Best herbstluftwm Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from window management software ranked against herbstluftwm on the same published basis.
- 1herbstluftwm vs DisplayFusion
- 2herbstluftwm vs Rectangle
- 3herbstluftwm vs Launchpad
- 4herbstluftwm vs Reloop
- 5herbstluftwm vs awesome
- 6herbstluftwm vs dwm
- 7herbstluftwm vs Qtile
- 8herbstluftwm vs GiMeSpace QuickMenu
- 9herbstluftwm vs Ratpoison
- 10herbstluftwm vs spectrwm
- 11herbstluftwm vs Amethyst
- 12herbstluftwm vs WindowWatcher
- 13herbstluftwm vs bug.n
- 14herbstluftwm vs i3
- 15herbstluftwm vs Moom
- 16herbstluftwm vs niri
- 17herbstluftwm vs yabai
- 18herbstluftwm vs Actual Multiple Monitors
- 19herbstluftwm vs Actual Window Manager
- 20herbstluftwm vs RBTray
herbstluftwm alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DisplayFusion | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 2 | Rectangle | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 3 | Launchpad | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 4 | Reloop | 7.1 | Free plan | $10/mo | self-hosted |
| 5 | awesome | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 6 | dwm | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 7 | Qtile | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 8 | GiMeSpace QuickMenu | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 9 | Ratpoison | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 10 | spectrwm | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 11 | Amethyst | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 12 | WindowWatcher | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 13 | bug.n | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 14 | i3 | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 15 | Moom | 6.7 | No | — | Mac |
| 16 | niri | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 17 | yabai | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 18 | Actual Multiple Monitors | 6.6 | No | — | Windows |
| 19 | Actual Window Manager | 6.6 | No | — | Windows |
| 20 | RBTray | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
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Questions about herbstluftwm alternatives
What is the best alternative to herbstluftwm?
DisplayFusion, number 1 in window management software with a score of 7.7 out of 10. The others here: Rectangle, Launchpad, Reloop and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to herbstluftwm?
DisplayFusion is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 17 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.