Best XMonad Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from window management software ranked against XMonad on the same published basis.
- 1XMonad vs i3
- 2XMonad vs awesome
- 3XMonad vs Qtile
- 4XMonad vs yabai
- 5XMonad vs bug.n
- 6XMonad vs Amethyst
- 7XMonad vs DisplayFusion
- 8XMonad vs komorebi
- 9XMonad vs spectrwm
- 10XMonad vs Sway
- 11XMonad vs niri
- 12XMonad vs dwm
- 13XMonad vs Hyprland
- 14XMonad vs AeroSpace
- 16XMonad vs StumpWM
- 17XMonad vs bspwm
- 18XMonad vs Openbox
- 19XMonad vs herbstluftwm
- 20XMonad vs IceWM
- 21XMonad vs Rectangle
XMonad alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | i3 | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 2 | awesome | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 3 | Qtile | 8.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 4 | yabai | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 5 | bug.n | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 6 | Amethyst | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 7 | DisplayFusion | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 8 | komorebi | 7.6 | No | $9.17/mo | Mac, Windows |
| 9 | spectrwm | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 10 | Sway | 7.1 | No | — | Linux |
| 11 | niri | 6.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 12 | dwm | 6.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 13 | Hyprland | 6.8 | No | — | Linux |
| 14 | AeroSpace | 6.8 | No | — | Mac |
| 16 | StumpWM | 6.6 | No | — | Linux |
| 17 | bspwm | 6.5 | No | — | Linux |
| 18 | Openbox | 6.4 | No | — | Linux |
| 19 | herbstluftwm | 6.3 | No | — | Linux, Mac |
| 20 | IceWM | 6.3 | No | — | Linux |
| 21 | Rectangle | 6.3 | No | — | Mac |
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Questions about XMonad alternatives
What is the best alternative to XMonad?
i3, number 1 in window management software with a score of 8.2 out of 10. The others here: awesome, Qtile, yabai and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to XMonad?
i3 is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 8 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation.