Compare software

Enlightenment vs Xfwm4: catalog facts
Enlightenment	Xfwm4
Best for: Linux and BSD users who want a distinctive, lightweight desktop shell	Best for: Xfce users and anyone wanting a simple, low-overhead stacking window manager on Linux
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source as part of the Xfce desktop.
Linux	Linux
Window manager, compositor and desktop shell in one Built on the portable EFL libraries All 3 strengths for Enlightenment Window manager, compositor and desktop shell in one Built on the portable EFL libraries Family of companion applications from the same project	Light on resources Built-in compositor that can be tuned or turned off All 4 strengths for Xfwm4 Light on resources Built-in compositor that can be tuned or turned off Supports freedesktop, GNOME and KDE window manager standards Large choice of installable themes
Wayland support is still experimental Official releases are source code only	Designed for X11 sessions No tiling layouts beyond basic edge snapping
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Enlightenment enlightenment.org Catalog checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Xfwm4 docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfwm4/start Catalog checked October 1, 2026

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