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herbstluftwm vs xmonad: catalog facts
herbstluftwm	xmonad
Best for: X11 users who want scriptable, manually controlled tiling	Best for: Keyboard-focused X11 users who are happy to configure in Haskell
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source, supported by donations.
Linux	Linux
Settings change live without restarting Tiling and floating layers on every tag All 3 strengths for herbstluftwm Settings change live without restarting Tiling and floating layers on every tag Virtual monitors for splitting large screens	Automatic tiling layouts Configuration is a full Haskell program All 3 strengths for xmonad Automatic tiling layouts Configuration is a full Haskell program Large set of extensions in xmonad-contrib
X11 only Manual tiling means arranging frames yourself	Configuring it requires some Haskell X11 only, no Wayland support
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 herbstluftwm herbstluftwm.org Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for xmonad xmonad.org Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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