Compare software

cwm vs JWM: catalog facts
cwm	JWM
Best for: A minimal keyboard-driven X11 window manager on Linux	Best for: Lightweight desktops on older or low-powered Linux machines
Free Free to download and use from its public GitHub repository.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Linux	Linux
Small and simple, with a single text configuration file Keyboard-driven window handling All 4 strengths for cwm Small and simple, with a single text configuration file Keyboard-driven window handling Tracks upstream OpenBSD cwm development Signed releases	Very small footprint, needing only Xlib Runs well on old hardware and the Raspberry Pi All 4 strengths for JWM Very small footprint, needing only Xlib Runs well on old hardware and the Raspberry Pi Optional multi-monitor, SVG and antialiased font support Available as a package in many distributions
X11 only, no Wayland support Minimal by design, with no panels or desktop extras	X11 only, no Wayland support Stacking only, with no tiling layouts All 3 limitations for JWM X11 only, no Wayland support Stacking only, with no tiling layouts Plain appearance compared with full desktop environments
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: MIT
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for cwm github.com/leahneukirchen/cwm Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for JWM joewing.net/projects/jwm Catalog checked September 24, 2026

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