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FVWM3 vs IceWM: catalog facts
FVWM3	IceWM
Best for: X11 users who want a lightweight window manager they can shape completely	Best for: Older or low-powered machines that need a simple desktop with a taskbar
Free Free, with source code published on GitHub.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	Linux
Extremely configurable behaviour and appearance Multi-monitor support through RandR All 4 strengths for FVWM3 Extremely configurable behaviour and appearance Multi-monitor support through RandR Lightweight, with a long history and active development Includes a default configuration to start from	Low resource use Built-in taskbar, tray and menu All 4 strengths for IceWM Low resource use Built-in taskbar, tray and menu Large collection of themes Fully usable from the keyboard
X11 only, no Wayland support Configuration has a steep learning curve	X11 only Dated look without a theme
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 FVWM3 github.com/fvwmorg/fvwm3 Catalog checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for IceWM ice-wm.org Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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