Linux Softwares to Lightweight

Discover Linux Softwares to Lightweight.

Designed to consume minimal system resources, making it fast and efficient on various computer configurations.

Best Linux Softwares to Lightweight

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CodeLite

CodeLite

Open Source

CodeLite is a free, open-source, and cross-platform Integrated Development Environment (IDE) designed specifically for C, C++, PHP, and JavaScript (Node.js) development. It provides a feature-rich environment to streamline the coding process for these languages.

Free and open-source
Virtual filesystem
Development
Ubuntu MATE

Ubuntu MATE

Open Source

Ubuntu MATE is a community-driven, official derivative of Ubuntu, providing a classic, intuitive desktop environment based on MATE. It offers stability, flexibility, and a familiar user interface, making it an excellent choice for users transitioning from other operating systems or seeking a traditional desktop experience.

Offers a familiar and intuitive classic desktop experience.
Based on Debian
OS & Utilities
Gajim

Gajim

Open Source

Gajim is a free and open-source instant messaging client for the XMPP protocol. Built using the GTK+ toolkit, it offers a wide array of features for secure and flexible communication, including encrypted chat, group conversations, multi-protocol support via gateways, and extensive customization options.

Strong focus on security and privacy with OMEMO/OTR encryption.
Encrypted chat
Social & Communications
Nemo

Nemo

Open Source

Nemo is the default and highly customizable file manager for the Cinnamon desktop environment. It offers a robust set of features for managing files and folders efficiently, including multi-pane views, tabbed browsing, extensibility via plugins, and an integrated terminal for advanced users.

Excellent Tabbed Browsing
Customizable
File Management
Privoxy

Privoxy

Open Source

Privoxy is a powerful, non-caching web proxy designed to enhance privacy and security by filtering web content, modifying headers, and blocking intrusive elements like ads and trackers. Operating at the network level, it offers granular control over the browsing experience.

Powerful and highly customizable content filtering.
Block ads
Security & Privacy Web Browsers
trolCommander

trolCommander

Open Source

trolCommander is a powerful and lightweight cross-platform file manager. It is a fork of the popular muCommander, offering a dual-pane interface, rich feature set including built-in viewers, terminal, FTP/SFTP support, and extensive customization options. Designed for efficiency and speed, it's an excellent alternative for users seeking advanced file management capabilities across various operating systems.

Dual-pane interface for efficient file management.
Built-in Terminal
File Management
Chrome PDF Viewer Plug-in

The Chrome PDF Viewer is a built-in, lightweight PDF reader integrated directly into the Google Chrome web browser. It provides essential functionalities for viewing, basic annotation, and form filling of PDF documents encountered while browsing online, offering a seamless and efficient experience without the need for external software installation.

Seamless integration with Google Chrome
Google Chrome extension
Office & Productivity Web Browsers
Cool Reader

Cool Reader

Open Source

Cool Reader is a highly configurable and lightweight eBook viewer designed for comfortable reading on various devices. It supports multiple formats including EPUB and DOCBOOK, offers extensive customization options for interface and reading experience, and includes useful features like library management, annotations, and sync capabilities.

Extensive configuration options for reading experience and interface.
Interface Overlay
News & Books
ncdu

ncdu

Open Source

ncdu is a command-line disk usage analyzer for Unix-like systems. It provides a graphical ncurses interface to visualize disk space consumption, helping users identify large files and directories easily.

Very fast scanning speed.
Command line interface
OS & Utilities
SimpleScreenRecorder

SimpleScreenRecorder

Open Source

SimpleScreenRecorder is a powerful and straightforward screencasting application designed specifically for Linux users. It prioritizes simplicity and performance, offering a lightweight solution for capturing your desktop activity, recording games, and creating video tutorials without unnecessary complexity.

Excellent performance, especially for game recording.
Support for gestures
Video & Movies
Dr.Web Anti-virus

Dr.Web Anti-virus

Commercial

Dr.Web Anti-virus provides robust protection against a wide array of cyber threats, including viruses, Trojans, spyware, and rootkits. Utilizing heuristic analysis and zero-day protection, it offers real-time monitoring and prevention through lightweight, customizable software that doesn't weigh down system resources.

Effective detection of known and unknown malware
Run file in a Sandbox
Security & Privacy
Vinagre

Vinagre

Open Source

Vinagre is a versatile remote desktop viewer for the GNOME environment, supporting VNC, SSH, RDP, and SPICE protocols. It provides a user-friendly interface for connecting to and managing remote machines.

Supports multiple remote desktop protocols (VNC, RDP, SSH, SPICE).
SSH
Network & Admin
Unity

Unity

Open Source

Unity is a graphical shell for the GNOME desktop environment, designed to provide a unified and efficient workflow for the Ubuntu operating system. It focuses on a streamlined interface with a prominent launcher, global menu, and heads-up display for quick access to applications and their functions.

Efficient global menu frees up window space.
Desktop Environment
OS & Utilities
Org-mode

Org-mode

Open Source

Org-mode is a powerful and flexible mode for GNU Emacs, designed for note-taking, project planning, to-do list management, and authoring documents. It utilizes simple plain text files with intuitive markup.

Highly customizable and extensible through Emacs Lisp.
Command line interface
Office & Productivity OS & Utilities Photos & Graphics
Nomacs

Nomacs

Open Source

Nomacs is a fast and lightweight free, open-source image viewer offering a wide array of features for diverse image formats, including RAW and PSD. It provides essential editing tools, batch processing capabilities, and extensibility via plugins, making it more than just a simple viewer.

Excellent support for numerous image formats, including RAW and PSD.
Batch processing
Photos & Graphics
Tribler

Tribler

Open Source

Tribler is a free and open-source BitTorrent client enhanced with a focus on privacy, security, and decentralized content discovery. It allows users to download torrents while providing anonymity and built-in features for finding content directly within the application, eliminating the need for traditional torrent search websites.

Integrated privacy/anonymity features beyond standard BitTorrent.
Integrated Search
File Sharing
Wink

Wink

Free

Wink is a discontinued, lightweight software designed for creating software tutorials and presentations by capturing screen activity. It allows users to record screen video, add annotations, and export to various formats like Flash and HTML, making it ideal for demonstrating software usage and creating interactive learning materials, despite its age and lack of ongoing support.

Simple and user-friendly interface
Multiple languages
Office & Productivity
Ubuntu Update Manager

Ubuntu Update Manager

Open Source

Ubuntu Update Manager is the official graphical utility for managing software updates on Ubuntu operating systems. It simplifies the process of checking for, previewing, and installing package updates, ensuring your system and applications are secure and up-to-date.

Simple and intuitive graphical interface
LibreOffice Integration
OS & Utilities
MuPDF

MuPDF

Open Source

MuPDF is a lightweight, portable document rendering engine and viewer for PDF, XPS, and EPUB formats. Known for its speed and accurate rendering, it's ideal for integrating document display into various applications or for users seeking a minimalist, high-performance viewer.

Exceptional performance and speed in rendering documents.
Lightweight
Office & Productivity
Adminer

Adminer

Open Source

Adminer is a free, single-file PHP tool for managing databases. It supports a wide range of database systems including MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MS SQL, Oracle, and more. Adminer provides a clean and efficient interface for database administrationtasks.

Extremely lightweight and easy to deploy (single file).
Lightweight
Development
Tampermonkey

Tampermonkey

Free Personal

Tampermonkey is a powerful and popular browser extension that functions as a userscript manager. It allows users to customize and enhance their web browsing experience by running small JavaScript programs called userscripts on specific websites.

Extensive customization of websites.
Scripting
Development Web Browsers
Scratch

Scratch

Open Source

Scratch is a visual programming language and online community designed for beginners. It enables users, particularly children, to create interactive stories, games, and animations using a block-based interface, fostering computational thinking and creative expression without requiring prior coding knowledge.

Extremely easy to learn for beginners of all ages.
Visual Programming
Development
KDevelop

KDevelop

Open Source

KDevelop is a powerful, free, and open-source Integrated Development Environment (IDE) designed for Unix-like systems, Windows, and macOS. It offers a robust set of features for a wide range of programming languages, including C++, Python, PHP, and more, making it a versatile tool for software developers.

Free and Open Source
Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
Development
Remix OS

Remix OS

Free

Remix OS is an Android-based operating system designed for personal computers, offering a familiar desktop experience with access to a vast library of Android applications. It aims to bridge the gap between mobile and PC by providing multi-window support, taskbar functionality, and keyboard/mouse optimization.

Run Android apps on your PC with a desktop interface.
Booting from USB
OS & Utilities
Leafpad

Leafpad

Open Source

Leafpad is an exceptionally lightweight and straightforward text editor designed for Linux, BSD, and Maemo environments. It prioritizes speed and efficiency, offering basic text editing functionalities without the complexity of feature-rich editors.

Extremely lightweight and fast startup.
Drag n drop
Development
Openbox

Openbox

Open Source

Openbox is a highly configurable and lightweight stacking window manager for the X Window System. It's designed for speed and efficiency, allowing users to fully customize their desktop environment without the bloat of full desktop environments like GNOME or KDE.

Extremely lightweight and resource-efficient.
Tiling Window Manager
OS & Utilities
ICQ

ICQ

Free

ICQ is a veteran instant messaging platform offering a wide range of communication features, including text chat, voice and video calls, screen sharing, and group chats. It aims to provide a reliable and feature-rich messaging experience with a focus on privacy and security.

Offers end-to-end encryption for enhanced privacy.
Chat
Social & Communications
Claws Mail

Claws Mail

Open Source

Claws Mail is a powerful yet lightweight, open-source email and news client built on GTK+. It's known for its speed, stability, rich feature set, and high degree of customization, making it an excellent choice for users demanding control and efficiency.

Extremely fast and lightweight.
Built-in RSS reader
News & Books Office & Productivity
Puppy Linux

Puppy Linux

Open Source

Puppy Linux is a family of lightweight Linux distributions designed for speed, efficiency, and ease of use. It can boot from various media and run entirely in RAM, making it incredibly fast and suitable for older hardware or as a portable operating system.

Extremely fast and responsive, especially when running from RAM.
Lightweight
OS & Utilities
rTorrent

rTorrent

Open Source

rTorrent is a powerful and resource-efficient command-line BitTorrent client for Unix-like systems. Built on the advanced libTorrent library, it offers high performance and extensive configurability, making it ideal for users seeking control and automation.

Extremely low resource usage (CPU/RAM)
Command Line support
File Sharing
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