Ubuntu MATE
Shares rank 56 of 63 Linux distributions by recommenders
A free Ubuntu-based Linux desktop with the MATE interface, valued for a stable experience with few UI changes. Critics say some bugs have never been fixed.
A free Ubuntu-based Linux desktop with the MATE interface, valued for a stable experience with few UI changes. Critics say some bugs have never been fixed.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 86%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Stable, few UI changes
“the experience has remained entirely unchanged except for a few bugs which have crept in and have never been fixed”
Comment from 24 Apr 2026 in “Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Released” “enjoying getting work done instead of popups and unfathomable UI changes”
Comment from 13 Jan 2026 in “The struggle of resizing windows on macOS Tahoe” Preferred daily desktop
“MATE is my primary desktop distro”
Comment from 30 Mar 2026 in “Ubuntu MATE Is Seeking a New Primary Maintainer” “my favourite flavor, Ubuntu MATE”
Comment from 24 Apr 2026 in “Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Released”
Other Linux distributions people recommend
The four most recommended other Linux distributions, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu | 560 | 493 | 53% | 12 | 10 yrs116 owners | — |
| Debian | 552 | 191 | 74% | 13 | 10 yrs62 owners | Approved |
| NixOS | 454 | 112 | 80% | 13 | 2 yrs69 owners | Approved |
| Fedora Linux | 437 | 131 | 77% | 12 | 2 yrs72 owners | Approved |
| Ubuntu MATEThis page | 6 | 1 | 86% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
6 of the 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the experience has remained entirely unchanged except for a few bugs which have crept in and have never been fixed”
“my favourite flavor, Ubuntu MATE”
“MATE is my primary desktop distro”
“it worked very well for me”
“enjoying getting work done instead of popups and unfathomable UI changes”
“ubuntu mate gives you links to iso downloads, and yet the installation process is buried under 'faq'”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.