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bspwm vs herbstluftwm: catalog facts
bspwm	herbstluftwm
Best for: Manage X11 windows as the leaves of a binary tree	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
Separates window management from keyboard bindings Can be controlled through shell commands	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
Requires separate tools for key bindings and desktop panels.	X11 only Manual tiling means arranging frames yourself
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: BSD-2-Clause	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 bspwm github.com/baskerville/bspwm 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.