When comparing Ubuntu MATE vs Ubuntu Budgie, the Slant community recommends Ubuntu MATE for most people. In the question“What are the best Debian-based Linux distributions?” Ubuntu MATE is ranked 48th while Ubuntu Budgie is ranked 57th. The most important reason people chose Ubuntu MATE is:
Debian was good to use but has limited documentation and is difficult to pick up. Ubuntu MATE brings the ease of design and logic of the Gnome 2 style desktop so it's easy to get around coupled with the vast documentation, forums and ease of learning/using the Ubuntu system.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Simplicity of Gnome with the power of Ubuntu
Debian was good to use but has limited documentation and is difficult to pick up. Ubuntu MATE brings the ease of design and logic of the Gnome 2 style desktop so it's easy to get around coupled with the vast documentation, forums and ease of learning/using the Ubuntu system.
Pro Works great on old laptops
It does not have a lot of system requirements so it works pretty well even on older laptops.
Pro Perfect for people who like Gnome 2
The goal of MATE is to maintain the look and feel of Gnome 2, while maintaining compatibility with Gnome 3. To that end, it has also forked and renamed many of Gnome's core applications. It benefits from the years of work and polish that have gone into the Gnome project.
Pro Highly configurable
Comes with an option to configure as Windows-like, Mac-like, Gnome-like, etc. in a single click. Wonderful to get you started without having to learn it all from scratch.
Pro Behaves like Ubuntu with Unity - after Ubuntu-Gnome transformation
No better place to continue Unity experience with Ubuntu (Left-side panel, HUD) and not as awkward as Gnome.
Pro Based on Ubuntu
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 No very good Software Center by default
The Software Boutique is not good. You can install Gnome Software from it.
Con Too much bloat included by default
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 Ubuntu MATE install.
Con Not bleeding edge
Users who want the latest and greatest software would be happier using Arch Linux, Antergos or another rolling release distro. However, because Ubuntu MATE is based on Ubuntu, users still have access to a large repository of recent software.
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.
Con It is only completely good if you install it separately rather than on another OS
