Comparison of X window managers

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This article lists comparisons among X window managers.

Name	Capability/size	Language	License	Type	Configurable titlebar buttons	Graphical configuration	Hotkeys	ICCCM/EWMH compliant	Panel for window switching	Tabbed windows	Themeable
Kwin (KDE)	Heavyweight	C++ (Qt)	GPL	Compositing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Metacity (GNOME)	Heavyweight	C, C++ (GTK+)	GPL	Compositing or Stacking	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Compiz	Heavyweight	C (OpenGL)	MIT	Compositing	Yes	Yes	Yes		third-party	Yes	Yes
Mutter (Gnome Shell)	Heavyweight	C, C++ (GTK+) (Clutter)	GPL	Compositing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Gnome Shell	Yes	Yes
Xfwm (Xfce)	Middleweight	C, C++ (GTK+)	GPL, LGPL	Compositing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Enlightenment	Middleweight	C	BSD	Stacking	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Blackbox	Middleweight	C++	MIT	Stacking	No	third-party	with bbkeys	through 0.65 / from 0.70[1]	Yes	No	Yes
Fluxbox	Middleweight	C++	MIT	Stacking	Yes	third-party	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes
Openbox	Middleweight	C	GPL	Stacking	Yes	third-party	Yes	Yes	third-party	No	Yes
awesome	Middleweight	C, Lua	GPL	Tiling and stacking	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
IceWM	Middleweight	C++	GPL, LGPL	Stacking	Yes	third-party	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
xmonad	Lightweight	Haskell	BSD	Tiling	Yes		Yes	? / Yes	third-party	Yes	Yes
FVWM	Lightweight	C	GPL	Stacking	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes[2]	third-party[3][4]
Ion	Lightweight	C, Lua	LGPL with non-free clauses	Tiling and stacking	no titlebar buttons	No	Yes		No	Yes	Yes
twm	Lightweight	C	MIT License	re-parenting
Matchbox	Minimal	C	GPL	Stacking							Yes
sithWM	Minimal	C	GPL	Stacking	no titlebar buttons	No	Yes				Yes
evilwm	Minimal	C	AEWM[5]	Stacking	no titlebar buttons	No	No	?/Somewhat from 1.1.0[6]	No		Yes
dwm	Minimal	C	MIT	Tiling	no titlebar buttons	No	Yes	Yes/No	Yes		Yes
WMFS	Minimal	C	BSD	Tiling	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Musca	Minimal	C	GPL	Tiling	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
wmii	Minimal	C	MIT	Tiling	No	No	Yes		No	Yes	Yes
scrotwm	Minimal	C	BSD	Tiling and stacking	no titlebar buttons	No	Yes		No	No	solid colors

See also

Free software portal

• Comparison of X Window System desktop environments
• Window manager

References

1. ^ "NetWM - Blackbox". http://blackboxwm.sourceforge.net/NetWM. "Blackbox releases up to and including version 0.65.0 follow the ICCCM standard, while 0.70 and later follow EWMH." 
2. ^ FvwmTabs
3. ^ Fvwm Themes
4. ^ FVWM-Crystal
5. ^ evilwm Readme
6. ^ "evilwm - standards support". http://www.6809.org.uk/evilwm/standards.shtml. "evilwm releases following and including version 1.1.0 follow the EWMH standard." 

External links

• Comparison of X window managers at Mark Hobley's GNU laboratory (From the United Kingdom of Great Britain Only)

v • d • e Desktop environments and window managers for X11 DEs GNOME · KDE CDE · IRIX Interactive Desktop · Xfce EDE · Étoilé · LXDE · Mezzo · ROX · UDE WMs AfterStep · Beryl · Compiz · Enlightenment · Sawfish · Window Maker · xcompmgr aewm · Blackbox · Fluxbox · FVWM95 · IceWM · JWM · Oroborus · QVWM · twm · WindowLab awesome · dwm · evilwm · ratpoison · Stumpwm · wmii · xmonad · XWEM

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