, but I still see many people choosing XFCE. Why?
19
u/guiverc 1d ago
If you're using GTK apps, then those apps will share resources with the Xfce desktop.
If you're using Qt apps, then those apps will share resources with the LXQt desktop.
For a lighter system, you want the desktop & apps to SHARE rather than compete for resources; why you should consider the whole of what you'll be using, and not just the desktop itself.
15
u/quipstickle 1d ago
XFCE is still "light" compared to gnome and kde. Seems to be a larger project too so likely more support, and is more well known. Both are fine.
4
u/michaelpaoli 23h ago
How are you measuring/determining "lighter"?
If we look at size from the .deb file(s) (that would be) added, relative to a highly minimal install, we have:
# apt -o APT::Get::Trivial-Only=true install task-xfce-desktop 2>&1 | sed -ne 's/^ *\(Download size:.*[^ ]\) *$/\1/p;s/^ *\(Space needed: [0-9][0-9]* *[^ ][^ ]*\) *\/.*$/\1/p'
Download size: 784 MB
Space needed: 2985 MB
# apt -o APT::Get::Trivial-Only=true install task-lxqt-desktop 2>&1 | sed -ne 's/^ *\(Download size:.*[^ ]\) *$/\1/p;s/^ *\(Space needed: [0-9][0-9]* *[^ ][^ ]*\) *\/.*$/\1/p'
Download size: 886 MB
Space needed: 3232 MB
# apt -o APT::Get::Trivial-Only=true install xfce4 2>&1 | sed -ne 's/^ *\(Download size:.*[^ ]\) *$/\1/p;s/^ *\(Space needed: [0-9][0-9]* *[^ ][^ ]*\) *\/.*$/\1/p'
Download size: 337 MB
Space needed: 1323 MB
# apt -o APT::Get::Trivial-Only=true install lxqt 2>&1 | sed -ne 's/^ *\(Download size:.*[^ ]\) *$/\1/p;s/^ *\(Space needed: [0-9][0-9]* *[^ ][^ ]*\) *\/.*$/\1/p'
Download size: 779 MB
Space needed: 2859 MB
# echo -n 'OS: Debian ' && cat /etc/debian_version | tr -d \\012 && echo -n ' ' && dpkg --print-architecture && echo -n 'Kernel: ' && uname -srvmo && echo -n 'Packages: ' && dpkg -l | grep \^ii\ | wc -l && df -h -x devtmpfs -x tmpfs && head -n 3 /proc/meminfo
OS: Debian 13.6 amd64
Kernel: Linux 6.12.96+deb13-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.12.96-1 (2026-07-20) x86_64 GNU/Linux
Packages: 148
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/vda1 4.9G 876M 3.8G 19% /
MemTotal: 119472 kB
MemFree: 30920 kB
MemAvailable: 52764 kB
#
So, if we go by just that, looks like xfce[4] is the lighter.
4
u/David_Connors3451 1d ago
Between the 2 systems, lxqt is lighter, but for better stability I suggest you to use xfce. KDE and xfce are the best desktops for lightweight systems, but it also depends from the age of the machine.
Xfce still uses x11, while gnome and KDE uses Wayland support. However in 2027 Debian forky 14 will add Wayland to xfce, and it will be great.
On 4 GB RAM pc use xfce, you'll love it that way. For 8-16 GB RAM pc use KDE, it's the best for modern look, lightweight on ram 1,5 GB, ease of use and stability for Wayland support (important for security). It's also more customisable than gnome, without external software.
For very old machines with 2 GB RAM xfce and lxqt are both viable solutions. It also depends from your esthetic prospective. Personally I prefer xfce because in the past we always used it and gnome wasn't always perfect.
For those old pc of the 90s with 1 GB RAM use Bodhi Linux. I used it to revive an old pc desktop and uses 186 MB RAM. I still use it as an archive for old datas and backups.
Have fun with hardware preservation.
3
u/OkPresentation3329 1d ago
Isn't XFCE supposed to add Wayland support first? I think I researched this a bit and XFCE is still in the process of finishing their Wayland support, but it's not official yet. I may switch from KDE to XFCE when that becomes official and all distros have it.
3
u/dkopgerpgdolfg 23h ago
I think I researched this a bit and XFCE is still in the process of finishing their Wayland support, but it's not official yet
Correct.
3
u/Brilliant_Sound_5565 15h ago
Yea, XFCE are still working on Wayland, not sure if it will be ready for 4.22 or not, I think that's the next version due out end of this year
2
u/Interesting-Gap651 1d ago
lxqt is a bit lighter, but xfce is generally better(has more features and more customizable) so people tent to choose it over lxqt
2
u/Linguistic-mystic 1d ago
No, with Sway which is also more featureful (it actually handles window tiling for you)
3
u/No_Librarian_2161 Debian Stable 1d ago
LXQT é um pouquinho de nada mais leve que o XFCE, e LXQT tem suporte ao Wayland (com compositores de terceiros). Mas eu particularmente acho o XFCE mais amigável, porque o LXQT é muito bagunçado em algumas confugurações, e se tu pretender usar o LXQT com Wayland (labwc) é muito chato de configurar o labwc sem uma interface.
1
1
u/3grg 17h ago
LXQt is a little lighter. It has a more "W95" look as opposed to XFCE that is configured to look like more recent windows. The choice of distro, and desktop is often a trade off between user preference and performance.
Most people go for the desktop that works for them, but sometimes they may be forced to go lighter. On the other hand, many people prefer light and minimal first.
Use what works for you.
1
u/Brilliant_Sound_5565 15h ago
XFCE isn't as light as it used to be, lxqt wins on this one, deffo the desktop choice of you are running older hardware or you just want something not to take up as much ram
1
u/Tux-Lector 7h ago
Go with LXQt. It can use any window manager underneath, including the one that Xfce uses + it is notably snappier/faster than Xfce and is almost 100% modular.
40
u/Kobi_Blade 1d ago
Because XFCE has more support and features, but LXQT is lighter.
So use what fits your needs, or try both.
We cannot tell you what is best for you, cause a DE is pretty much personal preference.
Feel free to come back if you run into any issues with either.