Best window managers for linux

Published at May 14, 2025

#linux#customization#ricing

Here’s a list of 30 popular window managers and desktop environments for Linux. Some are full-fledged desktop environments (like KDE and GNOME), while others are lightweight or tiling window managers meant for advanced users and minimal setups.

🖥️ Full Desktop Environments (DEs)

These are comprehensive environments with built-in apps, panels, settings, and more.

  • KDE Plasma – Feature-rich, highly customizable, modern DE.

  • GNOME – Modern and simple DE with a unique workflow.

  • Xfce – Lightweight, stable, and traditional DE.

  • LXQt – Lightweight and modular DE (successor to LXDE).

  • Cinnamon – GNOME 3 fork with a traditional layout.

  • MATE – Fork of GNOME 2, lightweight and traditional.

  • Budgie – Sleek and modern DE from the Solus project.

  • Pantheon – Elegant DE from elementary OS, focused on usability.

  • Deepin DE – Beautiful and user-friendly DE from Deepin Linux.

  • Enlightenment (E) – Lightweight with eye candy and unique features.

🧱 Tiling Window Managers

These don’t use overlapping windows and often rely on keyboard navigation.

  • i3 – Popular manual tiling WM, minimal and fast.

  • bspwm – Binary space partitioning WM, controlled via sxhkd.

  • awesome – Highly configurable and scriptable (Lua) tiling WM.

  • sway – Wayland-compatible i3 replacement.

  • herbstluftwm – Tiling WM with a layout based on splitting frames.

  • xmonad – Tiling WM written and configured in Haskell.

  • qtile – WM written and configured in Python.

  • dwm – Minimal and fast WM from suckless, requires recompilation to configure.

  • spectrwm – Compact and dynamic tiling WM.

  • ratpoison – Tiling WM with no window decorations, inspired by GNU screen.

🪟 Stacking / Floating Window Managers

These use traditional overlapping windows like in Windows/macOS.

  • Openbox – Highly configurable and lightweight stacking WM.

  • Fluxbox – Lightweight WM with tabbed windows and basic features.

  • IceWM – Very lightweight and Windows-like interface.

  • JWM (Joe’s WM) – Simple WM used in lightweight distros like Puppy Linux.

  • Blackbox – Lightweight and minimal WM.

  • FVWM – Classic, customizable stacking WM.

  • AfterStep – Based on NeXTSTEP UI, lightweight and old-school.

  • Window Maker – NeXTSTEP-inspired WM, unique aesthetic.

  • pekwm – Light and flexible WM inspired by aewm++.

  • twm – Tab Window Manager, very basic and old-school (default in X11).

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