No. 8 of 64 ·Window Management Software

Qtile

Linux · Self-hosted

Freedom report

Two barsScore 6.4

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely1 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Qtile is ranked #8 of 64 in window management software on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, Self-hosted. There is a free plan.

Qtile plans and pricing

All plans

Free and open-source Free MIT license · Linux desktop window manager/compositor qtile.org · 30 Sept 2026

Compared on window management software

Free plan: Yes
Platforms: Linux
Layout presets: Yes
Application rules: Yes
Window grouping: Yes
Virtual desktop controls: Yes

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The record

What it does: Qtile is a full-featured, hackable tiling window manager written and configured in Python.
Display systems: Qtile is available as both an X11 window manager and a Wayland compositor.
Customization: Qtile is simple, small and extensible, with user-created layouts, widgets and built-in commands.
Configuration: Qtile is written and configured entirely in Python.
Remote control: Its command shell allows all aspects of Qtile to be managed and inspected.
Scriptability: Qtile supports remote scripting for setting up workspaces, manipulating windows and updating status-bar widgets.
Installation: The stable version can be installed from PyPI with the command `uv tool install qtile`.
Linux distributions: Qtile provides installation guides for Arch, Fedora, Funtoo, Ubuntu/Debian, Slackware, FreeBSD and NixOS.
Runtime support: The project aims to support the last three CPython versions and usually supports the latest stable PyPy.
Wayland dependency: The Wayland backend uses the wlroots compositor library.
License: Qtile is distributed under the permissive MIT license.
Community support: Support is available through GitHub Discussions, IRC and Discord, with Discord bridged to IRC.
Release channel: The official site distinguishes a more stable official release from a development version that has newer features but may contain new bugs.
Intended users: The development version is recommended for users who want the latest features or plan to hack on Qtile, while the official release is recommended for users who want stability.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Window Management Software in 2026#8 of 64

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Sources

docs.qtile.org/en/latest/index.html· checked 30 Sept 2026
qtile.org· checked 30 Sept 2026
github.com/qtile/qtile· checked 30 Sept 2026
docs.qtile.org/en/stable/manual/install/· checked 30 Sept 2026
qtile.org/home/· checked 30 Sept 2026