When comparing Ubuntu MATE vs Archcraft, the Slant community recommends Archcraft for most people. In the question“What are the best Linux distributions for desktops?” Archcraft is ranked 68th while Ubuntu MATE is ranked 73rd. The most important reason people chose Archcraft is:
One of the prettiest distros out there IMHO.
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 Minimal & beautiful
One of the prettiest distros out there IMHO.
Pro User friendly install guides on site
Easy to follow guides for newbies or those who want a little guidance.
Pro Pacman more stable
In my opinion, Pacman is a better choice than apt. Perhaps Linux Distros should consider migrating.
Pro Active & responsive dev
The dev is very active & is constantly improving the distro. New ISOs released regularly.
Pro Well organized
The dev made this one of the best Distros and easy to add/remove deesktops or wm without breaking the system.
Pro Worth the Donation
The effort and work put in is evident, doesn't look finished half way
Pro Lovely UI Design with an Attractive menu
The developers made sure this distro was crafted well. Really nothing I would change, and the default ensure you won't be installing malware.
Pro Not just a Website with some Ghostfiles
The Site is informative and gives a nice insight into what you can expect from this beautiful distro. For the first time ever for me no customization needed everything is perfect.
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.