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Cagebreak vs niri: catalog facts
Cagebreak	niri
Best for: Ratpoison fans who want a keyboard-only tiling compositor on Wayland	Best for: Linux users who want keyboard-driven tiling without windows being squeezed
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	Linux
Fully keyboard-driven tiling on Wayland Signed releases with documented hashes All 3 strengths for Cagebreak Fully keyboard-driven tiling on Wayland Signed releases with documented hashes Man pages and example configurations included	Opening windows does not resize existing ones IPC interface for scripting and status bars All 3 strengths for niri Opening windows does not resize existing ones IPC interface for scripting and status bars Active development with a large user base
Minimal by design, with no decorations or visual extras Smaller user base than sway or Hyprland	Wayland only, no X11 session Needs separate panels, launchers and other desktop pieces All 3 limitations for niri Wayland only, no X11 session Needs separate panels, launchers and other desktop pieces Scrolling layout takes some getting used to
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Cagebreak github.com/project-repo/cagebreak Catalog checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for niri github.com/niri-wm/niri Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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