Linux is the most popular open-source UNIX-like operating system. It is well known because of its lightweight. Unlike other OS, it can be used in a wide range of hardware devices that include PCs, laptops, netbooks, mobile, tablet, video game consoles, servers, and even supercomputers. Mate is a desktop environment with extensive features, while all the primary metaphors of Linux distribution remain the same. It comes with a lot of Linux-compatible applications and can be considered as the continuation of the GENOME 2 project. It has already replaced the traditional GNOME shell. There are several powerful mate themes available out there that can help you to make your Mate desktop more clean, modern, and eye-catching as well.
Best Mate Themes for Linux
Mate themes play an important role in extending the compatibility of your system with powerful applications. Besides, you can change the style of icons and customize your system also. MATE is a kind of GTK3 desktop that can take the benefits from all the theme developments. So before choosing the most suitable mate theme for you, go through this article and gain in-depth knowledge of the best mate themes.
1. Adapta
If you are looking for a dark and flat theme, then Adapta can be the best choice for your Linux distro. As one of the best mate themes for Linux, it is supported by Unity, Gnome, Budgie-Desktop, XFCE4, and also Cinnamon. It changes almost everything on your desktop while using the available color scheme to the fullest. Adapta is inspired by Google’s Material Design, and the morning blue color gives a fresh look on top of a dark environment.
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2. OS Catalina
If you want your desktop to look like macOS, then Catalina is the perfect choice for your mate themes. In fact, this GTK theme is originated from the iteration of macOS. Alongside mate, it can be used to work with – Cinnamon 3.x/4.x, Gnome 3.x, and Pantheon (legacy).
To improve the quality of Mojave CT, all the png formats are removed in the newer version. The structure has been designed on Papiros icons, which have even more compatibility. Besides, all the icons are reconstructed so that they can support KDE PLASMA also.
3. ChromeOS-Dark
After releasing the stable version of ChromeOS in 2018, it has already gained popularity and has become one of the most used mate OS. It comes with four different material designs known as Marsala, Oceanic, Slate, and UltraViolet for your mate desktop. It has gone through extreme testing to ensure a vibrant, colorful, and elegant experience for its users.
Powered by Google developers and many more features are coming soon. Also, the theme is decorated with grid-based layouts, responsive animations, transitions, depth effects, lighting, and shadow. Like other Google Apps like Docs, drive, sheets, this theme is also inspired by Google’s Material design.
4. PadOS
This mate theme is inspired by iPadOS and rendered by the Zorin group. It is the Zorin GTK from Zorin OS. The latest release has improved the shell, which now looks like iPadOS 13. It comes with a collection of Cupertino icons.
But this dark theme is only tested on GNOME 3.34 Ubuntu 19.10. Hover color alongside the primary color of the buttons have been redesigned in the updated version, and you will find the file manager sidebar is pretty similar to what the iPad has to offer for the users.
5. Forest
The design of this theme is completely based on the Arc theme. You will need to have GTK+ 3.22 installed in your computer for using this mate theme. This can be quite a good choice as it is tested on Linux Debian, Ubuntu, and Linux Mint. Popular for its available variant that comes with color accents like Green & Blue. Forest-Light, Forest-Darker, Forest-Dark, Forest-Blue-Light, Forest-Blue-Darker, Forest-Blue-Dark are available among light, dark, and darker variant.
6. Arc-Darkest-COLORS Icon-Superpack
This brand new dark mode theme comes with the popular Arc-Darkest-COLORS Complete-Desktop package. Alongside mate, this theme is also usable on GTK, xfwm4, Openbox-3, GNOME-Shell, and Cinnamon desktop environments. Elements are transparent while the design is completely flat. Available in Arc, Arc-Dark, and Arc-Darker variant and maintains the high standard of Arc Design.
You can expect the same experience from this mate theme, just like the Arc theme. On top of that, even the darker version of Arc has already arrived for the GTK+ scene. It focuses not only on the design but also improves the performance to fulfill the heavy user’s demand.
7. Canta
Canta is the most suitable mate theme for people looking for a lighter environment. The teal green color accent makes it more attractive, fresh, and better than you can expect. It is known for its clean and vibrant design as well. It does not restrict you from doing your job, although it is still a new and Materia GTK based theme. It is also a good choice for beginners who have not yet familiar with the Linux operating system.
8. Ultimate Maia
If you are fond of material design and want to stick to it, then you can start using this mate theme. You will love this theme as it focuses on maintaining Google’s stock material style as much as possible. Although the primary color accent is blue for the icons, several icons also pack available out there with this theme. Clean, sharp lines and window shadowing are also there to provide an improved degree of depth.
9. Numix
This mate theme has taken place on this list due to its completeness. All the features are well put together to generate the best user experience and offer a great variety of color accents that go perfectly with the mate environment.
The Numix icon pack is also available for other Linux distribution, which is simple to install. You will face no problem maintaining the system because of its great quality. Numix is a great choice any day and has already earned a huge response from the developers also.
10. Arrongin/Telinkrin
This is a different mate theme that focuses not only on the primary accent colors but also changes the color of layout and configuration. If you install Arrongin, you will get Orange as the primary accent color while Telinkrin uses Blue color. Although both themes are flat designs, it can produce the same feel the same as material design.
Besides, the minimalist design provides a separate place on your desktop for every task. Both themes are pretty good and capable of rendering a new look for your Linux desktop. Every little detail is handled carefully, and when you combine it with a shell theme, icon pack, and background, it looks amazing and eye-catching.
11. Breeze Phoenix Dark
Breeze Phoenix Dark mate theme is a combination of Breeze Icons and elements from the Papirus Icon theme. The developer has focused on redesigning almost every icon of the theme, including all the session icons and system icons such as Suspend, Hibernate, Reboot, and Shut Down.
You will find a similarity in color scheme with the Phoenix Plasma theme. Even the folder colors will be changed according to the color you have set. You can also use the action folder icons offered by the Papirus theme. A light version of the Breeze Icon pack is also available, which is known as Breeze Phoenix Light.
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12. Ant
Ant theme is inspired by macOS, although the style is not copied directly. Instead, it intends to make the desktop more attractive and add features to your system. There are three color variants available, and you can choose any of them that match your taste.
But most people do not like the white background of the headbars, which is hopefully going to be changed in the next update. As a modern, light, and flat theme, Ant theme can easily be the choice of yours for the mate desktop.
13. Flat Remix
The developer of this theme has successfully attracted many users by paying enough attention even to the tiniest details. This colorful theme is a combination of three colors, which are red, blue, and orange. Besides, close, minimize, maximize buttons are also customized and redesigned.
If you look carefully, you will find that this theme is a mix of Arc and Adapta, the two most popular mate themes available out there. Dark and light options are available, while dark is the most preferred among the users. If you are looking for a dark theme with transparency and colorful buttons, then Flat Remix is a theme for you.
14. Paper
Paper started its journey back in 2014 when the popular Paper icon pack was released. Although the Paper icon pack is in the market for quite a lot of time now, the GTK theme is new. The theme is designed to produce a bright and fun approach, but many people find it immature. After the fast release, it has been developed for a year, and now the light-hearted approach of the theme is appreciated and attracting people’s attention as well.
15. Pop
Pop is one of the newest mate themes available out there. It is a great theme developed by the team over at System 76. Pop is a fork of the popular Adapta theme that has already been described earlier in this article.
You will find the icon pack in Pop the same as Adapta, which has been forked from the Paper icon pack. This theme is a distribution of System 76. Pop makes the system more compatible as drivers for Intel/AMD, and Nvidia is available to download. A new installer has been introduced that will give a whole new experience.
Pop is not suitable for people who are looking for a traditional desktop environment, but the performance of your system will remain identical. The background is also impressive, and you can get a new coat of paint on your mate desktop, just what Pop was intended to.
16. Sweet
The theme is beautiful and appealing, just like its name. This mate theme is intended to transform your desktop environment and take it to the next level. AS a flashy GTK theme, it is available in the dark mode that can be blended really well with almost anything. You can use any icon pack according to your wish, but the Candy Icon pack will be a great choice. If you are looking for a colorful, clean, and modern GTK theme, then Sweet is the one for you.
17. Solarized Colorpack
This theme is designed to make your desktop more interesting. It offers 7 color palettes, and you can try each of those. This is a dark mode theme and GUI-centric that strictly follows the original color scheme originally invented by Ethan Schoonover.
Manual installation is available, and if you want to install manually, make sure you already have the Murrine theme engine dependency ready. Roboto and Roboto-Medium can be used as the UI font, while an extension for your browser known as Midnight Lizard Solarized is also available.
18. Cloudy
This dark mate theme was originally created for use on Debian. But you can use it on almost any operating system as long as it is mate or XFCE. If you are looking for a classy and stylish GTK2 desktop environment, you should definitely try Cloudy.
Besides, it has already been tested in Linux Debian, Ubuntu, and also Linux Mint. The light version is also available where the available color schemes include: Cloudy-Light-Blue, Cloudy-Dark-Blue, Cloudy-Light-Grey, Cloudy-Dark-Grey, Cloudy-SoftBlue-Light, Cloudy-SoftBlue-Dark, Cloudy-SoftGrey-Light, and Cloudy-SoftGrey-Dark.
19. Ambiance & Radiance Flat Colors
It is a well-known name among the people who use Ubuntu. But it has come back again with a twist. Take your traditional boring Ubuntu desktop one step further with this Ambiance & Radiance Flat Colors theme. The most interesting part is that there are 13 colors available to choose from.
The colors are teal, blue, purple, red, lime green, gold, orange, tangerine, pink, and more! It is a theme that can provide support for the GTK2 toolkit. Alongside Mate, this theme is also compatible with Unity, Cinnamon, XFCE, LXDE, OpenBox, Gnome Classic, and Fallback.
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20. Glory Icon Theme
This mate theme is dedicated to generating a vibrant and colorful interface for your desktop. It is undoubtedly one of the great mate themes available out there. If you are looking for colors, then this is the theme you can download. Compatibility with almost any kind of desktop computer, multiple color variants availability, and rounded, colorful icons set this theme apart from other themes mentioned in this list.
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To Conclude
Mate themes are useful for decorating your desktop. You can switch from a boring and complicated look to a modern, interesting, and artistic look using any of the themes described above. There are many mate themes available out there, and also, as MATE is a GTK desktop, almost any theme will support this environment. On top of that, all the themes are free to use. So if you are looking for something fresh and lucrative, you must explore all the themes mentioned above to choose the best mate theme for you.
