Compare software

cwm vs spectrwm: catalog facts
cwm	spectrwm
Best for: A minimal keyboard-driven X11 window manager on Linux	Best for: Linux and BSD users who want a minimal tiling window manager
Free Free to download and use from its public GitHub repository.	Free Free and open source.
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	Small and lightweight with few dependencies Single plain-text configuration file All 3 strengths for spectrwm Small and lightweight with few dependencies Single plain-text configuration file Runs on Linux and the BSDs
X11 only, no Wayland support Minimal by design, with no panels or desktop extras	X11 only, no Wayland support Keyboard-centric workflow has a learning curve
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: ISC
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 spectrwm github.com/conformal/spectrwm Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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