Compare software

dwl vs river: catalog facts
dwl	river
Best for: dwm users moving to Wayland who want a minimal tiling compositor	Best for: Linux users who want to build or choose their own Wayland window manager
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	Linux
dwm-style dynamic tiling on Wayland Small C codebase built on wlroots All 4 strengths for dwl dwm-style dynamic tiling on Wayland Small C codebase built on wlroots Community patch collection for extra features Actively maintained	Window management policy is a separate, replaceable program Documented window management protocol All 3 strengths for river Window management policy is a separate, replaceable program Documented window management protocol Actively developed with regular releases
Customisation usually means editing source and recompiling Minimal by design, so bars and extras come from other tools	Needs a separate window manager to be useful Building from source requires the Zig toolchain All 3 limitations for river Needs a separate window manager to be useful Building from source requires the Zig toolchain Older configurations belong to river-classic
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for dwl codeberg.org/dwl/dwl Catalog checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for river isaacfreund.com/software/river Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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