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FVWM3 vs Xfwm4: catalog facts
FVWM3	Xfwm4
Best for: X11 users who want a lightweight window manager they can shape completely	Best for: Xfce users and anyone wanting a simple, low-overhead stacking window manager on Linux
Free Free, with source code published on GitHub.	Free Free and open source as part of the Xfce desktop.
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	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
X11 only, no Wayland support Configuration has a steep learning curve	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 FVWM3 github.com/fvwmorg/fvwm3 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.