KDE neon is a Linux distribution built on top of the latest Ubuntu LTS release (22.04 at the moment) that showcases KDE software exactly as the KDE developers intended it, with no patches and no changes to default settings. Adventurous users are encouraged to try out User Edition. KDE testers can try out unreleased KDE software using the Testing and Unstable Editions.
Nope. KDE believes it is important to work with many distributions, as each brings unique value and expertise for its users. KDE neon is one distro out of many, and that diversity is a good thing!
KDE Neon is primarily intended for technical Linux/KDE users who want immediate access to the latest KDE offerings. The "Testing" and "Unstable" editions are for users who are on a mission to see KDE apps and Plasma Desktop succeed and are willing to contribute to KDE by becoming Beta testers of the software. The "User" edition is for enthusiast KDE users who expect a bit more polish. Please note that the focus of the "User" edition is still KDE software *only*. There is no thorough review of the complete software stack to guarantee a rock solid day-to-day experience.
KDE developers endeavor to minimize bugs and maximize stability within the scope of the KDE software stack. However, using the latest software the moment it’s released will inevitably result in a less stable experience compared to distros that delay software by days, weeks, or months. If you have mission-critical reliability needs, KDE Neon might not be the right distro for you.
KDE neon supports the open-source Nouveau driver only, which should suffice for normal hardware-accelerated desktop use. The proprietary driver is not supported at all, and we recommend against trying to install it anyway. It may work or it may not, and either way you’ll be in "there be dragons" territory. If you find yourself tempted to ignore this advice, then neon may not be the right choice for you, and we instead recommend selecting a different distro.
No, we plan only to base on the latest LTS version of Ubuntu, this comes with Linux and graphics stack updates to keep drivers relevant. We will backport other software as needed.
KDE neon is rolling for KDE software. The Ubuntu base OS is not, but certain packages will be updated as needed to support KDE software requiring newer library versions than what is provided by Ubuntu. Apps from the main repositories are not rolling either, and therefore can be up to two years old. Users are encouraged not to use them, and to instead get apps from Snap or Flatpak using KDE’s Discover app store. In neon, Discover is set up to only show apps from these sources, filtering out apps from the repositories.
KDE neon will provide users with more up-to-date packages of Qt and cutting-edge KDE software.
We use Ubuntu as a base for KDE neon because the KDE neon team feels it offers the best technology as a stable release and the best third party support. The KDE neon team is familiar with Ubuntu having worked with it for over a decade. We also feel that Ubuntu users will miss out if they do not have up to date KDE software. It is otherwise unrelated to the Ubuntu project or Canonical.
We recommend that you install a fresh KDE neon from the provided ISO images. But you can indeed add an APT repository to switch from Kubuntu to KDE neon. This is absolutely not tested or supported. If things take a turn for the worse you are expected to be knowledgable enough to repair your system on your own. A web search should quickly give you relevant information on how to do this.
KDE neon sits on top of the Ubuntu core foundations, which means the majority of software built for Ubuntu core will work fine, even when not explicitly supported by the KDE neon team. KDE neon is however not compatible with Kubuntu, as there is vast overlap in the base offerings of both Kubuntu and KDE neon. You can not use both systems at the same time. Installing KDE neon will simply replace Kubuntu.
This probably won’t work (probably won’t even install). It most certainly isn’t supported even if the desktop installs. KDE neon focuses on KDE software, most other software is not supported and you should not be surprised if you can not install it or it stops working at any point in time due to an update.
Yes. As computers without 64bit have become increasingly rare, we have chosen to focus our resources on higher-quality 64bit builds.
The mirrors are generously donated for KDE use by various organisations but several don’t support https so our downloads are http only. However the images are GPG signed so you can be sure they match what was created by our builders.
The KDE® Community is an international technology team dedicated to creating a free and user-friendly computing experience, offering an advanced graphical desktop, a wide variety of applications for communication, work, education and entertainment and a platform to easily build new applications upon.
KDE neon does continuous deployment of the latest KDE software which means there are nearly always new versions of our software to update to. We recommend using Plasma Discover’s updater which appears in your panel: 
If you prefer to use the command line you can use the pkcon command:
pkcon refreshpkcon updateThis will install all new packages and uses the same PackageKit code as Plasma Discover. Some uses of apt do not install new packages which makes it less suitable for KDE neon.