Polybar Alternatives

Polybar is described as 'Status bar for Unix-like systems' and is an app in the os & utilities category. There are more than 25 alternatives to Polybar for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Wayland, GTK, BSD and Rust apps. The best Polybar alternative is wayle, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Polybar are Eww, Ewwii, Quickshell and YASB Reborn.

More about Polybar

Polybar alternatives page was last updated Jun 8, 2026

wayle
5 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
Is wayle a good alternative to Polybar?
Eww
15 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.
64 Eww alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application type
Desktop Customization
Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
Linux
+4
Is Eww 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
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
+2
Is Quickshell a good alternative to Polybar?
YASB Reborn
2 likes
A highly configurable Windows status bar written in Python.
28 YASB Reborn alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Platforms
Windows
Is YASB Reborn a good alternative to Polybar?
fabric (Desktop Widgets System)
2 likes
The next-generation framework for building desktop widgets using Python.
53 fabric (Desktop Widgets System) alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application type
Desktop Customization
Platforms
Linux
Python
Wayland
+2
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
Is Riftbar a good alternative to Polybar?
AGS
2 likes
A framework for crafting Wayland Desktop Shells.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Platforms
Linux
GTK
Typescript
Wayland
+2
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
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (LGPL-2.1)
Application type
Desktop Customization
Platforms
Linux
Python
Wayland
I
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
Is zebar 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
Is ironbar a good alternative to Polybar?
Y
Y
Yambar
1 like
Modular status panel for X11 and Wayland, inspired by polybar.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Alerts
Discontinued
Platforms
Wayland
Linux
Y
Is Yambar a good alternative to Polybar?