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Hyprland vs river: catalog facts
Hyprland	river
Best for: Arrange Linux application windows with a configurable tiling Wayland compositor	Best for: Linux users who want to build or choose their own Wayland window manager
Free Free and open source. Hosting, hardware and any external services are separate.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	Linux
Supports dynamic tiling and animations Provides extensive keyboard and layout configuration	Window management policy is a separate, replaceable program Documented window management protocol All 3 strengths for river Window management policy is a separate, replaceable program Documented window management protocol Actively developed with regular releases
Requires compatible Wayland graphics support and manual configuration.	Needs a separate window manager to be useful Building from source requires the Zig toolchain All 3 limitations for river Needs a separate window manager to be useful Building from source requires the Zig toolchain Older configurations belong to river-classic
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: BSD-3-Clause	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Hyprland hyprland.org github.com/hyprwm/Hyprland Catalog checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for river isaacfreund.com/software/river Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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