Polybar Alternatives

Apps similar to Polybar include wayle, which is free and open source. Other options are Eww, YASB Reborn, Ewwii and Quickshell. There's no shortage of Desktop Customization Tools like Polybar, with more than 25 alternatives for Linux, Windows and Mac.

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Polybar alternatives page was last updated Jun 8, 2026

wayle
6 likes
A Wayland desktop shell with the bar, notifications, OSD, wallpaper, and device controls built in. Written in Rust with GTK4 and Relm4.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Platforms
Linux
Rust
Fedora
GTK
Wayland
Good alternative?Is wayle a good alternative to Polybar?
Eww
17 likes
Elkowars Wacky Widgets is a standalone widget system made in Rust that allows you to implement your own, custom widgets in any window manager.
69 Eww alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application type
Desktop Customization
Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
Linux
Germany
EU
+4
Good alternative?Is Eww a good alternative to Polybar?
YASB Reborn
5 likes
A highly configurable Windows status bar written in Python.
28 YASB Reborn alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application type
Desktop Customization
Platforms
Windows
Good alternative?Is YASB Reborn a good alternative to Polybar?
Ewwii
4 likes
Ewwii is a flexible, resource-efficient, and scriptable widget system that integrates seamlessly with any programming language, letting developers build powerful interfaces quickly.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Platforms
Linux
Rust
Nix Package Manager
GTK
Wayland
X11
Good alternative?Is Ewwii a good alternative to Polybar?
Quickshell
8 likes
Quickshell is a toolkit for building status bars, widgets, lockscreens, and other desktop components using QtQuick. It can be used alongside your wayland compositor or window manager to build a complete desktop environment.
25 Quickshell alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (LGPL-3.0)
Origin
United States
Platforms
Linux
United States
+2
Good alternative?Is Quickshell a good alternative to Polybar?
fabric (Desktop Widgets System)
3 likes
The next-generation framework for building desktop widgets using Python.
56 fabric (Desktop Widgets System) alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application type
Desktop Customization
Platforms
Linux
Python
Wayland
+2
Good alternative?Is this a good alternative to Polybar?
Riftbar
1 like
Highly customizable GTK4 bar for Wayland written in Rust.?? 🎉.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Origin
Türkiye
Platforms
Linux
Türkiye
Good alternative?Is Riftbar a good alternative to Polybar?
AGS
3 likes
A framework for crafting Wayland Desktop Shells.
59 AGS alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Platforms
Linux
GTK
Typescript
Wayland
+2
Good alternative?Is AGS a good alternative to Polybar?
I
I
Ignis (widget framework)
1 like
A widget framework for building desktop shells, written and configurable in Python
57 Ignis (widget framework) alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (LGPL-2.1)
Application type
Desktop Customization
Platforms
Linux
Python
Wayland
I
Good alternative?Is this a good alternative to Polybar?
zebar
1 like
Zebar is a tool for creating customizable and cross-platform taskbars, desktop widgets, and popups.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Platforms
Windows
Mac
Linux
Good alternative?Is zebar a good alternative to Polybar?
X
X
xfce-panel
4 likes
Xfce componet to switch between opened windows, launch applications, switch workspaces and menu plugins to browse applications or directories.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-2.0)
Platforms
Linux
BSD
X
Good alternative?Is xfce-panel a good alternative to Polybar?
I
I
ironbar
3 likes
Customisable Wayland gtk bar written in Rust.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Platforms
Linux
Wayland
Rust
GTK
I
Good alternative?Is ironbar a good alternative to Polybar?