dwm AlternativesWindow Managers and other similar apps like dwm

dwm is described as 'Dynamic window manager for X. It manages windows in tiled, monocle and floating layouts. All of the layouts can be applied dynamically, optimising the environment for the application in use and the task performed' and is a Window Manager in the os & utilities category. There are more than 50 alternatives to dwm for a variety of platforms, including Linux, BSD, Wayland, Mac and Windows apps. The best dwm alternative is Hyprland, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like dwm are i3, Openbox, Sway and Sxmo.

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dwm alternatives are mainly Window Managers but may also be Wayland Compositors. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of dwm.
dwm icondwm
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dwm is a dynamic window manager for X. It manages windows in tiled, monocle and floating layouts. All of the layouts can be applied dynamically, optimising the environment for the application in use and the task performed.

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dwm alternatives page was last updated May 5, 2024
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Alternatives
  1. Hyprland icon

    Hyprland

     20 likes
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    An independent tiling Wayland compositor written in C++. Noteworthy features of Hyprland include dynamic tiling, tabbed windows, a clean and readable C++ code-base, and a custom renderer that provides window animations, rounded corners, and Dual-Kawase Blur on transparent windows.

    16 Hyprland alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • openSUSE
    • Arch Linux
    • Gentoo
    • Fedora
    • Ubuntu
    • Debian
    • FreeBSD
    • Alpine Linux
    • Slackware
    Screenshot of a preconfigured setup

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Tiling Window Manager
    2.  Compositor
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    4.  Support for scripting
    5.  Support for Multiple Monitors

    Hyprland VS dwm

     

    • Hyprland is the most popular Linux alternative to dwm.

    • Hyprland is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to dwm.

    • Hyprland is Free and Open Sourcedwm is also Free and Open Source
    • Hyprland is Customizable and Lightweightdwm is not according to our users
  2. i3 icon

    i3

     70 likes
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    i3 is a dynamic tiling window manager with clean, readable and documented code, featuring extended Xinerama support, usage of libxcb instead of xlib and several improvements over wmii.

    72 i3 alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    i3 with VIM, git, MPlayer, i3bar

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Tiling Window Manager
    2.  Tiling
    3.  X server
    4.  Built-in bar/panel
    5.  Mod Keys
    6.  Tabbed interface

    i3 VS dwm

     
  4. Openbox icon

    Openbox

     78 likes
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    Openbox is a highly configurable, next generation window manager with extensive standards support.

    69 Openbox alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    BlackWhite theme by lyrae @ box-look.org
    Discontinued

    No actively developed anymore. Last commit was in 2015.

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  No Tracking
    2.  Dark Mode
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  No registration required
    5.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    6.  KDE

    Openbox VS dwm

     
  5. Sway icon

    Sway

     18 likes
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    Sway is a Tiling Wayland Compositor and a drop-in replacement for the i3 window manager for X11. It works with your existing i3 configuration and supports most of i3's features, plus a few extras.

    16 Sway alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Sway screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Wayland Support
    2.  Tiling Window Manager
    3.  Support for Multiple Monitors
    4.  Tiling Layouts
    5.  Tiling

    Sway VS dwm

     
  6. Sxmo icon

    Sxmo

     2 likes
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    A minimalist Linux smartphone environment that is truly yours to control. Sxmo, or Simple X Mobile, is a collection of simple and suckless X programs and scripts used together to create a fully functional mobile UI adhering to the Unix philosophy for the PinePhone and other...

    64 Sxmo alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • postmarketOS
    • Linux Mobile
    Sxmo screenshot 1
    Sxmo screenshot 2
    Sxmo screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Minimalistic

    Features

    1.  Support for scripting
    2.  Support for Gestures
    3.  SSH
    4.  Tiling Window Manager

    Sxmo VS dwm

     
  7. Fluxbox icon

    Fluxbox

     33 likes
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    Fluxbox is a window manager for X that was based on the Blackbox 0.61.1 code. It is very light on resources and easy to handle but yet full of features to make an easy, and extremely fast, desktop experience. It is built using C++ and licensed under the MIT license.

    67 Fluxbox alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • C++
    fluxbox with a custom theme

    Fluxbox VS dwm

     
  9. awesome icon

    awesome

     35 likes
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    awesome is a highly configurable, next generation framework window manager for X. It is very fast, extensible and licensed under the GNU GPLv2 license.

    75 awesome alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    awesome screenshot 1

    awesome Features

    1.  X server
    2.  Tiling
    3.  Extensible window manager

    awesome VS dwm

     
  10. bspwm icon

    bspwm

     10 likes
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    A tiling window manager based on binary space partitioning.

    66 bspwm alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    bspwm screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  Support for Multiple Monitors
    2.  Support for scripting
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  Tiling
    7.  Tiling Window Manager

    bspwm VS dwm

     
  11. Qtile icon

    Qtile

     8 likes
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    A full-featured, hackable tiling window manager written and configured in Python.

    68 Qtile alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Qtile screenshot 1

    Qtile Features

    1.  Support for Multiple Monitors
    2.  Support for scripting
    3.  Command line interface
    4.  Tiling
    5.  Extensible window manager

    Qtile VS dwm

     
  12. river icon

    river

     4 likes
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    Wayland compositor featuring dynamic tiling and Master&Stack layout, offering configuration through riverctl tool with tag system for window management, customizable with rivertile and user layout generators, allowing flexible workspace setup without traditional workspaces.

    16 river alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    river screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Tiling Window Manager

    river VS dwm

     
  13. Amethyst icon

    Amethyst

     21 likes
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    Amethyst is a tiling window manager for Mac similar to the xmonad tiling window manager popular on Linux. Amethyst is written in Objective-C and has configurable shortcuts, multi-monitor support, multiple layouts, and the option to float certain applications.

    91 Amethyst alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Amethyst screenshot 1

    Amethyst Features

    1.  Snap windows
    2.  Tiling Layouts
    3.  Customize Windows
    4.  Multi Column View
    5.  Autostart
    6.  Mouse tracking
    7.  Application whitelisting
    8.  Floating windows
    9.  Toggle
    10.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts

    Amethyst VS dwm

     

    • Amethyst is the most popular Mac alternative to dwm.

    • Amethyst is Free and Open Sourcedwm is also Free and Open Source
  14. IceWM icon

    IceWM

     11 likes
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    IceWM is a Window Manager for X Window System. It is fast and memory-efficient, and it provides many different looks including Windows'95, OS/2 Warp 3,4, Motif.

    63 IceWM alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    IceWM screenshot 1

    IceWM Features

    1.  X server

    IceWM VS dwm

     
12 of 73 dwm alternatives