Best i3 Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from window management software ranked against i3 on the same published basis.
- 1i3 vs Launchpad
- 2i3 vs spectrwm
- 3i3 vs Amethyst
- 4i3 vs awesome
- 5i3 vs bug.n
- 6i3 vs DisplayFusion
- 8i3 vs Qtile
- 9i3 vs Reloop
- 10i3 vs yabai
- 11i3 vs komorebi
- 12i3 vs AeroSpace
- 13i3 vs 4t Tray Minimizer
- 14i3 vs AquaSnap
- 15i3 vs Dexpot
- 16i3 vs dwm
- 17i3 vs FancyWM
- 18i3 vs GiMeSpace QuickMenu
- 19i3 vs herbstluftwm
- 20i3 vs IceWM
- 21i3 vs KDE Mover-Sizer
i3 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 |
| 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 |
| 16 | dwm | 5.2 | No | — | Linux |
| 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 |
Make your app an alternative to i3
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled and never changes the order above.
Questions about i3 alternatives
What is the best alternative to i3?
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 i3?
Launchpad is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 9 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. Paid placements never change a rank.