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herbstluftwm alternatives

herbstluftwm is a free, open-source manual tiling window manager for the X window system. It lets you arrange windows in tiling or floating layers on virtual desktops called tags, and control them with the keyboard. Its frames can be split into subframes, while virtual monitors let you divide screen space independently of physical monitors. Configuration runs through herbstclient and can change at runtime without restarting the manager.

1. 1

   Launchpad

   Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1

   Open-source teams building, publishing, and localizing software — Launchpad adds bug tracking, Git hosting, package building, translations, and collaboration tools rather than manual desktop window tiling.

   7.3 Free plan Visit site
2. 2 S

   spectrwm

   Free plan Open source LinuxMacWindows

   X11 users wanting configurable tiling without a programming language — spectrwm offers configurable tiling, dynamic RandR multi-head support, and navigation by keyboard or mouse.

   Free plan Visit site
3. 3 4

   4t Tray Minimizer

   Free plan Windows

   Windows users minimizing applications to the system tray — 4t Tray Minimizer adds tray controls, titlebar actions, and shortcuts instead of manual tiling across tags.

   7.3 Free plan · paid from $19.95 Visit site
4. 4 A

   Amethyst

   Free plan Mac

   macOS users seeking built-in and custom tiling layouts — Amethyst brings a broad set of built-in layouts and JavaScript custom layouts to macOS.

   7.2 Free plan Visit site
5. 5

   AquaSnap

   Free plan Windows

   Windows users arranging windows with snapping and grouped movement — AquaSnap adds edge and corner docking, magnetic snapping, and linked resizing for adjacent windows.

   7.2 Free plan · paid from $29 Visit site
6. 6 A

   awesome

   Free plan Linux

   Linux power users who want a Lua-extensible X framework — Awesome is a Lua-extensible framework window manager with windows assignable to multiple tags and simultaneous tag display.

   7.1 Free plan Visit site
7. 7

   Dexpot

   Free plan APIWindows

   Windows users wanting customizable virtual workspaces — Dexpot adds supplemental Windows desktops with previews, desktop-specific files and backgrounds, and window rules.

   7.2 Free plan · paid from €24.90 · 30-day trial Visit site
8. 8

   DisplayFusion

   Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+1
   7.5 Free plan · paid from $34 · 30-day trial Visit site
9. 9 A

   AltSnap

   Free plan Windows
   7.2 Free plan Visit site
10. 10

    Autoruns

    Free plan Windows
    7.2 Free plan Visit site
11. 11 B

    bspwm

    Free plan Linux
    7.1 Free plan Visit site
12. 12 B

    bug.n

    Free plan Windows
    7.1 Free plan Visit site
13. 13 F

    Fenêtre

    Free plan ExtensionMac
    7.1 Free plan Visit site
14. 14 I

    i3

    Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted
    7.1 Free plan Visit site
15. 15 I

    IceWM

    Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted
    7.1 Open source Visit site
16. 16 D

    dwm

    Free plan Linux
    7.0 Free plan Visit site
17. 17 E

    eXtra Buttons

    Free plan Windows
    7.0 Free plan Visit site
18. 18

    komorebi

    Free plan MacWindows
    7.0 Free plan · paid from $10/user/mo Visit site
19. 19 A

    AeroSpace

    Free plan Mac
    6.9 Free plan Visit site
20. 20

    Hyprland

    Free plan Linux
    6.9 Open source Visit site
21. 21 Q

    Qtile

    Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted
    6.9 Free plan Visit site
22. 22 B

    Bluetile

    Free plan Linux
    6.8 Free plan Visit site
23. 23

    MacsyZones

    Free plan Mac
    6.8 Free plan · paid from $7 Visit site
24. 24 N

    niri

    Free plan Linux
    6.8 Free plan Visit site
25. 25 R

    Ratpoison

    Free plan Linux
    6.7 Free plan Visit site

Its focus on manual X window management is also a boundary: the platforms are Linux and macOS, and its approach may not match someone seeking a Windows utility, a different style of window arrangement, or a broader workspace tool. When comparing alternatives, weigh their platform support and control model against herbstluftwm’s tags, layouts, and keyboard operation. Some options add features such as simpler configuration, window snapping, or supplemental desktop workspaces; others are collaboration or application-minimizing tools rather than direct tiling replacements.

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