Best dwm Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from window management software ranked against dwm on the same published basis.
- 1dwm vs Launchpad
- 2dwm vs spectrwm
- 3dwm vs Amethyst
- 4dwm vs awesome
- 5dwm vs bug.n
- 6dwm vs DisplayFusion
- 7dwm vs i3
- 8dwm vs Qtile
- 9dwm vs Reloop
- 10dwm vs yabai
- 11dwm vs komorebi
- 12dwm vs AeroSpace
- 13dwm vs 4t Tray Minimizer
- 14dwm vs AquaSnap
- 15dwm vs Dexpot
- 17dwm vs FancyWM
- 18dwm vs GiMeSpace QuickMenu
- 19dwm vs herbstluftwm
- 20dwm vs IceWM
- 21dwm vs KDE Mover-Sizer
dwm alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Launchpad | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 2 | spectrwm | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 3 | Amethyst | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 4 | awesome | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 5 | bug.n | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 6 | DisplayFusion | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 7 | i3 | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 8 | Qtile | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 9 | Reloop | 6.4 | Free plan | $10/mo | self-hosted |
| 10 | yabai | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 11 | komorebi | 5.5 | No | $9.17/mo | Mac, Windows |
| 12 | AeroSpace | 5.3 | No | — | Mac |
| 13 | 4t Tray Minimizer | 5.2 | No | — | Windows |
| 14 | AquaSnap | 5.2 | No | — | Windows |
| 15 | Dexpot | 5.2 | No | — | Windows |
| 17 | FancyWM | 5.2 | No | — | Windows |
| 18 | GiMeSpace QuickMenu | 5.2 | No | — | Windows |
| 19 | herbstluftwm | 5.2 | No | — | Linux, Mac |
| 20 | IceWM | 5.2 | No | — | Linux |
| 21 | KDE Mover-Sizer | 5.2 | No | — | Windows |
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Questions about dwm alternatives
What is the best alternative to dwm?
Launchpad, number 1 in window management software with a score of 6.5 out of 10. The others here: spectrwm, Amethyst, awesome and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to dwm?
Launchpad is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 10 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.