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awesome vs herbstluftwm: catalog facts
awesome	herbstluftwm
Best for: Build a keyboard-driven X11 desktop with a window manager configured in Lua	Best for: X11 users who want scriptable, manually controlled tiling
Free Free and open source. Hosting, hardware and any external services are separate.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	Linux
Supports tiling and floating layouts Exposes programmable widgets and window rules	Settings change live without restarting Tiling and floating layers on every tag All 3 strengths for herbstluftwm Settings change live without restarting Tiling and floating layers on every tag Virtual monitors for splitting large screens
Extensive customization requires editing Lua configuration.	X11 only Manual tiling means arranging frames yourself
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for awesome awesomewm.org github.com/awesomeWM/awesome Catalog checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for herbstluftwm herbstluftwm.org Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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