Alternatives to Qtile
Configure a tiling window manager using Python. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Qtile
Configure a tiling window manager using Python.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Qtile.
i3
Arrange X11 windows in a keyboard-controlled tiling workspace.
i3 is a keyboard-controlled tiling manager with a tree-based layout and a plain configuration file instead of Python, but it runs on X11 only.
Sway
Use an i3-style tiling workflow on Wayland.
Sway brings an i3-style tiling workflow to Wayland and reads much of the i3 configuration format, so no Python is needed, though some X11 applications need compatibility layers.
awesome
Build a keyboard-driven X11 desktop with a window manager configured in Lua.
awesome offers tiling and floating layouts with programmable widgets and window rules like Qtile, but it is configured in Lua and runs on X11 rather than Wayland.
Hyprland
Arrange Linux application windows with a configurable tiling Wayland compositor.
Hyprland is a Wayland-only tiling compositor with dynamic tiling, animations and extensive keyboard configuration, set up in its own config file rather than Python.
bspwm
Manage X11 windows as the leaves of a binary tree.
bspwm tiles X11 windows as a binary tree and is controlled through shell commands, relying on separate tools for key bindings and panels instead of built-in widgets.
dwm
Use a small dynamic window manager for X11 with tiling and floating layouts.
dwm is a compact dynamic X11 window manager with tiling and floating layouts, customized by editing and recompiling its C source instead of a Python configuration.
LeftWM
Arrange Linux windows with a tiling manager written in Rust.
LeftWM is an MIT-licensed tiling manager written in Rust with configurable layouts, but bars and related components need separate configuration instead of Qtile's built-in widgets.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Qtile as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Openbox
Manage X11 windows with a configurable stacking window manager.
Qtile is a tiling window manager configured in Python, with X11 and Wayland back ends, programmable layouts and built-in widgets, which Openbox leaves to separate tools.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
