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ArcMenu vs Whisker Menu: catalog facts
ArcMenu	Whisker Menu
Best for: GNOME users who want a classic application menu instead of the activities overview	Best for: Xfce desktop users who want a searchable start menu
Free Free and open source under the GPL version 2 or later.	Free Free and distributed as an Xfce panel plugin.
Linux	Linux
Brings a traditional searchable start menu to GNOME Customizable menu layout All 3 strengths for ArcMenu Brings a traditional searchable start menu to GNOME Customizable menu layout Open source and published as releases on GitLab	Search starts as soon as the menu opens and also matches descriptions Favorites, recently used and category browsing in one menu All 3 strengths for Whisker Menu Search starts as soon as the menu opens and also matches descriptions Favorites, recently used and category browsing in one menu Drag and drop to reorder favorites
Only works inside GNOME Shell GNOME extensions can need updates after major GNOME releases	Only works as a plugin for the Xfce panel
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Not open source
License: GPL-2.0-or-later	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for ArcMenu gitlab.com/arcmenu/ArcMenu Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Whisker Menu docs.xfce.org/panel-plugins/xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin/start Catalog checked October 2, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.