I'm aware of Debian's reputation for not having the most up-to-date software in its repository but have just noticed that Thunderbird is on its current version. Which makes me ask:
When does Debian update a package? And how does it decide when to?
I'm particularly interested in when it will make available the upcoming major release of GIMP to 3.0.
Some people will probably disagree with me but I consider Debian stable as a server distribution not as a daily drive system.
Debian testing is probably the better choice if you want to daily drive Debian or consider or more up to date distro. If you're relatively new to GNU/Linux, don't bother with bleeding edge distros or exotics ones like Arch, EndeavourOS, Gentoo, NixOS...
If you find your way to distrowatch.com you will see EndeavourOS very high in the rankings, but it's a rolling release distribution. While it's easier to maintain/install than Arch, it has a learning curve and needs regular attention and reading the docs/forum.
I have seen a lot of people recommend the following: