Alternatives to IceWM
A lightweight X11 window manager with a taskbar, workspaces and a familiar Windows-like layout. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
IceWM
A lightweight X11 window manager with a taskbar, workspaces and a familiar Windows-like layout.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as IceWM.
JWM
Joe's Window Manager, a lightweight stacking window manager for X11 written in C.
JWM is a lighter stacking X11 window manager needing only Xlib, suited to old hardware and Raspberry Pi, with a plainer appearance than IceWM.
Openbox
Manage X11 windows with a configurable stacking window manager.
Openbox is a configurable stacking X11 window manager with custom menus and window rules, but it lacks IceWM's built-in taskbar and needs separate panels.
Window Maker
An X11 stacking window manager that reproduces the look and feel of NeXTSTEP.
Window Maker is a light X11 stacking window manager with a NeXTSTEP look, dockapps and a graphical preferences tool instead of a Windows-like taskbar.
FVWM3
A highly configurable X11 window manager, the successor to fvwm2, with multi-monitor support.
FVWM3 is an extremely configurable X11 window manager with RandR multi-monitor support, though its configuration has a steeper learning curve than IceWM.
LXQt
A lightweight, modular Qt-based desktop environment for Linux and BSD with X11 and Wayland sessions.
LXQt is a full but light Qt-based desktop environment with X11 and Wayland sessions, offering more integrated components than a standalone window manager.
Xfce
Use a modular desktop environment built around traditional panels and windows.
Xfce is a full modular desktop environment with panels and a settings manager, so moving there means more components than IceWM's single window manager.
MATE
A traditional desktop environment for Linux and other Unix-like systems that continues the GNOME 2 design.
MATE is a complete traditional desktop environment continuing the GNOME 2 design, packaged in many distributions, with full releases arriving every few years.
labwc
A lightweight wlroots-based stacking Wayland compositor inspired by Openbox.
labwc is a lightweight stacking compositor for Wayland rather than X11, and it needs other programs such as panels for a complete desktop.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Tint2
Lightweight panel and taskbar for Linux and BSD window managers.
picom
A lightweight standalone compositor for X11 that adds shadows, transparency, blur, fading and animations.
BunsenLabs Linux
A Debian-based distribution with a preconfigured, lightweight Openbox desktop, continuing CrunchBang Linux.
rofi
A keyboard-driven window switcher, application launcher and dmenu replacement for Linux desktops.
xfce4-panel
Configurable panel for the Xfce desktop with plugins and applets.
Polybar
Build a configurable status bar for an X11 desktop.
