bemenu
A dmenu-style dynamic menu and launcher that runs on Wayland, X11 and in a terminal.
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About bemenu
bemenu is a dynamic menu inspired by dmenu. It reads a list of items, lets you filter them by typing, and returns your choice, so it works as an application launcher and as a picker inside your own shell scripts.
It ships as a library and a client program. The same menu can be drawn on Wayland, on X11 or with curses in a terminal, which makes it a common choice for tiling window manager setups. Releases are signed.
Strengths
- Works on Wayland, X11 and in a terminal via curses
- Drop-in style replacement for dmenu in scripts
- Signed releases
- Usable as a library in other programs
Limitations
- Minimal interface with no icons or previews
- Configured through command-line options rather than a settings window
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source.
- License
- GPL-3.0 (client), LGPL-3.0 (library)
- Developer
- Cloudef
- Platforms
- Linux, Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Tiling window manager users who want a dmenu-style menu that also works on Wayland
- Categories
- App launchers, CLI tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to bemenu
Compare allSoftware that can replace bemenu for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
dmenu
A minimal dynamic menu for X that picks from large lists of items using the keyboard.
dmenu is the minimal original that bemenu imitates, but it runs only on X and is customized by editing source and recompiling.
rofi
A keyboard-driven window switcher, application launcher and dmenu replacement for Linux desktops.
Rofi is a free MIT-licensed dmenu replacement that adds an application launcher and window switcher with theming, but it lacks terminal mode.
wmenu
A dynamic menu for Wayland modeled on dmenu, for picking items from a list piped in.
wmenu offers dmenu behavior on Wayland only, with a password mode, but lacks bemenu's X11 and terminal backends.
fuzzel
An application launcher and fuzzy finder for Wayland compositors, inspired by rofi and dmenu.
Fuzzel is an open-source Wayland launcher and dmenu-style picker for scripts, with no X11 or terminal support.
tofi
A tiny, fast dmenu and rofi replacement for wlroots-based Wayland compositors.
tofi is a fast dmenu and rofi replacement limited to wlroots compositors, with bundled themes from slim bar to fullscreen.
wofi
A GTK-based launcher and menu program for wlroots Wayland compositors such as Sway.
wofi provides a GTK-styled launcher and dmenu replacement for wlroots compositors, though it is not actively maintained.
Walker
A customizable GTK4 application launcher for Linux that also runs commands and does calculations.
Walker is a GTK4 Linux launcher that also runs commands and calculations, with a graphical interface and many options to configure.
Anyrun
A Wayland-native runner in the style of KRunner, built around plugins and customization.
Anyrun is a Wayland-native runner in the KRunner style built around plugins, with no X11 or terminal support.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
j4-dmenu-desktop
A fast desktop-entry launcher that feeds installed applications into dmenu or a compatible menu.
Greenclip
A small clipboard history manager for Linux that is designed to be used through rofi.
Kickoff
A minimalistic fuzzy program launcher for wlroots-based Wayland compositors, written in Rust.
nwg-drawer
A searchable full-screen application drawer for sway, Hyprland and other wlroots Wayland compositors.
Ulauncher
Fast, extensible application launcher built for Linux desktops.
