LXDE
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Use it if you're reviving an old PC or running a Raspberry Pi . it's free and extremely light.
New check
Comparison
LXDE vs Lubuntu
LXDE and Lubuntu both land on Worth it.
Lubuntu
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Use Lubuntu if you're reviving an old PC or want a fast, minimal Linux desktop for free.
| Compare | LXDE | Lubuntu |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Worth it | Worth it |
| Best for | Reviving old or low-RAM PCs | Reviving old or low-spec laptops |
| Who it's not for | Anyone wanting modern visuals . users call the icons dated | Anyone tied to Windows-only or macOS-only apps |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁷ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.13 |
| Support quality | Community-only; stale SourceForge pages return 404s. | No commercial support evidence found |
| Public sentiment | Reviewers consistently praise its speed and light memory usage but describe it as plain and unremarkable.³ | Users consistently praise Lubuntu's lightweight speed on old hardware, with only minor caveats about minimalism.14 |
| Biggest gotcha | No official security policy or advisories . patches depend on distro maintainers⁷ | Official site lacks a security page; you must track Ubuntu security updates yourself.12 |
Pick LXDE when
- Reviving old or low-RAM PCs
- Raspberry Pi and single-board computers
- Users wanting a minimal Linux desktop
- Distro builders needing low resource use
When LXDE is not a fit
- Anyone wanting modern visuals . users call the icons dated
- Windows/macOS users; Linux/Unix only
- Teams needing vendor support or SLAs
- Users expecting frequent updates . openSUSE lists it as legacy
Pick Lubuntu when
- Reviving old or low-spec laptops
- Lightweight everyday web and office use
- Budget-conscious Linux newcomers
- Minimalist setups
When Lubuntu is not a fit
- Anyone tied to Windows-only or macOS-only apps
- Businesses needing vendor support or SLAs
- Enterprise fleets requiring device management
- Users wanting a fully loaded desktop out of the box
Sources
- LXDE official sitelxde.orgofficial
- LXDE . Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgofficial
- The Linux desktop-a-week review: LXDEnetworkworld.comreview
- LXDE Review: Light as a Feathermaketecheasier.comreview
- LXDE: This Lightweight Distro Isn't Missing Muchlinuxinsider.comreview
- Please renew the ugly LXDE menu iconreddit.comreview
- lxde-icon-theme security overviewgithub.comsecurity
- LXDE SourceForge security page (404)lxde.sourceforge.netsecurity
- Archive: LXDE (Legacy Page) . openSUSEen.opensuse.orgofficial
- LXDE . Gentoo Wikiwiki.gentoo.orgofficial
- Lubuntu - The official Lubuntu homelubuntu.meofficial
- Lubuntu Security pagelubuntu.mesecurity
- Lubuntu.me Trust Score reviewgridinsoft.comsecurity
review
- Lubuntu 20.04 Review threadlinux.orgreview
- Lubuntu 11.10 review - Dedoimedodedoimedo.comreview