When comparing Xubuntu vs Kubuntu, the Slant community recommends Xubuntu for most people. In the question“What are the best Debian-based Linux distributions?” Xubuntu is ranked 52nd while Kubuntu is ranked 55th. The most important reason people chose Xubuntu is:
Xubuntu is very fast and makes good use of resources.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Great performance
Xubuntu is very fast and makes good use of resources.
Pro Quick boot time
Boots at about double the speed of most distributions.
Pro Comes with lightweight applications
Xubuntu is designed as a lightweight operating system and Linux distro. It uses XFCE by default and comes packed with XFCE applications which are generally pretty lightweight.
Pro Conservative, yet modern
It comes with all Ubuntu goodness but without bloat, a perfect mix between new ideas and usability.
Pro Customizable
Official distro of XFCE, one of the most customizable desktop environments. In XFCE you can create as many tasks bars as you need and configure every one of their elements and behaviours. You can also change any icon, font, color... etc. Literally there's nothing you can't change in GUI.
Pro Full featured desktop environment that is actively developed
Unlike some abandoned, unfinished distros, Kubuntu is up to date and offers a fully functional desktop environment that targets workstation users.
Pro Stable as hell
Super stable, never crashes.
Pro Good hardware recognition
Pro Everything is highly customizable
Pro It also has paid technical support available
Pro Comes preinstalled in several laptops and desktops
Comes preinstalled in several laptops and desktops. (Tuxedo, Slimbook, laptopWithLinux.com, Kubuntu Focus, Vant and other companies).
Pro An outstanding number of packages and PPAs, backports PPA
Pro Kubuntu Focus Suite provides highly tested, curated ecosystem for pros
Pro Very stable
Kubuntu is very stable, you can easily install the appropriate Nvidia drivers for your machines, and not have dependency problems whatsoever. KDE offers a great user experience, and Dolphin is a great file manager.
Pro Customizable
You can easily adjust the workspace to your needs.
Pro Light
Cons
Con XFCE development is slow
The desktop environment used in Xubuntu has not been updated in over two years and is developed at a snail's pace.
Con UI is pretty generic without customization
The default XFCE UI is pretty generic and sometimes ugly unless customized to suit the user's needs and liking. Customization in XFCE is easier than on Unity, but still hard for beginners.
Con Redundant
There is absolutely no reason to install it, since it uses the same package repositories as Ubuntu and you can transform any Ubuntu install into a Xubuntu install.
Con Often unstable
There have been several bugs reported. Some of these bugs are: shutting down randomly, refusing to boot, refusing to shut down, menus may act strange, icons may disappear, etc.