Compare software

dwl vs Wayfire: catalog facts
dwl	Wayfire
Best for: dwm users moving to Wayland who want a minimal tiling compositor	Best for: Linux users who want a customisable Wayland compositor with effects
Free Free and open source.	Free Free, with source code on GitHub.
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	Plugin-based design for window management and effects Improved fractional scaling in the 0.11 release All 3 strengths for Wayfire Plugin-based design for window management and effects Improved fractional scaling in the 0.11 release Lightweight compositor with desktop effects
Customisation usually means editing source and recompiling Minimal by design, so bars and extras come from other tools	Linux and Wayland only Releases can be far apart All 3 limitations for Wayfire Linux and Wayland only Releases can be far apart Needs configuration to build a full desktop
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 Wayfire wayfire.org Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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