Alternatives to Xfce
Use a modular desktop environment built around traditional panels and windows. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Xfce
Use a modular desktop environment built around traditional panels and windows.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Xfce.
KDE Plasma
Use a full Linux desktop with configurable panels, widgets and window behavior.
KDE Plasma is a full Linux desktop with more extensive appearance settings and widget options than Xfce, integrated with KDE applications and system settings.
Cinnamon
Use a Linux desktop with a traditional application menu, panel and system tray.
Cinnamon keeps a traditional application menu, panel and system tray like Xfce, and adds applets, desklets and extensions that may need updates for new releases.
GNOME
Use a Linux desktop organized around an activities overview and workspaces.
GNOME replaces Xfce's traditional panels with an activities overview and workspaces, and relies on shell extensions that must match the installed GNOME version.
COSMIC
Use System76's desktop environment with configurable workspaces and window tiling.
COSMIC is System76's desktop with configurable workspaces and built-in tiling alongside floating windows, but it needs a distribution and graphics stack supporting the current release.
BunsenLabs Linux
A Debian-based distribution with a preconfigured, lightweight Openbox desktop, continuing CrunchBang Linux.
BunsenLabs Linux is a whole Debian-based distribution with a preconfigured Openbox, tint2 and conky desktop, so switching means changing distribution rather than just the desktop.
Openbox
Manage X11 windows with a configurable stacking window manager.
Openbox is a configurable stacking window manager only, so moving from Xfce means assembling separate panels, launchers and other utilities yourself for a complete desktop.
MATE
A traditional desktop environment for Linux and other Unix-like systems that continues the GNOME 2 design.
MATE is a traditional Linux desktop continuing the GNOME 2 design, packaged in many distributions, with full releases arriving only every few years.
Budgie
A free and open source Linux desktop environment with its own panel, application menu and window management.
Budgie is an open source Linux desktop environment with its own panel and application menu, designed to stay simple while remaining customisable.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Xfce as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Enlightenment
A window manager, compositor and minimal desktop for Linux, BSD and other UNIX systems.
Xfce is a modular desktop built around traditional panels and a settings manager, with components distributions can combine, rather than a single EFL-based shell.
IceWM
A lightweight X11 window manager with a taskbar, workspaces and a familiar Windows-like layout.
Xfce is a full modular desktop environment with panels and a settings manager, so moving there means more components than IceWM's single window manager.
LXQt
A lightweight, modular Qt-based desktop environment for Linux and BSD with X11 and Wayland sessions.
Xfce is a modular GTK-based desktop with traditional panels and a settings manager, whose available components depend on your distribution.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
xfce4-panel
Configurable panel for the Xfce desktop with plugins and applets.
Tint2
Lightweight panel and taskbar for Linux and BSD window managers.
Polybar
Build a configurable status bar for an X11 desktop.
