When comparing Pantheon vs Ubuntu Budgie, the Slant community recommends Ubuntu Budgie for most people. In the question“What are the best UNIX-like desktop environments with high DPI support for retina displays?” Ubuntu Budgie is ranked 7th while Pantheon is ranked 10th. The most important reason people chose Ubuntu Budgie is:
Good interface on Budgie and a great approach on Ubuntu.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Simple, clean aesthetic
Nonintrusive and easy to overview workspace.
Pro Lightweight
Pantheon is light on system resources, giving it the advantage of being able run well on a multitude of setups.
Pro Looks amazing
Looks absolutely amazing. Very nice to use. Amazing UX.
Pro Smooth, subtle animations
Nearly everything is animated, but it's not over the top.
Pro Splitting and animations
Switching between workspaces is fluid, pulling up the workspace preview bumps up the rest of the desktop, open windows show up on the switcher along with larger icons, and everything is subtly animated. You have two windows taking each half the screen by dragging to corners.
Pro Highly modular
While built to be integrated, Pantheon is also highly modular. Shell components like the Panel, Dock, and app launcher can be swapped out with limited repercussions.
Pro Great for minimalists
Although you cannot put icons on desktop, it comes with very low number of pre-installed softwares.
Pro Perfect for chromebook
It's light and easy.
Pro Slick, smooth desktop environment
Easy to use and easy to configure, there is almost nothing that the developers did not think of to creat a top-notch user experience.
Pro User-friendly interface
Good interface on Budgie and a great approach on Ubuntu.
Pro Nightshift
Ubuntu Mate doesn’t have this and it’s really easy on the eyes when working at night.
Pro Minimal installation gives a new look and feel to what a reliable Os should be
LibreOffice may be exploited and used to attack you but a minimal installation keeps the stalkers at bay.
Pro Improved Wifi stability with update
Improved wifi stability with 5.15 update.
Pro Additional themes
No need for external theme sources that may affect how you use your OS. All your favorite distributions can be mimicked.
Pro Safe updates
Updates are stable so far.
Cons
Con Poor reputation among Linux users
The whole Elementary OS project has a poor reputation among Linux users.
Con No icons on desktop
Con Too simple
Good for people who want a plug and play simple Desktop Environment. But for a multitasking / entertainment / cutting edge or Gaming Rig this is not the answer.
Con Requires tweaks to be usable
To enable things like the minimize button, status bar indicators, and what some might call "normal" desktop features, you need to tweak the system to make it usable.
Con Uses GTK
Nowadays, GTK is designed with GNOME, and only GNOME, in mind. Non-GNOME applications which attempt to utilize it suffer as a result. Pantheon is no exception.
Con Few configuration options
It is pretty bare-bones on a stock install, but further configuration options can be added through various official tweak tools.
Con Buggy
Con Not ideal for enterprise environments
As it has no set release date, and no set support and/or EOL dates, that makes it a not so good choice for enterprises managing a number of machines where such dates are important to know before hand.
Con Slow maintenance
Any significant updates come with new release, which usually takes 2-3 years. Hence gets obsolete with current software.
Con Not available for major Linux distributions
Con Limited to eOS-only
It means Pantheon won't work properly if installed on other distros. Manjaro has given up on trying since it works better on a LTS system and takes an eternity to realease a new version or add security updates. On Arch, Pantheon also doesn't work properly. People are trying it on Fedora, not sure how it works now. If you want to use Pantheon, better get to eOS.
Con Looks and feels like a Mac
Which may turn quite a few people off with the aesthetics, of course for some people, this is a pro.
Con Can be slow and bloated
May be preferable for new users, but for those who want a minimal system it can be rather slow and comes with many preinstalled applications.
Con Has Wi-Fi issues
Asks for Wi-Fi password continuously.
Con Bad Experience after an update
Had a bad experience after an update and then I gave up.
Con Cannot customize the panel but then you get a more reliable system
A lot of us like to have a power button , restart button and other frequently used apps in our top panel but with Budgie you can’t really customize this but in return you get a great system.