We list top 10 KDE application that are relatively unknown to many, and give you an overview of their amazing features. Read on.
The KDE Ecosystem is amazing. The entire ecosystem consists of KDE Plasma, KDE Framework and KDE Applications. The KDE Applications are native to KDE, and they are designed to give you a complete integrated experience with the KDE Plasma desktop. For every task you plan to do in a Linux Desktop, KDE has an application for it – well, almost. And the advantage of using a native application is that it well integrates with the underlying desktop itself. For example, you get well integrated notifications from the app itself to the desktop, then the looks as well. Think about installing a GTK app in KDE Plasma desktop which uses Qt. They don’t look good at all. In my opinion, the Qt apps looks better in GNOME than GTK apps in KDE. And that debate is for another article.
Anyway.
When you install KDE Plasma with Kubuntu or any other Linux distribution, not all applications are installed by default. I mean, you get the popular ones – such as Dolphin, KWrite or Spectacle by default. They are popular and everyone aware of them. But there are many hidden gems of KDE Applications which majority of the desktop users are not aware of.
Hence, this post. Here, I will talk about some not-so-popular applications of KDE, which are really impressive and does their job well.
Table of Contents
Top 10 Unknown KDE Application
1. Akregator (Feed Reader)
There are many feed readers in Linux ecosystem. But do you know KDE itself has a feed reader? It’s called Akregator. This application is part of Kontact utility as a whole. Akregator is a powerful feed reader that supports RSS, Atom spec. It has features such as advanced search, feed archiving and internal web browser to browse the feed inside the app itself.
It’s a complete feed reader and well integrated with KDE Plasma desktop. Here are its key features.
You can search for Kontact in Discover and hit install button. Or, click on the below link to launch your distribution’s software manager to install right now.
Or, using the commands below for respective Linux distributions.
sudo apt install kontact sudo dnf install kontact pacman -S kontact
Here are additional details about Akregator if you like to learn more about it.
2. Artikulate (Learning)
Learning a foreign language? Or want to improve your pronunciation skills? KDE provides an application that can help you speak that foreign language you want to be master at. Artikulate is a pronunciation trainer tool which provides native speaker recordings of words. You can record your own pronunciation and compare with the native recordings. And improve your skill. The language packs (with audio) needs to be downloaded directly from the app itself via add-on. And that’s it.
You can install it right now using the below link via software installer in KDE Plasma or supported distributions.
It also has a Flatpak and Snap version, which you can install as well.
For more information about articulate, browse the below resources.
3. KDiskFree or Kdf (Disk Space Viewer)
The KDiskFree or Kdf utility list out available hard driver partitions, CD/DVD drives or any file devices. And displays relevant information such as capacity, free space, mount point and more. Apart from displaying, you can also mount or unmount the drives and view them in a file manager. This is much like GNOME’s Disks, but with some additional features.
You can install this nice little utility using the below methods.
Direct Installation using Discover or Software –
Or, using the commands below for respective Linux distributions.
sudo apt install kdf sudo dnf install kdf
You can learn more about this application using the following resources:
4. KGet (Internet File Downloader)
We always need a good internet downloader. We have downloader already built into the web browsers, and you have wget from the command line in Linux. But nothing like a native file downloader that integrates well with the desktop and notifications. So, KGet is the official KDE Download manager that provides several features such as FTP, HTTP, HTTPS support, Pause/Resume with additional features. You can also verify checksum using KGet before download to make sure that it is authentic.
You can download KGet using the below methods.
Direct download using Discover or Software manager –
You can also install this application using the terminal using the below commands.
sudo apt install kget
sudo dnf install kget
Additional information about KGet –
5. KolourPaint (Simple Drawing Program)
We all like a nice and simple drawing program. It is very well necessary for any sort of workflow. I am not talking about the heavy image editors or drawing program like GIMP or Krita. But for day to day work, a simple program is enough and friendly on hardware resources. KDE has an app, KolourPaint to do just that.
KolourPaint is raster image drawing program for quick image editing work. It features standard drawing tools such as lines, rectangles, ovals, polygons. Also support basic rotations, monochrome, color picker, selections, curves and more.
You can install this program using the below methods.
Direct installation using Discover or Software Utility –
KColourPaint is also available as Snap and Flatpak.
Additional information about this application can be found here.
6. Umbrello (Modelling Tool for UML)
The Umbrello tool is a modelling application and code generator for Unified Modelling Language (UML). It can create diagrams supporting industry-standard UML format and generate code. A nifty tool for students, companies those deals with planning and designing systems using UML.
It features includes –
- XMI format support
- Diagram support of use case, class, sequence, state, activity, deployment, etc
- Able to establish entity relationship between objects
You can install Umbrello using Discover or your distribution’s software manager using the below link.
It is also available as Snap package, which you can consider if you want.
For additional resources, visit the following pages.
7. Yakuake (Drop Down Terminal)
Unless you are aware, a drop-down terminal is a productivity hack. I mean, once you get used to any drop down terminal, you never go back. So, a drop-down terminal is like a pop-up from the top of your desktop – when you need it. You hit a keystroke and it pops up. No question asked. You save yourself by searching the terminal app and launch it – like you do today.
So, Yakuake is a drop-down terminal emulator based on KDE’s own Konsole application. It has tabbed interface, configurable dimensions, skin support and additional features that would definitely boost your productivity.
You can install Yakuake using Discover or Software installer using the follow link.
If you fancy command line, you can also use the below commands to install.
sudo apt install yakuake
sudo dnf install yakuake
Additional information about Yakuake
8. KDiff3 (File, Folder Difference and Merge)
We always need to compare things, right? Like, you want to compare two files or two folders and see the differences in a visual manner. And helps you to merge them with differences. What if a dedicated application does just that?
The KDiff3 is an advanced compare utility, native to KDE. It has several features that make it a complete comparison tool out there in Linux world. Have a look at the feature summary below.
- Compare and merge two, three text files.
- Compare and merger folders.
- Visual representation of differences – line by line and character by character
- Options that help you resolve merge conflicts
- Support version control
- You can also view merge history
- Supports various file encoding which is an added advantage
- Automatic merge support
- Print differences support
You can install KDiff3 using Discover or any package installer using the below link.
Additional information about this utility –
9. Zanshin (Task and Planning Tool)
This is one of my favorite KDE Application which is not that popular. Sometimes don’t you feel overburden with information in your head? Too many tasks to plan, and often you forget about them. There comes Zanshin. It’s a task and planning utility that can help on your day-to-day actions, reducing your cognitive burden.
You can collect tasks, organize tasks using its intuitive UI. Not only that, you can organize tasks with your personal projects and collect data from external sources. Ain’t it neat? Try it out, if you haven’t yet.
Install it using Discover or other package manager.
Additional Information about this utility.
10. KFind (File Search Utility)
If you want a dedicated file search utility, then you can try out KFind. Although, KDE Plasma desktop itself have versatile KRunner and other search utility built-in in the Dolphin File Manager or in the main application menu. But sometimes, it’s easier to have a standalone File Search program. You can use KFind to search files by name, type, content and size among other features.
You can install KFind using the following button via Discover or other software installer.
Additional information about KFind can be found here.
So, there you go. That’s the list of 10 of the list of fairly unknown KDE Application for you. I hope, this raises awareness of these apps a little and users start using these more.
What is that KDE Application you think are really should be added in this list? Let me know in the comment box below.
Some image credits: KDE
