Best XMonad Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from window management software ranked against XMonad on the same published basis.
- 1XMonad vs Launchpad
- 2XMonad vs spectrwm
- 3XMonad vs Amethyst
- 4XMonad vs awesome
- 5XMonad vs bug.n
- 6XMonad vs DisplayFusion
- 7XMonad vs dwm
- 8XMonad vs i3
- 9XMonad vs niri
- 10XMonad vs Qtile
- 11XMonad vs Rectangle
- 12XMonad vs Reloop
- 13XMonad vs yabai
- 14XMonad vs GiMeSpace QuickMenu
- 15XMonad vs Ratpoison
- 16XMonad vs RBTray
- 17XMonad vs ShiftIt
- 18XMonad vs WindowWatcher
- 19XMonad vs komorebi
- 20XMonad vs ActiveDock
XMonad 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 | dwm | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 8 | i3 | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 9 | niri | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 10 | Qtile | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 11 | Rectangle | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 12 | Reloop | 6.4 | Free plan | $10/mo | self-hosted |
| 13 | yabai | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 14 | GiMeSpace QuickMenu | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 15 | Ratpoison | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 16 | RBTray | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 17 | ShiftIt | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 18 | WindowWatcher | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 19 | komorebi | 5.5 | No | $9.17/mo | Mac, Windows |
| 20 | ActiveDock | 5.4 | No | — | Mac |
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Questions about XMonad alternatives
What is the best alternative to XMonad?
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 XMonad?
Launchpad is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 18 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.